| 摘要 |
An aircraft utilizes a buoyant evacuated rotating envelope to provide at least a portion of the lift required. The rotating envelope may be in the form of a disk, cylinder or other suitable shape. In one embodiment, an evacuated rotating envelope in the form of a disk is utilized. The disk is provided with a central core tube with at least one jet engine mounted therein. The deflection of the exhaust causes rotation of the envelope. A non-rotating payload compartment is mounted to the rotating envelope by bearings. Structures are provided for deflecting the exhaust to be utilized for lateral propulsion as well as for stabilizing the payload compartment to prevent rotation. Two other embodiments utilize rotating cylinders which may be rotated either by a jet engine mounted within a core tube or by an off center jet engine which drives the cylinder. In all of the embodiments, the envelope is evacuated by pumps and the centrifugal force of rotation reduces the amount of necessary mechanical structure to maintain the envelope shape. Accordingly, an evacuated envelope may be utilized with a minimum of weight required to maintain its structural rigidity.
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