Heavier-than-air aircraft

Claim 1

A LIFTING AND PROPELLING ASSEMBLY FOR HEAVIER-THANAIR AIRCRAFT, COMPRISING A ROTATABLE BASE MEMBER MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT A CENTRAL AXIS THEREOF AND HAVING A DOWN-TURNED CIRCUMFERENTIAL PORTION, AN AIR DEFLECTOR HAVING A CENTRAL OPENING, A PLURALITY OF AIR-COMPRESSING ELEMENTS SPACED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY OF SAID CENTRAL OPENING AND EXTENDING VERTICALLY BETWEEN SAID AIR DEFLECTOR AND SAID ROTATABLE BASE MEMBER FOR COMPRESSING AIR AND DIRECTING IT RADIALLY OF SAID ROTATABLE BASE MEMBER, SAID AIR DEFLECTOR BEING CURVED DOWNWARDLY TOWARD AND IN SPACED RELATION WITH SAID ROTATABLE BASE MEMBER FOR RECEIVING AND DIRECTING DOWNWARDLY THE AIR UNDER PRESSURE DELIVERED FROM SAID AIR-COMPRESSING ELEMENTS, TURBINE-DRIVING ELEMENTS DISTRIBUTED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY OF SAID ROTATABLE BASE MEMBER AND FORMING A DRIVING CONNECTION WITH SAID ROTATABLE BASE MEMBER, SAID ROTATABLE BASE MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF DISCRETE SEGMENTAL COMBUSTION ZONES FOR FUEL AND SAID AIR UNDER SAID PRESSURE, AND FUEL SUPPLYING MEANS HAVING STRUCTURE FOR SEQUENTIALLY DELIVERING FUEL TO SAID PLURALITY OF SAID SEGMENTAL COMBUSTION ZONES SPACED ONE FROM THE OTHER TO PROVIDE TEMPERATURE LIMITING SEGMENTS INTERPOSED THEREBETWEEN FOR LIMITING THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE RISE OF SAID TURBINE-DRIVING ELEMENTS WELL BELOW THE TEMPERATURES DEVELOPED IN SAID SEGMENTAL COMBUSTION ZONES TO WHICH SAID FUEL IS SUPPLIED.