Propulsion system for air borne ground effect vehicles

Claim 1

AN AIR BORNE GROUND VEHICLE COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING A DEPENDING PERIPHERAL WALL HAVING FRONT, REAR AND TWO SIDE WALL PORTIONS TO FORM A CHAMBER HAVING AN OPEN GROUND-FACING BOTTOM SIDE, THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID PERIPHERAL WALL FORMING THE PERIPHERY OF THE OPEN BOTTOM OF SAID CHAMBER SUCH THAT SAID OPEN BOTTOM HAS AN AREA APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF THE VEHICLE AND, WHEN THE VEHICLE IS AT REST, SAID LOWER EDGE OF THE PERIPHERAL WALL BEING DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY IN CONTACT WITH THE GROUND TO CLOSE THE BOTTOM SIDE OF SAID CHAMBER; A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL PARTITION DISPOSED ACROSS CHAMBER ADJACENT TO ITS OPEN BOTTOM, SAID PARTITION TERMINATING SHORT OF THE PERIPHERAL WALL OF SAID CHAMBER TO LEAVE AN ELONGATE SLOT THEREBETWEEN FORMING A PASSAGE CONNECTING THE UPPER SIDE OF SAID PARTITION WITH ITS UNDERSIDE; MEANS FOR SUPPLYING AIR UNDER PRESSURE INTO SAID CHAMBER ABOVE SAID PARTITION SO THAT SAID AIR FLOWS DOWN FROM SAID CHAMBER THROUGH SAID SLOT TO THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID PARTITION FROM WHENCE IT ESCAPES IN A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL DIRECTION UNDER THE BOTTOM EDGE OF SAID PERIPHERAL WALL, SAID SLOT BEING SUFFICIENTLY NARROW TO PROVIDE A SUBSTANTIAL RESISTANCE TO AIR FLOW THERETHROUGH SO THAT A SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER PRESSURE IS MAINTAINED IN SAID CHAMBER ABOVE SAID PARTITION AS COMPARED TO THE PRESSURE BELOW SAID PARTITION AND SAID AIR FLOW PROVIDING A PRESSURE BETWEEN THE VEHICLE AND THE GROUND SUFFICIENT TO RAISE THE VEHICLE OFF THE GROUND TO AN EXTENT SUCH THAT A SMALL CLEARANCE IS PROVIDED BETWEEN THE VEHICLE PERIPHERAL WALL AND THE GROUND AND SUCH THAT THE PRESSURE BETWEEN THE VEHICLE AND THE GROUND PROVIDES AN AIR CUSHION THEREBETWEEN WHICH PROVIDES THE MAIN FORCE SUPPORTING THE VEHICLE OFF THE GROUND; A PLURALITY OF VANES SPACED ALONG A MAJOR PORTION OF SAID ELONGATE SLOT HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT, VERTICAL AND PARALLEL SIDE WALL SURFACES WITH EACH VANE EXTENDING LATERALLY ACROSS AND HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY THE WIDTH OF SAID SLOT AND BEING PIVOTALLY ADJUSTABLE ABOUT A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL AXIS FOR INCLINATION TO THE HORIZONTAL SO THAT AIR FLOWING DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID SLOT BETWEEN SAID VANES HAS A HORIZONTAL VELOCITY COMPONENT TO PROVIDE THE VEHICLE WITH HORIZONTAL THUST, SAID PLURALITY OF VANES INCLUDING A SET DISPOSED ALONG THE PORTION OF SAID SLOT BETWEEN SAID PARTITION AND ONE SIDE WALL PORTION OF THE VEHICLE PERIPHERAL WALL AND INCLUDING A SET DISPOSED ALONG THE PORTION OF SAID SLOT BETWEEN THE PARTITION AND THE OTHER SIDE WALL PORTION OF THE VEHICLE PERIPHERAL WALL, MEANS INTERCONNECTING THE VANES OF EACH SET FOR SIMULTANEOUS PIVOTAL ADJUSTMENT, SAID PERIPHERAL WALL HAVING CONTROLLABLE OPENINGS FOR COMMUNICATION WITH SAID CHAMBER ABOVE SAID PARTITION SUCH THAT WHEN OPEN THE AIR DISCHARGING THERETHROUGH HAS A HORIZONTAL VELOCITY COMPONENT TO PROVIDE THE VEHICLE WITH HORIZONTAL THRUST; AND VALVE MEANS OPERABLE TO CONTROL EACH SAID PERIPHERAL WALL OPENING, PIVOTAL ADJUSTMENT OF SAID VANES FOR INCLINATION TO THE HORIZONTAL EFFECTS A CLOSING ADJUSTMENT OF THE SLOT THEREBY INCREASING THE RESISTANCE TO AIR FLOW THROUGH SAID SLOT AND RESULTING IN AN INCREASE IN THE AIR PRESSURE ABOVE SAID PARTITION WHEREBY THE HORIZONTAL PROPULSIVE THRUST PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF ANY OPENING ADJUSTMENT OF SAID VALVE MEANS IS INCREASED.