Aircraft

Claim 1

A VEHICLE OF THE TYPE DESCRIBED COMPRISING: A PAIR OF BUOYANT HULLS DISPOSED IN SPACED PARALLEL SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATION; A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL WINGS CONNECTING SAID HULLS ADJACENT THE LOWER PORTIONS OF THE LATTER, THE CENTERS OF LIFT OF SAID WINGS BEING SPACED AT SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL DISTANCES RESPECTIVELY FORWARDLY AND AFT OF THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF SAID VEHICLE; AERODYNAMIC RUDDER MEANS CARRIED BY SAID VEHICLE; AT LEAST TWO FORWARD THRUST PRODUCERS MOUNTED ON AND ABOVE EACH WING AT EQUAL DISTANCES FROM AND ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE LONGITUDINAL CENTERLINE OF SAID VEHICLE, SAID THRUST PRODUCERS BEING CAPABLE OF DEVELOPING A COMBINED THRUST GREATER THAN THE WEIGHT OF SAID VEHICLE; AND MEANS MOUNTING SAID THRUST PRODUCERS FOR CONTROLLABLE TILTING OF THEIR AXES BETWEEN SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL AND SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL POSITIONS, SAID THRUST PRODUCERS MOUNTED ON THE FORWARD WING BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FORWARD OF THE LEADING EDGE THEREOF IN BOTH OF SAID POSITION AND SAID THRUST PRODUCERS MOUNTED ON THE AFT WING BEING SUBSTANTIALLY AFT OF THE TRAILING EDGE THEREOF IN BOTH OF SAID POSITIONS, SAID VEHICLE HAVING NO NONRETRACTABLE PORTIONS EXTENDING BELOW SAID WINGS A DISTANCE SUFFICIENT TO PREVENT FLIGHT OPERATION OF SAID VEHICLE AT AN ALTITUDE WITHIN WHICH THE GROUND EFFECT PHENOMENON IS EFFECTIVE.