US 5,779,188 AGranted

Flight device

OwnerAlexander Frickinventor

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Abstract

A flight vehicle which can be joined and firmly strapped to a load, the load being either a human pilot (P) or a remote-controlled pilot. The flight vehicle comprises a supporting frame for attaching to the load, a driving arrangement (100) incorporating a piston engine, and which is connected directly to the shrouded propeller (200) by means of a rotating drive shaft (108) for the purpose of setting up an air stream, also at least two jet pipes (300) which open into outlet nozzles (304, 305) mounted laterally alongside the load or the human pilot (P), whereby the said outlet nozzles can be adjusted to change the direction of the discharged air stream. It is by means of the outlet nozzles (304, 305) that the lift force is set up; this latter force enables the human pilot to lift off the ground to make hover or translatory flights. The shrouded propeller (200) is fitted with an intake funnel (202), which is essentially above the human pilot (P) or the load when the flight vehicle is in a normal flight position. The rotating drive shaft (108) which drives the propeller (200) is then essentially in a vertical position and the outlet nozzles (304, 305) are then essentially in a vertical gravity symmetry plane. The air stream produced by the propeller (200') is discharged through the jet pipes (300) at a subsonic velocity. The advantages of this flight vehicle are to be seen in the fact that the motive energy from the driving arrangement (100) is converted into a lift thrust with a very high degree of efficiency. The use of lightweight materials combined with the low fuel consumption allows prolonged flight periods.

A flight vehicle with structure for joining and firmly strapping the vehicle to a human or inanimate load, whereby the load itself is capable of performing piloting functions, and with the aid of the flight vehicle is to be lifted off the ground autonomously and maintained at a height above the ground either stationary or in forward flight, the flight vehicle comprising in combination:

a supporting frame with means for attaching the flight vehicle to the load in such a manner as to establish an essentially frictional connection between the flight vehicle and the load,
a fuel consuming power drive arrangement (100), which is coupled directly with a single shrouded propeller (200) inducing a gas stream flow path for lifting and guiding the vehicle via a rotating drive shaft (108) wherein the drive shaft and the propeller (200) both rotate at the same speed without intermediate gearing,
at least one fuel tank (10) for providing fuel used to propel the driving arrangement (100),
at least two jet pipes (300), which open into outlet nozzles (304, 305) fitted on the air outlet ends located laterally beside the load and through each of which a gas stream is discharged,
controllable guiding means for adjusting the jet pipes and the nozzles with respect to said supporting frame to change the direction in which the gas stream flows and to discharge such gas streams through the jet pipes (300) by variably diverting a portion of the gas flow stream in a generally horizontal direction resulting in a lift force which enables both the lifting and guiding of the vehicle for flight motion, including hover flight of the load,
said shrouded propeller (200) being fitted with an air intake funnel (200), which admits the air with a minimum of losses,
said driving shaft (108) being coupled to drive the shrouded propeller (200) further being essentially disposed in a vertical position when the flight vehicle is in the normal flight position,
said outlet nozzles (304, 305) being essentially disposed in a plane determined by a vertical neutral axis (X), and
means for discharging said gas stream flow through the jet pipes (300) in their entirety at subsonic velocity.

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Abstract

Claims8