A lighter-than-air craft having a discus shape. A passenger compartment is located at the top center of the craft and a payload pod at the bottom center beneath the passenger compartment. The pod connects to the passenger compartment by a passageway which extends up through the center of the craft. Moreover, the pod is detachable from the craft, and can be raised or lowered to the ground, thus eliminating the need to land the craft in picking up or discharging passengers and cargo. The discus shape, together with a plurality of automatically controllable ailerons distributed about the circumference of the craft, improve the stability and control of the craft in flight.

By controlling the flow of the air over an airfoil, a lifting force can be achieved even in the absence of forward motion by the aircraft. The air flowing over the airfoil is forced into a chamber by a propulsion unit and the air entrapped in the chamber can be recirculated to a forward portion of the airfoil lifting surface, thereby increasing the lifting force of the airfoil. The lifting body has side members associated with the airfoil to channel the air over the airfoil. Outlets from the chamber are provided to direct the flow of air in any lateral direction for assistance with directed motion or for assistance with aircraft stability. Additionally, outlets in the bottom of the aircraft can assist in the vertical force exerted on the aircraft by forced air escaping therefrom.

An engine and lift unit for rotary wing aircraft together with means for balancing of the rotational torque of the said wings is shown. The rotational torque is balanced by a blower propeller, disposed horizontally below the rotor, inside an enclosure including a vertical duct surrounding the blower propeller and whose lower open end exits under the fuselage of the aircraft. A horizontal duct opens into an intermediate zone of the vertical duct and exits out the rear of the aircraft. An adjustable shutter assembly is disposed in the junction of the two ducts allowing the creation of two adjustable air flows, one directed vertically downwards and the other directed towards the rear of the aircraft. The aircraft also has fixed wings, flaps, rudders and controls so the pilot can operate the aircraft in flight.

The bi-directional air flow deflector of the present invention efficiently deflects air to the left opening and the right opening, and minimizes any vertical components of force which may be generated. The air flow vector exiting from each of the openings comprises a dominant horizontal force vector rather than a large component of force in the vertical direction. Vertical components of force may be added, if desired. The bi-directional air flow deflector provides reduced transmission torque requirements, and generally comprises a relatively small number of moving parts. A single moving part may be used to deflect air to either the left opening or the right opening, and this single moving part is not exposed to the outside environment and, accordingly, will generally provide reliable functionality. The bi-directional air flow deflector of the present invention is simple in design, comprises a small number of relatively easy to manufacture parts, and can be used to retrofit existing direct jet thrusters. The components of the bi-directional air flow deflector generally comprise relatively straight sides and surfaces, which require less sophisticated tooling and reduce costs. The reduced number of parts will require a smaller stock of parts for inventory and field support. The bi-directional air flow deflector can be assembled with generally less man power than prior art devices, and generally comprises an increased reliability. Since less energy is generally required to operate the bi-directional air flow deflector of the present invention, increased fuel efficiency can also be realized.

An aircraft is provided with a circular wing member which is rotatably mounted to a fuselage member. The circular wing member provides lift for horizontal flight and also provides gyroscopic stabilization of aircraft attitude. The circular wing member is substantially free of aerodynamically active flight control or propulsion members and, in a preferred embodiment, has a concentration of mass at its outer rim. The fuselage is provided with propulsion means for effecting and controlling vertical and horizontal flight. The propulsion means provides horizontal or vertical thrust along vectors which pass through the aircraft center of mass.