Patent ID: 8220737

Claim:
An aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing, stationary flight and forward flight, comprising: a fuselage having a forward portion, an aft portion, a top surface and a bottom surface; a duct extending vertically through said fuselage, said duct including an inlet on said top surface of the fuselage and an outlet on the bottom surface of said fuselage; a lift fan having first and second counter rotating rotors disposed within said duct, the rotational axis of said rotors defining a vertical reference axis, wherein said first and second counter rotors define a toroidal fan, wherein a diameter of a hub of said toroidal fan is larger than a blade length of said first and second rotors and wherein an area below said hub of said toroidal fan forms a payload bay for said aircraft; at least one engine operative to rotate said rotors; and a pair of wing sets, wherein each wing set includes: a first wing having a wing root connected to said fuselage forward of said vertical reference axis; and a second wing having a wing root connected to said fuselage aft of said vertical reference axis, wherein a distal portion of said first and second wings are connected.