Check out this article on the Ljungstrom Internal Propulsion Aircraft Projects of 1928:



Olof Ljungstrom, an engineer in the aircraft division of the Ford Motor Company, developed a propulsion system featuring boundary layer removal by means of a piston engine driving an axial flow turbine blower inside the aircraft. In 1928, he proposed a giant seaplane and the small monoplane pictured above, both of which were powered with this system. The accompanying image gallery reproduces the proposal documents, correspondence with NACA, and several photos and drawings of these futuristic though flawed machines.



-Jared