Convertiplane

Claim 1

IN AN AIRCRAFT HAVING AN ELONGATED FUSELAGE SYMMETERIAL IN FORM ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF A VERTICAL PLANE OF SYMMETRY, A VARIABLE SPEED ENGINE IN THE FUSELAGE LOCATED BETWEEN OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF, AND ELEVATOR FINS EXTENDING LATERALLY OF THE FUSELAGE AT ITS TAIL END, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A PAIR OF WINGS ATTACHED TO OPPOSITE SIDE WALLS OF THE FUSELAGE AND EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY LATERALLY OUTWARD OF SAID OPPOSITE SIDE WALLS RESPECTIVELY BETWEEN OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF, EACH OF SAID WINGS HAVING A CYLINDRICAL WING PASSAGE AXIALLY VERTICAL AND PERPENDICULAR TO THE HORIZONTAL PLANE OF THE WING AND PARALLEL TO SAID VERTICAL PLANE OF SYMMETRY, A PAIR OF CYLINDRICAL DUCTS, MEANS ROTATABLY SUPPORTING SAID DUCTS IN SAID PASSAGES RESPECTIVELY TO ROTATE THE DUCTS ON A COMMON TRANSVERSE AXIS PERPENDICULAR TO SAID PLANE OF SYMMETRY AND TO THE CENTRAL AXES OF THE DUCTS AND PASSAGES, SO THAT THE DUCTS ARE DISPOSABLE BETWEEN AXIALLY VERTICAL AND AXIALLY HORIZONTAL POSITIONS IN SAID PASSAGES, FAN BLADES IN THE DUCTS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO AND DRIVEN BY SAID ENGINE, AND SUPPORT MEANS ROTATABLY SUPPORTING SAID BLADES FOR ROTATION IN EACH DUCT ON AN AXIS COINCIDENT WITH THE CENTRAL AXIS OF THE DUCT, SAID DUCTS BEING LOCATED NEAR THE BOTTOMS OF THE WINGS SO THAT THE BLADES DRIVE AIR STREAMS THROUGH SAID DUCTS AND UNDER REAR PORTIONS OF THE WINGS AND UNDER SAID ELEVATOR FINS FOR KEEPING THE AIRCRAFT ALOFT WHILE THE AIRCRAFT IS PROPELLED FORWARDLY IN FLIGHT WHEN THE DUCTS ARE AXIALLY HORIZONTAL, AND WHEREBY THE AIRCRAFT HOVERS IN AIR AND ASCENDS AND DESCENDS VERTICALLY DEPENDING ON THE SPEED OF ROTATION OF THE FAN BLADES WHEN THE DUCTS ARE AXIALLY VERTICAL, VANES MOUNTED IN EACH DUCT AND ROTATABLE BETWEEN A CLOSED COPLANAR POSITION PERPENDICULAR TO THE CENTRAL AXIS OF THE DUCT AND SPACED PARALLEL OPEN POSITION PARALLEL TO THE CENTRAL AXIS OF THE DUCT, AND MEANS FOR ROTATING THE VANES BETWEEN THE OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS FOR MOVEMENT OF THE AIRCRAFT IN FLIGHT.