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Aircraft

  • US 4,196,877 A
  • Filed: 06/15/1977
  • Issued: 04/08/1980
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1977
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. An aircraft comprising a generally annular wing structure surrounding a circular central structure forming an annular air duct, said central structure having a vertical central axis,a first fuselage extending longitudinally of the aircraft at one side of the wing structure,a second fuselage extending longitudinally of the aircraft at the opposite side of the wing structure,rotor means carried by said central structure comprising a plurality of rotor blades extending radially across said duct, said blades being rotatable relative to said central structure around the duct generally on the vertical central axis of said central structure for inducing airflow through the duct to effect a lift on the aircraft,said annular wing structure comprising forward and rear wings forming air foils, the forward wing having a trailing edge and the rear wing having a leading edge which are generally on a circle generally concentric with the vertical central axis of the central structure, the trailing edge of the forward wing and the leading edge of the rear wing being semicircles of said circle, the annular air duct being constituted by the space between said central structure and said circle, the forward wing having a generally forward angle of air attack such that the rotation of said rotor blades around said duct causes a high-velocity airflow over the upper surface of the forward wing for increasing said lift,parallel counterrotation vanes extending across said air duct below the rotor blades and between said forward and rear wings generally parallel to the fuselages for preventing rotation of the aircraft in reaction to rotation of the blades, said vanes being mounted at their outer ends on said wing structure for swinging about their longitudinal axes, anda rotor drive shaft carried by the central structure and extending along the axis of rotation of said blades for rotating the blades around the duct, said vanes being arranged in forward and rearward sets extending from a central vane support at the lower end of the shaft to said forward and rearward wings, respectively.

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