Hybrid aircraft

An aircraft capable of vertical take off and landing comprising:

• a hull having an upper surface, a lower surface, a center point and a vertical axis passing through the center point, and a plurality of propelling means mounted about the hull in spaced apart relation about the center point, the propelling means each being capable of providing thrust substantially parallel with the vertical axis and of creating a slip stream directed substantially downwardly, the propelling means each having at least one prop-rotor assembly which, when disposed to provide thrust substantially parallel with the vertical axis, define a plane of rotation which is positioned above the hull's horizontal center line, and the lower surface being substantially flat to trap any slip stream which is deflected beneath the hull and the propelling means being spaced from the hull such that their slip streams do not impinge on the upper surface of the hull.

An aircraft comprising a hull having a longitudinal axis extending from the hull's bow to the hull's stern and including a plurality of curved elongate frame members in series each positioned substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis and a plurality of torsion members disposed between adjacent elongate frame members in series, the elongate frame members each formed as a plurality of tubes connected at their ends in the form of a polygon, the tubes and torsion members interconnected by joint members to form a triangulated frame, each joint member being formed as a ring with a plurality of bore holes formed therethrough, each bore hole for accepting a bolt inserted from within the ring to extend out through the bore and engageable into a tapped counter hole formed in the end one of a tube or a torsion member.

An aircraft comprising:

• a lifting body hull shaped to provide substantial aerodynamic lift in an air stream, a plurality of wings mounted about the hull, a plurality of high speed fans disposed about the hull, a thrust deflecting means mounted in association with the fans to provide a range of directional thrust, the thrust deflecting means being louvers positioned in the slip stream of the fans and mounted in a frame supported by roller bearings to provide for in-plane rotation of the louvers for providing thrust vectoring in 360.degree. and an integrated propulsion system including a plurality of high speed fans positioned within the stern of the aircraft and having air intake ducts in communication with the fans for active boundary layer control.