Airfield ground equipment for vertical take-off aircraft

Claim 1

AIRCRAFT GROUND EQUIPMENT FOR USE BY VERTICAL TAKEOFF AND LANDING AIRCRAFT IN WHICH AIRCRAFT VERTICAL THRUST IS PROVIDED BY A DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED PROPULSIVE JET, SAID EQUIPMENT COMPRISING A BASE, A SERIES OF UPSTANDING RIGID LOAD SUPPORTING WALLS MOUNTED SPACED APART ON THE BASE TO DEFINE CONJOINTLY WITH THE BASE A SYSTEM OF OPEN TOPPED AND OPEN ENDED LONG CHANNELS, THE UPPER EDGES OF AT LEAST SOME OF SAID WALLS CONSTITUTING MEANS CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING A GROUNDED AIRCRAFT ON SAID EQUIPMENT, SAID CHANNELS BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED PROPULSIVE JET EFFLUX DISCHARGED BY SAID AIRCRAFT WHEN IT IS POSITIONED ABOVE SAID CHANNELS AND THE DIMENSIONS OF THE CHANNELS BEING SUCH THAT SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE RECEIVED JET EFFLUX IS CONDUCTED WITHIN THE CHANNELS OUTWARDLY FROM AND CLEAR OF THE AIRCRAFT AND THAT THEREBY THE ENTRAINMENT OF AIR BENEATH THE AIRCRAFT IN SAID JET IS MAINTAINED AT A LOW LEVEL.