Due to the need to take of and land aircraft in smaller spaces and also to provide more safety to air travel new technologies will be needed. Many scientists and aerospace engineers envision aircraft capable of anti-gravity with super ultra-light weight materials, which will enable them to take of vertically or near vertically.

VTOL or vertical take-off and Landing aircraft and STOL or short take-off and landing aircraft are the main focus for many visionaries in the aerospace sciences. Most accidents in aviation occur during the critical take off or landing phase of the flight. These include mid-air collisions, stall-spin accidents and low and slow emergencies.

I propose a new design for VTOL and STOL aircraft configurations. I was considering an expandable very large inflatable Frisbee shaped device to go under the aircraft and would be expanded before landing for a massive air cushion effect. Of course this concept would need to be tested in a wind tunnel with a workable model or cad cam hooked to a computer with the appropriate data sets to see if it would work. Although I have not written this up officially or completed any drawings and it is still in the thinking phase let me help you we visualization in your mind. Think of it as an "Inflatable Pancake For VSTOL Aircraft" and call it an "IPV" device.

Well it is my thought that I would expand the device slowly as the aircraft slowed and use the shape to provide air over the top and bottom for lift until it slowed enough to catch the air, as it transitioned to enjoy the benefits of the trapped air for deflection lift effect. It would be like a giant Frisbee inflating under the aircraft and the aircraft riding on top. Of course at first glance one might question this design and my concern is the wobbling could cause a crash or to turn on its side. But if the aircraft would still be under power on top it could provide the necessary flight control.

Then as it got close to the ground it would cup the air in an aircushion and then the engines would be used to blast low pressure under the inflated Frisbee shaped device at 6 PSI, 5 PSI, 4 PSI, 3 PSI, 2 PSI and land like a feather. But, really I am still thinking on this. But I went to sleep on it and dreamed about the design. I think I can do it actually, it is all with in the normal physics currently known to average humans. Think on this.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/