Steering control is accomplished by applying different voltages to various parts of the craft.  The part with the high voltage gets more lift, hence tilts up.  The form of the Ionocraft doesn't matter.  Any shape will fly, but de Severs ky assumes that round models in the form of a flying saucer will be the most easily maneuverable.
By a simple joystick control, the pilot can lift any edge of the craft, producing pitch and roll as if the Ionocraft had elevators and ailerons.  He can put the craft into any flight attitude-nose up or down, or banking to either side.  Like the tilt of the helicopter rotor, this inclination pushes the craft forward, rearward, or sideways.
J. F. Bruno, the technical director of de Seversky's staff, spoke of a passenger gondola in future models, suspended from gimbals below the main grid so that it remains level regardless of how the main deck is tilted.  Location below the main gri d also shields passengers from the high energy flow.  But, even if the passengers somehow got into the ion stream, it wouldn't electrocute them unless they were "grounded" to the main grid.  "It would be just like birds sittin g on a wire," said Yorysh, the man in charge of electronic design.
Until patents for the Ionocraft were firmly nailed, de Seversky kept his ideas carefully under wraps.  That's another reason no full scale prototype has yet been built.  But even present scale models set the imagination buzzing.  Manned craft are envisioned for:

Commuter transport. With no size limit, you can pack trainloads of people into this VTOL craft, relieve traffic congestion around urban centers.  The same type of craft used as long distance transport possibly at supersonic speeds would not n eed big airports with long runways.
Airborne traffic monitors.  Hovering above bridges and major intersections, or patrolling above highways, one man Ionocraft would provide a panoramic view of traffic conditions, radio information to ground traffic control centers.
 

Military reconnaissance and rescue. Without moving parts, the Ionocraft is less vulnerable to small arms fire than helicopters.  The open grid makes a poor target.  Most bullets would whiz right through it.  Even if the grid is hit, the electric charge would be maintained despite damage to some portions.  Unlike a copter with shattered blades, the  Ionocraft would not crash.

Weather observation.  While satellites like Tiros look down on the atmosphere from outer space, Ionocraft could sail right into the weather making air layers, providing valuable supplemental information.  Being steerable, Ionocraft would not drift with the wind like weather balloons, but could hold a position over crucial areas, making local forecasts more reliable.

Skyborne antenna.  Kept aloft indefinitely in a fixed position by a ground based energy supply, Ionocraft could also act as a defense radar.  "It would be like raising the DEW line 60 miles up into the air," suggested de Severs ky, "adding 15 to 25 minutes warning time against missiles."