Patent ID: 8015925

Claim:
A transportation system, comprising: a vehicle body having a set of wings extending outward therefrom, the set of wings being adapted to generate aerodynamic lift on the vehicle body when a traveling speed of the vehicle body exceeds a first speed; a propulsion system configured to propel to vehicle body to accelerate the traveling speed of the vehicle body from less than the first speed to a second speed that exceeds the first speed; an elongated guide rail structure forming a path of travel; an undercarriage disposed beneath the vehicle body; a lifting gear mechanism coupling the vehicle body to the undercarriage, the lifting gear mechanism being configured to support a load of the vehicle body in a first position in relation to the undercarriage when the traveling speed of the vehicle body is less than the first speed, to allow the vehicle body to lift from the first position to a second position in relation to the undercarriage as the traveling speed of the vehicle body accelerates from less than the first speed to the second speed, and to maintain the vehicle body in the second position when the traveling speed of the vehicle body is greater than or equal to the second speed; and a guidance assembly movably connecting the undercarriage to the guide rail structure, the guidance assembly comprising a set of rollers and a set of guiding supports configured to shiftingly engage the guide rail structure such that the set of rollers are in rolling contact with the guide rail structure to guide movement of the undercarriage along the path of travel when the vehicle body is traveling in the first position in relation to the undercarriage, the set or rollers are displaced from the guide rail structure when the vehicle body is traveling in the second position in relation to the undercarriage, and the guiding supports guide movement of the undercarriage along the path of travel when the vehicle body is traveling in the second position in relation to the undercarriage.