Patent ID: 8727266

Claim:
A flying machine comprising: a chassis; at least one motor; two vertical axis contra-rotating propellers having blades arranged with a pitch to generate lift on rotation of the propellers by the motor, the motor being above the propellers, and the propellers sharing a common rotational axis and having an outer periphery; a seat, footrests and handlebars each mounted above the propellers at positions radially inward of the outer periphery of the propellers, the handlebars being mounted on the chassis, the footrests being provided adjacent the seat, the seat, handlebars and footrests being arranged such that a user of the machine sits substantially centrally on top of the propellers; and a peripheral skirt which surrounds the propellers, the skirt having inlet ducts therein which are arranged to supply air to the propellers in use; wherein the skirt is circular and comprises a plurality of vertical spaced rings held in spaced apart position by a plurality of spacer struts and wherein the ducts in the skirt are defined between the rings; wherein the rings of the skirt are spaced axially apart from each other in a direction parallel to the rotational axis, and the plurality of rings are arranged in a row extending vertically from a location adjacent a lowermost propeller to a location adjacent an uppermost propeller.