An aircraft (12) comprising a passenger cabin (22) in a fuselage (10) wherein an upper portion of the cabin volume has a substantially elliptical cross section (43) and a lower portion of the cabin volume has a cross section (40) extending laterally into a blended area of the wing (16) and fuselage (10) typically referred to as a wing to body fairing (14).

A wing for an unmanned aircraft (400) adapted for image acquisition, surveillance or other applications consists of a ribbed frame (100) and a foam (200) wherein the ribbed frame (100) is integrated. The foam (200) has a container (301, 02, 303) for holding the electric and/or electronic components. The foam (200) constitutes the outer layer of the unmanned aircraft (400) at impact side (204, 205, 206). The wing can be produced at low cost and low complexity in large volumes, increases the impact resistance and safety when used in civil areas, and is removable and disposable thereby enabling reuse of the electric and/or electronic components.

A blended wing body aircraft (10) having a modular body (12). In one embodiment, the configuration or cargo capacity of the aircraft can be varied by adding or subtracting intermediate body structures (62a,62a',62d) rather than by adding or subtracting segments from the lateral sides of the aircraft body. Configuration in this manner preserves key aerodynamic parameters and permits several major components to be used in several aircraft configurations, each of which having a different cargo capacity. In another embodiment, the aircraft is formed from a plurality of laterally-extending body structures. Changes to the cargo capacity of the aircraft is accomplished through the employment of body structures that are wider or narrower. Configuration in this manner provides the aircraft with a structure that is relatively strong and efficient. While the body structures of this embodiment are not shared across a family of variously sized aircraft, the base design of the body structures is readily modifiable to adjust for an increase or decrease in width associated with a desired change to the aircraft's cargo capacity.

The invention relates to a partial blended wing body airplane configuration combining the advantages of a pure blended wing configuration with the advantages of conventional aircraft design. In a blended tri-body airplane configuration three pressurized body elements (10,12,14) are connected by and blended with a pressurized centerwing (20) element. The sidebodies (10,14) and centerbody (12) are blended into the wing structure, producing a multi-body airplane whose body sections are interconnected utilizing wing payload carrying sections.

An aircraft (20) having a cabin (26) within a wing (24) of the aircraft includes an access opening (34,38) in an aft end of the cabin adjacent a trailing edge of the wing, and a trailing edge portion (22) of the wing juxtaposed with the access opening and including at least one pivotable panel which is pivotable into an open position so as to form a passage in the trailing edge portion for entry therethrough and through the access opening into the cabin. The trailing edge portion in one embodiment comprises upper and lower panels which are normally in converging relation such that the passage to the access opening of the cabin is normally closed, but which are pivotable relative to each other for creating the passage. The lower panel preferably is pivotable into a generally horizontal position so that it serves as a ramp for loading and unloading persons and cargo into and from the cabin. The upper and/or lower panel in another embodiment may be pivoted during flight so as to serve as a control surface for the aircraft. The lower panel in still another embodiment is pivotable into a downwardly angled position extending down from the wing so as to serve as a slide for emergency evacuation of the cabin.