Light powered 'plane

First, you put a satelite/airship/ionocraft in orbit/high up and cover it with a complex array or mirrors. A few giant ones to get a large input of sunlight, then concentrate it and send it down... Our lightplane has no wings, or discernable engines. Just a saucer shaped fuselage surrounded by more mirros (let's hope mirror prices fall soon). To take off, the array in the upper atmosphere/space directs concentrated sunlight down to the 'plane's mirrors, and it is directed beneath it. The heat from the light beam heats up the air, turns it into plasma and causes it to expand rapidly. The 'plane takes off in good ol' VTOL style. When it is high enough, a few mirrors turn, directing some of the heat behind the craft forcing it forward. Yet more mirrors push light ahead of the craft to create an 'air spike' of heated air to substitute for streamlining. After it gets across the atlantic (switching between various sattelites, ionocraft and airships) easily outstripping the last few concordes, the plasma air is directed in front of it, slowing it to a halt above the airport. Then riding its cushion of plasma, it drops slowly onto the heavily shielded landing platform.