Abstract: A novelty device for producing a liquid vortex which simulates a tornado in a transparent circular-shaped chamber which is mounted on top of a housing and filled with a liquid. A flexible bag is mounted within the housing and is divided into upper and lower liquid storage chambers which are connected by a one-way check valve that permits liquid to flow only from the lower chamber into the upper chamber. A fluid passage extends between the upper chamber and the vortex chamber and enters the vortex chamber through a discharge opening in a tangential direction along the outer periphery of the base of the vortex chamber. A drain opening is formed in the base of the vortex chamber and is connected to the lower chamber by a drain passage. A spring-actuated lever is mounted within the housing and engages the upper storage chamber to collapse the chamber and pump the liquid into the vortex chamber to produce the vortex.

Abstract: An aircraft which produces a free vortex to provide the lift for takeoff and landing procedures has a single centrally mounted engine which supplies both the forward thrust to the aircraft and the spaced pumping action for strengthening and maintaining the free vortex. A shield on the aircraft causes the shedding of vorticity into a cavity-like region behind the shield. A vortex guiding duct extends transversely beneath the aircraft frame and has a pair of inlet openings at the ends of the cavity region. A thruster duct extends longitudinally centrally of the frame and communicates with the vortex duct. An engine is mounted in the thruster duct and supplies forward thrust for the aircraft while simultaneously pumping air from the ends of the cavity region through the vortex duct. This pumping action retains, augments and concentrates the vorticity and results in the formation of a generally circularly-shaped free vortex stretching transversely across the cavity region and through the vortex duct.

Abstract: An aircraft has air pumping devices which retain, concentrate and augment vorticity shed from a surface of the moving aircraft in such a way as to allow the formation of a lift producing and drag reducing free vortex which travels along with the aircraft (standing vortex), together with a means of supplying thrust for the aircraft. Air flowing past a shield which extends upwardly from the forward edge of a horizontal base causes the shedding of vorticity of one sign into a cavity-like region formed by the shield, base and the housings of a pair of thrusters at the lateral edges of the base. Each thruster includes a cylindrical housing open at both ends through which air is pumped by a power driven propeller, the blades of which rotate in a generally vertical plane, to supply forward thrust for the aircraft. Each housing has an opening to the cavity-like region forward (or up-wind) of the propeller so that air also is pumped from the cavity-like region.