Abstract: A jet aircraft has an elongated fuselage with an intermediate section of maximum lateral cross section, a generally conical aft fuselage section of relatively smaller cross section and a single vertical stabilizer extending upwardly from the aft fuselage section. The aircraft's propulsion engines are mounted on the vertical stabilizer with the air inlets thereof spaced from the fuselage and vertical stabilizer yet disposed entirely within a rearward projection of the lateral cross section of the intermediate fuselage section thereby to preclude the ingestion of foreign objects into the engines while minimizing the effect of boundary layer airflow.