APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR FLYING AN AIRCRAFT

• US 20160090179A1
• Filed: 09/29/2014
• Published: 03/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Childress, Jamie J., Perron, Daniel J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,279,902 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/0091 Accessories not provided for elsewhere
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/80 Vertical take-off or landing, e.g. using rockets rotorcrafts B64U10/10; VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/83 using parachutes, balloons or the like

Abstract

Described herein is an aircraft launch system that includes a riser coupleable to an aircraft. The riser includes an actuator and a tether coupled to the actuator. The aircraft launch system further includes a sky anchor coupled to the tether. The actuator is operable to retract the tether and draw together the sky anchor and the aircraft.

Claims

1. An aircraft launch system, comprising:

a riser coupleable to an aircraft, the riser comprising an actuator and a tether coupled to the actuator; and

a sky anchor coupled to the tether;

wherein the actuator is operable to retract the tether and draw together the sky anchor and the aircraft.

2. The aircraft launch system of claim 1, wherein the sky anchor comprises a rigid wing.

3. The aircraft launch system of claim 2, wherein the rigid wing comprises a plurality of thrust generators.

4. The aircraft launch system of claim 1, wherein the sky anchor comprises a parafoil.

5. The aircraft launch system of claim 1, wherein the actuator retracts the tether at a rate between about 5 ft/s and about 15 ft/s.

6. The aircraft launch system of claim 1, wherein the actuator comprises a pneumatically-powered rack-and-pinion system.

7. The aircraft launch system of claim 1, wherein the tether comprises a plurality of wires.

8. An aircraft launch system, comprising:

an aircraft comprising at least one thrust generator;

a riser coupled to the aircraft, the riser comprising an actuator and a tether coupled to the actuator; and

a sky anchor coupled to the tether;

wherein the actuator is operable to retract the tether and draw together the sky anchor and the aircraft.

9. The aircraft launch system of claim 8, wherein the aircraft further comprises a power supply and a controller, the controller operably coupled to the at least one thrust generator.

10. The aircraft launch system of claim 8, wherein the aircraft comprises a fuselage and landing gear rotatably coupled to the fuselage via a lazy susan bearing.

11. The aircraft launch system of claim 8, wherein the sky anchor comprises a rigid wing comprising a plurality of thrust generators.

12. The aircraft launch system of claim 11, wherein the aircraft comprises a wing lock operable to lock the rigid wing to the aircraft.

13. The aircraft launch system of claim 11, wherein an entirety of the thrust generators of the rigid wing generate a maximum combined thrust greater than a weight of the rigid wing and less than a weight of the aircraft.

14. The aircraft launch system of claim 13, wherein the maximum combined thrust of the entirety of the thrust generators of the rigid wing is between about 110% and about 130% of the weight of the rigid wing and between about 15% and about 20% of the weight of the aircraft.

15. The aircraft launch system of claim 8, wherein the actuator retracts the tether at a rate above a threshold rate, the threshold rate corresponding with a combined downward acceleration force and vertical drag force of the aircraft and actuator being equal to a combined lift force and vertical drag force of the sky anchor.

16. The aircraft launch system of claim 8, wherein the sky anchor comprises a parafoil, and the aircraft comprises a collapser that collapses the parafoil.

17. The aircraft launch system of claim 8, wherein the at least one thrust generator of the aircraft is positionable to direct a wash of the at least one first thrust generator vertically into the sky anchor, and positionable to horizontally propel the aircraft.

18. The aircraft launch system of claim 8, wherein the aircraft comprises a plurality of thrust generators, and wherein an entirety of the thrust generators of the aircraft generate a maximum combined thrust less than a weight of the aircraft.

19. A method for flying an aircraft, comprising:

tethering a sky anchor to the aircraft via a tether;

positioning a sky anchor in the air vertically above an aircraft on a ground surface; and

retracting the tether to draw the sky anchor and aircraft together and lift the aircraft above a ground surface.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein positioning the sky anchor in the air comprises extending the tether to allow the sky anchor to lift upwardly away from the aircraft.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein positioning the sky anchor in the air comprises directing a wash from at least one thrust generator of the aircraft into the sky anchor.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein positioning the sky anchor in the air comprises generating thrust from at least one thrust generator coupled directly to the sky anchor.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein positioning the sky anchor in the air comprises lifting the sky anchor with wind.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein retracting the tether comprises retracting the tether faster than a downward decent rate of the sky anchor.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising, with the sky anchor retracted to the aircraft, propelling the aircraft horizontally above the ground surface.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising, with the aircraft vertically above the ground surface, extending the tether to separate the sky anchor from the aircraft and lower the aircraft to the ground surface.