GB909466A - Vertical take-off aircraft - Google Patents

Abstract

909,466. Vertical take-off aircraft. LESLIE, T. Feb. 9, 1961 [March 26, 1960; June 13, 1960], Nos. 10761/60 and 20633/60. Class 4. Means for vertical take-off and landing of aircraft comprises a vertically-disposed jet propulsion engine 1 and an outwardly flared annular duct 7 ducting the jet radially to one or more annular aerofoils so as to produce lift, engine 1, duct 7 and the annular aerofoils being contained in a well 42 in the aircraft fuselage 6, well 42 being flared at the top. Engine 1 is mounted in well 42 by braces 2, 3, 4 and 5, which also act as fuel tanks, and the exhaust gases therefrom, issuing from an annular nozzle, together with air sucked down well 42 and drawn in from beneath the aircraft, flow over annular aerofoils 8 to 12 which are arranged concentrically around the annular duct orifice in stepped formation. A collector 22 receives the flow of air leaving the aerofoils, and ducts 35, 36 lead the flow to control fins 23 to 28, which may be individually moved away from the orifices from which the air issues. To maintain an even flow from collector 22 regardless of the attitude of the control fins, there is provided an equaliser 29 which diverts part of the flow to an auxiliary propulsion jet 30, below which is mounted a jet propulsion engine to provide forward thrust. The flow in equaliser 29 may be controlled by valves 31, 32. Control of the aircraft is determined by adjusting a rudder 33 located in auxiliary propulsion jet 30 and/or by varying the lift due to the flow over the control fins, which lift depends on the position of the control fins relative to the duct orifices.