A hovercraft, or air-cushion vehicle (ACV), is an amphibious vehicle or craft, designed to travel over any sufficiently smooth surface supported by a cushion of slowly moving, high-pressure air, ejected downwards against the surface close below it. The Mountbatten class Hovercraft or SR-N4 (Saunders Roe Nautical 4 was built by the British Hovercraft Corporation (BHC An amphibious vehicle (or simply amphibian) is a Vehicle or craft, that is a means of transport viable on land as well as on water - just like an The word craft in its most common sense now is a short and definite word for a Vehicle or vessel that is used for Transportation on the sea in the air

Contents 1 History 2 Design 3 Hovercraft 3.1 Civil commercial hovercraft 3.2 Military hovercraft 4 Other ACVs 4.1 Hoverbarge 4.2 Hovertrain 5 Records 5.1 Hobbyists 5.2 Modern Hovercraft Development 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

History

In the mid-1950s, the British engineer Christopher Cockerell built a number of ground effect machine test models based on his idea of using air between the hull of a boat and the water to reduce drag. Sir Christopher Sydney Cockerell CBE FRS ( June 4, 1910 &ndash June 1, 1999) was an English Engineer Aircraft may be affected by a number of ground effects, aerodynamic effects due to a flying body's proximity to the ground Although he filed a number of patents involving air-lubricated hulls in 1957, no practical applications were found. Over the years, various other people had tried various methods of using air to reduce the drag on ships.

The first fully functional, rigid-walled hovercraft was designed by Austrian Dagobert Müller von Thomamühl^[1] and built by the Imperial Austro-Hungarian Navy (Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine) "Seearsenal" (Naval base) at Pola. The Austro-Hungarian Navy was the naval force of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The 'Versuchsgleitboot - System Thomamühl' was launched on 2 September 1915^[2] and was 13 metres (43 ft) long, 4 metres (13 ft) wide, displaced about 6. Events 44 BC - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year 5 tonnes (6. This article is about the tonne or metric ton For other tons see Ton. 4 LT/7. 2 ST), had a crew of five men, and had a top speed of over 32 knots (59 km/h/37 mph). The short ton ( S/T) is a unit of mass equal to 2000 lb (around 907 (For the South African airport with IATA code "KMH" see Johan Pienaar Airport. By 1916 it was undergoing testing as a fast-torpedo boat and was equipped with two torpedoes, one Schwarzlose machine gun and several 6-kilogram (13 lb) "water-bombs", intended for anti-submarine use. It had two propellers, each of which was driven by two 6-cylinder 120-horsepower (89 kW) airplane engines, a fifth 4-cylinder 65-horsepower (48 kW) engine was used to blow warm air under the hull, creating the "air-cushion or hover" effect. The watt (symbol W) is the SI derived unit of power, equal to one Joule of energy per Second. After wide ranging full scale sea trials, the vessel was eventually scrapped in 1917 and the engines returned to the naval air-arm (Luftfahrttruppe); no further testing or research into hovercrafts was undertaken by the Imperial Austro-Hungarian navy during the period up to its eventual capitulation.

Finnish engineer Toivo J. Kaario, head inspector of Valtion Lentokonetehdas (VL) airplane engine workshop, began to design an air cushion craft in 1931. He constructed and tested his craft, dubbed pintaliitäjä (Surface Glider), and received its Finnish patents 18630 and 26122. Kaario is considered to have designed and built the first functional ground effect vehicle, but his invention did not receive sufficient funds for further development.

The first to give scientific description of the ground effect and to provide theoretical methods of calculation of air cushion vehicles was Konstantin Tsiolkovsky in his 1927 paper "Air Resistance and the Express Train". ^[3][4] Since then Soviet engineer Vladimir Levkov began to develop air cushion vehicles. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 In the mid 1930s, Levkov assembled about 20 experimental air-cushion boats (fast attack craft and high-speed torpedo boats). A boat is a Watercraft of modest size designed to float or plane on water and provide transport over it A craft is a Skill, especially involving practical arts. It may refer to a Trade or particular art The modern torpedo (historically called an automotive automobile locomotive or fish torpedo is a self-propelled explosive Projectile weapon launched above or below The first prototype, designated L-1, had a very simple design which consisted of two small wooden catamarans that were powered by three engines. A prototype is an original type form or instance of something serving as a typical example basis or standard for other things of the same category A catamaran (From Tamil 'kattumaram' is a type of Multihulled Boat or Ship consisting of two hulls or vakas joined by some Two M-11 radial aero-engines were installed horizontally in the funnel-shaped wells on the platform which connected the catamaran hulls together. The third engine, also an air-cooled M-11, was placed in the aft part of the craft on a removable four-strut pylon. An engine is a mechanical device that produces some form of output from a given input An air cushion was produced by the horizontally-placed engines. During successful tests, one of Levkov's air-cushion craft, called fast attack L-5 boat, achieved a speed of 70 knots (130 km/h/81 mph).

The first technically and commercially viable hovercraft was invented and patented by the English inventor Christopher Cockerell in 1955. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Sir Christopher Sydney Cockerell CBE FRS ( June 4, 1910 &ndash June 1, 1999) was an English Engineer

However, there had been numerous previous experimental attempts to design vehicles using the ground-effect principle, including prototypes built by Russian and German naval designers in World War I. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All In the US during World War II, Charles J. Fletcher designed his "Glidemobile" while he was a United States Navy Reservist. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Charles Joseph Fletcher, of Franklin New Jersey, is an American Inventor and businessman and holder of over seventy Patents He is the president of Technology The design worked on the principle of trapping a constant airflow against a uniform surface (either the ground or water), providing anywhere from ten inches to two feet (250–600 mm) of lift to free it from the surface, and control of the craft would be achieved by the measured release of air. Shortly after being tested on Beezer's Pond in Fletcher's home town of Sparta Township, New Jersey, the design was immediately appropriated by the United States Department of War and classified, denying Fletcher the opportunity to patent his creation. Sparta Township is a Township in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. The United States Department of War, sometimes also called the War Office, was the department of the United States government 's executive branch As such Fletcher's work was largely unknown until a case was brought (British Hovercraft Ltd v. The United States of America) in which the British corporation maintained that its rights, coming from to Sir Christopher Cockerell's patent, had been infringed. Sir Christopher Sydney Cockerell CBE FRS ( June 4, 1910 &ndash June 1, 1999) was an English Engineer British Hovercraft's claim, seeking US$104,000,000 in damages, was unsuccessful. In a case brought in 1985, Patent agents BTG successfully sued the US Department of Defence, being awarded $6 million in damages in 1990. [1]

However, Colonel Melville W. Beardsley (1913-1998), an American inventor and aeronautical engineer, received $80,000 from Cockerell for his rights to American patents. Melville Whitnel Beardsley ( 10 October 1913 in Kansas City Missouri &ndash 26 November 1998 in Carmel California) was Beardsley worked on a number of unique ideas in the 1950s and '60s which he patented. His company built craft based on his designs at his Maryland base for the US Government and commercial applications. Beardsley later worked for the US Navy on developing the hovercraft further for military use. Dr. W. Bertelsen also worked on developing early ACVs in the USA. Dr. Bertelsen built an early prototype of a hovercraft vehicle in 1959 (called Aeromobile 35-B), and was photographed for Popular Science magazine riding the vehicle over land and water in April on 1959. The article on his invention was the front page story for the July, 1959 edition of Popular Science.

In 1952 the British inventor Christopher Cockerell worked with air lubrication with test craft on the Norfolk Broads. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Sir Christopher Sydney Cockerell CBE FRS ( June 4, 1910 &ndash June 1, 1999) was an English Engineer The Broads is a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes (known locally as broads in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. From this he moved on to the idea of a deeper air cushion. Cockerell used simple experiments involving a vacuum cleaner motor and two cylindrical cans to create his unique peripheral jet system, the key to his hovercraft invention, patented as the "hovercraft principle". A vacuum cleaner (in colloquial British English also hoover) is a device that uses an air Pump to create a partial Vacuum to Suck He proved the workable principle of a vehicle suspended on a cushion of air blown out under pressure, making the vehicle easily mobile over most surfaces. The supporting air cushion would enable it to operate over soft mud, water, and marshes and swamps as well as on firm ground. He designed a working model vehicle based on his patent. Showing his model to the authorities led to it being put on the secret list as being of possible military use and therefore restricted. However, to keep Britain in the lead in developments, in 1958 the National Research and Development Corporation took on his design (paying £1,000 for the rights) and paid for an experimental vehicle, the SR-N1 to be built by Saunders-Roe to Cockerell's design. Saunders-Roe Limited was a British aero- and marine-engineering company based at Columbine Works East Cowes, Isle of Wight. It was launched on 11 June 1959. Events 1184 BC - Trojan War: Troy is sacked and burned according to the calculations of Eratosthenes. The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[5] Shortly afterwards it made a crossing from France to the United Kingdom on the 50th anniversary of Bleriot's cross Channel flight. Louis Blériot ( July 1 1872 in Cambrai, France &ndash August 1 1936 in Paris, France) was a However, stability problems remained, and it was the invention of the segmented skirt by his close colleague and collaborator, engineer Denys Bliss in 1962 ^{[6] [7]} which solved these and made the hovercraft a commercial reality. According to patent agents BTG the Bliss patent was "the key factor for success". A further patent 1239745 "Anti-ditch shift of cushion C. P" was taken out jointly by Cockerell and Bliss in July 1967: [2]

Cockerell was knighted for his services to engineering in 1969. Sir Christopher coined the word hovercraft to describe his invention. ^[8]

Design

Hovercraft have one or more separate engines (some craft, such as the SR-N6, have one engine with a drive split through a gearbox). One engine drives the fan on the bottom of the hovercraft, (the impeller) which is responsible for lifting the vehicle by forcing high pressure air under the craft. The air therefore must exit throughout the "skirt", lifting the craft above the area on which the craft resides. One or more additional engines are used to provide thrust in order to propel the craft in the desired direction (these engines help push the hovercraft). Some hovercraft utilize ducting to allow one engine to perform both tasks by directing some of the air to the skirt, the rest of the air passing out of the back to push the craft forward.

Hovercraft

Civil commercial hovercraft

The British aircraft manufacturer Saunders-Roe which had aeronautical expertise developed the first practical man-carrying hovercraft, the SR-N1, which carried out several test programmes in 1959 to 1961 (the first public demonstration in 1959), including a cross-channel test run. Saunders-Roe Limited was a British aero- and marine-engineering company based at Columbine Works East Cowes, Isle of Wight. Aeronautics (from Greek aero which means air or sky and nautis which means sailor i A man is a Male Human. The term man (irregular plural The Saunders-Roe Nautical One (SR-N1 was the first practical Hovercraft. The SR-N1 was powered by one (piston) engine, driven by expelled air. An engine is a mechanical device that produces some form of output from a given input Temperature and layers The temperature of the Earth's atmosphere varies with altitude the mathematical relationship between temperature and altitude varies among five Demonstrated at the Farnborough Airshow in 1960, it was shown that this simple craft could carry a load of up to 12 marines with their equipment as well as the pilot and co-pilot with only a slight reduction in hover height proportional to the load carried. Marines (from the English adjective marine, meaning of the sea, from Latin language mare, meaning sea via French adjective The SR. N1 did not have any skirt instead using the peripheral air principle that Sir Christopher has patented. It was later found that the craft's hover height was improved by the addition of a 'skirt' of flexible fabric or rubber around the hovering surface to contain the air. The skirt was an independent invention made by a Royal Navy officer, C.H. Latimer-Needham, who sold his idea to Westland (parent company of Saunders-Roe), and who worked with Sir Christopher to develop the idea further. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) Cecil Hugh Latimer-Needham (1900 - 1975 was a British aircraft designer inventor and aviation author

The first passenger-carrying hovercraft to enter service was the Vickers VA-3, which in the summer of 1962 carried passengers regularly along the North Wales Coast from Moreton, Merseyside to Rhyl. This article is about passengers in commercial transportation for other uses see Passenger (disambiguation A passenger is a term broadly used Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 2004 Summer is one of the four Temperate Seasons Summer marks the warmest time of year with the longest days This is about the direction for other uses see North (disambiguation. Moreton is a town on the north coast of the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. Rhyl ((ə r̥ɨl Welsh Y Rhyl) is a seaside town on the Irish Sea, in the county of Denbighshire (within the preserved It was powered by two turboprop aero-engines and driven by propellers. A turboprop engine is a type of aircraft powerplant that uses a Gas turbine engine to drive a Propeller. A propeller is essentially a type of fan which transmits power by converting Rotational motion into Thrust for propulsion of a vehicle such as an

During the 1960s Saunders-Roe developed several larger designs which could carry passengers, including the SR-N2, which operated across the Solent in 1962 and later the SR-N6, which operated across the Solent from Southsea to Ryde on the Isle of Wight for many years. The Solent is a stretch of Sea separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland of England. The PACV is the term for the United States' Navy 's Patrol Air Cushion Vehicle commonly referred to as "PAC-V's" or Hovercrafts. Southsea is a Seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern tip of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England Ryde is a British seaside town and the most populous town and urban area on the Isle of Wight, with a population of approximately 30000 The Isle of Wight is an English Island and county in the English Channel between three and five miles (8 km from the south coast of the Operations by Hovertravel commenced on 24 July 1965 using the SR-N6 which carried just 38 passengers. For information on hovercraft in general please see Hovercraft. Events 1132 - Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. Two modern 98 seat AP1-88 hovercraft now ply this route, and over 20 million passengers have used the service as of 2004. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "

In 1966 two Cross Channel passenger hovercraft services were inaugurated using hovercraft. Hoverlloyd ran services from Ramsgate Harbour to Calais and Townsend Ferries also started a service to Calais from Dover, which was soon superseded by that of Seaspeed. Hoverlloyd operated a cross-Channel Hovercraft service between Ramsgate, England to Calais, France. Ramsgate is a seaside town on the Isle of Thanet in east Kent, England. Calais (kaˈlɛ in English often kæˈleɪ traditional English pronunciation /ˈkælɨs/ Kales is a town in northern France. Townsend Thoresen was a Ferry operator based in the United Kingdom formed by the merger of Townsend Brothers Ferries with Thoresen Car Ferries in 1968 Calais (kaˈlɛ in English often kæˈleɪ traditional English pronunciation /ˈkælɨs/ Kales is a town in northern France. Dover is a town and major ferry port in the county of Kent, England. Seaspeed was the Hovercraft division of British Rail. Its legal name was British Rail Hovercraft Limited

As well as Saunders-Roe and Vickers (which combined in 1966 to form the British Hovercraft Corporation (BHC)), other commercial craft were developed during the 1960s in the UK by Cushioncraft (part of the Britten-Norman Group) and Hovermarine (the latter being 'Sidewall Hovercraft', where the sides of the hull projected down into the water to trap the cushion of air with 'normal' hovercraft skirts at the bow and stern). British Hovercraft Corporation was the corporate entity created when the Saunders Roe division of Westland Aircraft and Vickers Supermarine combined March Cushioncraft Ltd was formed in 1960 as a division of Britten-Norman Ltd (manufacturer of aircraft to develop/build Hovercrafts Originally based at Bembridge Britten-Norman (officially the Britten-Norman Group or BNG) is a British aircraft manufacturer owned by members of the Zawawi family from the Sultanate A Surface Effect Ship (SES or Sidewall Hovercraft, is a Watercraft or vessel that has both an air cushion like a Hovercraft, and twin hulls like a The bow (pronounced &mdashrhymes with how) is a nautical term that refers to the forward part of the hull of a Ship or Boat, The stern is the rear or aft part of a Ship or Boat, technically defined as the area built up over the Sternpost, extending upwards from the Counter

The world's first car-carrying hovercraft made their debut in 1968, the BHC Mountbatten class (SR-N4) models, each powered by four Rolls-Royce Proteus gas turbine engines. The Mountbatten class Hovercraft or SR-N4 (Saunders Roe Nautical 4 was built by the British Hovercraft Corporation (BHC WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a rotary Engine that extracts energy from a flow of Combustion gas These were both used by rival operators Hoverlloyd and Seaspeed to operate regular car and passenger carrying services across the English Channel. Hoverlloyd operated a cross-Channel Hovercraft service between Ramsgate, England to Calais, France. Seaspeed was the Hovercraft division of British Rail. Its legal name was British Rail Hovercraft Limited Hoverlloyd operated from Ramsgate, where a special hoverport had been built at Pegwell Bay, to Calais. Ramsgate is a seaside town on the Isle of Thanet in east Kent, England. Pegwell Bay is a shallow inlet in the English Channel Coast at the Estuary of the River Stour between Ramsgate and Sandwich Calais (kaˈlɛ in English often kæˈleɪ traditional English pronunciation /ˈkælɨs/ Kales is a town in northern France. Seaspeed operated from Dover, England to Calais and Boulogne in France. Dover is a town and major ferry port in the county of Kent, England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Boulogne-sur-Mer ( Bonen in Dutch is a City in Northern France. The first SR-N4 had a capacity of 254 passengers and 30 cars, and a top speed of 83 knots (154 km/h/96 mph). The Channel crossing took around 30 minutes and was run rather like an airline with flight numbers. An airline provides air transport services for Passengers or Freight, generally with a recognized operating certificate or license The later SR-N4 MkIII had a capacity of 418 passengers and 60 cars. These were later joined by the French-built SEDAM N500 Naviplane with a capacity of 385 passengers and 45 cars, of which only one example entered service and was used intermittently for a few years on the cross-channel service until returned to SNCF in 1983. The N500 Naviplane was a French Hovercraft built by SEDAM ( Société d'Etude et de Développement des Aéroglisseurs Marins) in Pauillac, Gironde SNCF ( Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français) (French National Railway Company is a French public enterprise The service ceased in 2000 after 32 years, due to competition with traditional ferries, catamaran, the advancing age of the SR-N4 hovercraft and the opening of the Channel Tunnel. A catamaran (From Tamil 'kattumaram' is a type of Multihulled Boat or Ship consisting of two hulls or vakas joined by some The Channel Tunnel (Le tunnel sous la Manche also known as the Chunnel, is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in England with

In 1998, the US Postal Service began using the British built Hoverwork AP. 1-88 to haul mail, freight, and passengers from Bethel, Alaska to and from eight small villages along the Kuskokwim River. Mail, or post, is a method for transmitting information and tangible objects wherein written Documents typically enclosed in Envelopes and also Cargo (or freight) refers to goods or produce transported generally for Commercial gain by ship, aircraft, train, Bethel ( Mamterilleq in Central Alaskan Yup'ik) is a city located near the west coast of the U The Kuskokwim River is the 9th largest river in the United States of America ranked by average discharge volume at its mouth 17th Bethel is far removed from the Alaska road system, thus making the hovercraft an attractive alternative to the air based delivery methods used prior to introduction of the hovercraft service. Hovercraft service is suspended for several weeks each year while the river is beginning to freeze to minimize damage to the river ice surface. "Riverine" redirects here For the use of that term in Maritime geography, see there For freezing as a method of food preservation see Frozen food. Ice is a Solid phase, usually crystalline, of a Non-metalic substance that is liquid or gas at Room temperature, such as Ammonia The hovercraft is perfectly able to operate during the freeze-up period; however, this could potentially break the ice and create hazards for villagers using their snowmobiles along the river during the early winter. A snowmobile (known locally as snowmachine, snowsled or by the Brandname Ski-Doo) is a land vehicle that is commonly propelled by Winter is one of the four Seasons of Temperate zones Calculated astronomically, it begins on the Solstice and ends on the Equinox

The commercial success of hovercraft suffered from rapid rises in fuel prices during the late 1960s and 1970s following conflict in the Middle East. Fuel is any material that is burned or altered in order to obtain energy The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. Alternative over-water vehicles such as wave-piercing catamarans (marketed as the SeaCat in Britain) use less fuel and can perform most of the hovercraft's marine tasks. A catamaran (From Tamil 'kattumaram' is a type of Multihulled Boat or Ship consisting of two hulls or vakas joined by some SeaCat was the marketing name used by Sea Containers Ltd for Ferry services between Northern Ireland and Scotland between 1992 and 2004 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Although developed elsewhere in the world for both civil and military purposes, except for the Solent Ryde to Southsea crossing, hovercraft disappeared from the coastline of Britain until a range of Griffon Hovercraft were bought by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. The Solent is a stretch of Sea separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland of England. Griffon Hovercraft is a British Hovercraft producer founded in 1976 and based in Southampton, UK The founder Sir William Hillary Sir William Hillary came to live on the Isle of Man in 1808

In Finland small hovercraft are widely used in maritime rescue and during the rasputitsa ("mud season") as archipelago liaison vehicles. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. The rasputitsa (распу́тица is the biannual season when roads become impassable in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. An archipelago (ɑrkəˈpɛləgoʊ is a chain or cluster of Islands The word archipelago literally means "chief Sea " from Italian In England, hovercraft of the Burnham-on-Sea Area Rescue Boat (BARB) are used to rescue people from thick mud in Bridgwater Bay. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Burnham-on-Sea is a Town in Somerset, England, at the mouth of the River Parrett and Bridgwater Bay. Bridgwater Bay is on the Bristol Channel, near Bridgwater in Somerset, England at the mouth of the River Parrett.

The Scandinavian airline SAS used to charter an AP. Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well Scandinavian Airlines System ( SAS) is a multi-national Airline for Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and the leading carrier in the A charter is the grant of authority or rights stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified 1-88 Hovercraft for regular passengers between Copenhagen Airport, Denmark and the SAS Hovercraft Terminal in Malmö, Sweden. Copenhagen Airport (Københavns Lufthavn Kastrup is the major Airport serving Copenhagen, Denmark and the other cities within the Oresund Region The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation.

An experimental service was operated in Scotland across the Firth of Forth (between Kirkcaldy and Portobello, Edinburgh), 16-28 July 2007. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. The Firth of Forth ( Scottish Gaelic: Linne Foirthe) is the Estuary or Firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows Kirkcaldy (kɪrˈkɔːdi Cathair Chaladain) is a town and former Royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. Portobello is a beach resort located three miles (5 km to the east of the city centre of Edinburgh, along the coast of the Firth of Forth, in Scotland Marketed as Forthfast, the service used a craft chartered from Hovertravel Ltd and achieved 85% loadings. For information on hovercraft in general please see Hovercraft. The possibility of establishing a permanent service is now under consideration. [3]

Following the abandonment of hovercraft use across the English Channel, and pending any reintroduction on the Scottish route, the United Kingdom's only public hovercraft service is that operated by Hovertravel between Southsea (Portsmouth) and Ryde, on the Isle of Wight. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located For information on hovercraft in general please see Hovercraft. Southsea is a Seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern tip of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England History See also History of Portsmouth There have been settlements in the area since before Roman times mostly being offshoots of Portchester, which Ryde is a British seaside town and the most populous town and urban area on the Isle of Wight, with a population of approximately 30000 The Isle of Wight is an English Island and county in the English Channel between three and five miles (8 km from the south coast of the

From 1960s, several commercial lines were operated in Japan, without much success. In the country, the only commercial line still available is the one that links Ōita Airport and the central Ōita. is an airport in Kunisaki Ōita, Japan, near the city of Ōita. is the capital city of Ōita Prefecture located on the island of Kyūshū, Japan.

Military hovercraft

See also: Air-cushioned landing craft

First applications of the hovercraft in military use was with the SR. An air cushioned landing craft, also called an LCAC ( Landing craft air cushioned is a modern variation on the amphibious landing boat The Landing Craft Air Cushioned (LCAC is a class of air-cushion vehicle / Hovercraft used as Landing craft by the United States Navy and Awards USS Kearsarge has been awarded the Golden Anchor for Retention Excellence Ronald Reagan Distinguished Service Award the CNO Environmental Safety Award the Admiral N1 through SR. N6 craft built by Saunders-Roe in the Isle of Wight in the UK and used by the UK joint forces. To test the use of the hovercraft in military applications the UK set up the Interservice Hovercraft Trials Unit (IHTU) base at Lee-on-the-Solent in the UK (now the site of the Hovercraft Museum). This unit carried out trials on the SR. N1 from Mk1 through Mk5 as well as testing the SR. N2, 3, 5 and 6 craft. Currently the Royal Marines use the Griffon 2000TDX as an operational craft. The Royal Marines ( RM) are the marine corps and amphibious Infantry of the United Kingdom and along with the Royal Navy Griffon Hovercraft is a British Hovercraft producer founded in 1976 and based in Southampton, UK This craft was recently deployed by the UK in Iraq.

In the US, during the 1960s, Bell licenced and sold the Saunders-Roe SRN-5 as the Bell SK-5. The Bell Aircraft Corporation was an Aircraft manufacturer of the United States, a builder of several types of Fighter aircraft for World War The PACV is the term for the United States' Navy 's Patrol Air Cushion Vehicle commonly referred to as "PAC-V's" or Hovercrafts. They were deployed on trial to the Vietnam War by the Navy as PACV patrol craft in the Mekong Delta where their mobility and speed was unique. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia The PACV is the term for the United States' Navy 's Patrol Air Cushion Vehicle commonly referred to as "PAC-V's" or Hovercrafts. A patrol boat is a small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defense duties The Mekong Delta (đồng bằng sông Cửu Long “Nine Dragon river delta” is the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties Speed is the rate of motion, or equivalently the rate of change in position often expressed as Distance d traveled per unit of This was used in both the UK SR. N5 curved deck configuration and later with modified flat deck, gun turret and grenade launcher designated the 9255 PACV. A gun turret is a device that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions A grenade launcher is a Weapon that launches a Grenade with more accuracy higher velocity and to greater distances than a soldier could throw it by hand The United States Army also experimented with the use of SR. N5 hovercraft in Vietnam. Three hovercraft with the flat deck configuration were deployed to Dong Tam in the Mekong delta region and later to Ben Luc. They saw action primarily in the Plain of Reeds. One was destroyed in early 1970 and another in August of that same year after which the unit was disbanded. The only remaining U. S. Army SR. N5 hovercraft is currently on display in the Army Transport Museum in Virginia. Fort Eustis is a United States Army military installation located in Newport News Virginia. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state Experience led to the proposed Bell SK-10 which was the basis for the LCAC-class air-cushioned landing craft now deployed. The Landing Craft Air Cushioned (LCAC is a class of air-cushion vehicle / Hovercraft used as Landing craft by the United States Navy and An air cushioned landing craft, also called an LCAC ( Landing craft air cushioned is a modern variation on the amphibious landing boat

The Soviet Union was one of the first few nations to use a hovercraft, the Bora, as a guided missile corvette. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 A nation is a Human Cultural and Social Community. In as much as most members never meet each other yet feel a common bond it may be considered Deployment The Bora -class was designed in 1988 mainly for coastal defense and patrol duties versus surface vessels large and small Guided Missile is a London based Independent record label set up by Paul Kearney in 1994. A corvette is a small maneuverable lightly armed Warship, originally smaller than a Frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft, although many

The Finnish Navy designed an experimental missile attack hovercraft class, Tuuli class hovercraft, in the late 1990s. The Finnish Navy ( Finnish: Suomen merivoimat, Swedish: Finlands sjöstridskrafter) is one of the branches of the Vessels;FNS Tuuli (10 Ordered from Aker Finnyards on July 9, 1999 and commissioned on June 10, 2002. The prototype of the class, Tuuli, was commissioned in 2000. It proved an extremely successful design for a littoral fast attack craft, but due to fiscal reasons and doctrinal change in the Navy, the hovercraft was soon withdrawn. Littoral refers to the coast of an ocean or sea or to the banks of a river lake or estuary

The Hellenic Navy operates four Russian-designed Zubr class LCAC. The Hellenic Navy ( HN) ( Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece The Russian designed Zubr or Project 12322 class (NATO reporting name Pomornik) is the world’s largest military Hovercraft and serves as an This is the world’s largest military air-cushioned landing craft. An air cushioned landing craft, also called an LCAC ( Landing craft air cushioned is a modern variation on the amphibious landing boat

Other ACVs

Hoverbarge

A real benefit of air cushion vehicles in moving heavy loads over difficult terrain, such as swamps, was overlooked by the excitement of the Government funding to develop high-speed hovercraft. It was not until the early 1970s that the technology was used for moving a modular marine barge with a dragline on board for use over soft reclaimed land.

Mackace (Mackley Air Cushion Equipment) produced a number of successful Hoverbarges, such as the 250 ton payload “Sea Pearl” which operated in Abu Dhabi and the twin 160 ton payload "Yukon Princesses" which ferried trucks across the Yukon river to aid the pipeline build. Hoverbarges are still in operation today. In 2006, Hovertrans (formed by the original managers of Mackace) launched a 330 ton payload drilling barge in the swamps of Suriname.

The Hoverbarge technology is somewhat different to high-speed hovercraft, which has traditionally been constructed using aircraft technology. The initial concept of the air cushion barge has always been to provide a low-tech amphibious solution for accessing construction sites using typical equipment found in this area, such as diesel engines, ventilating fans, winches and marine equipment. The load to move a 200 ton payload ACV barge at 5 knots would only be 5 tons. The skirt and air distribution design on the high-speed craft again is more complex as they have to cope with the air cushion being washed out by a wave and wave impact. The slow speed and large mono chamber of the hover barge actually helps reduce the effect of wave action giving a very smooth ride.

Hovertrain

Several attempts have been made to adopt air cushion technology for use in fixed track systems, in order to take advantage of the lower frictional forces so as to deliver high speeds. The most advanced example of this was the Aérotrain, an experimental high speed hovertrain built and operated in France between 1965 and 1977. The Aérotrain was a Hovercraft Train developed in France from 1965 to 1977 A ground effect train is an alternative to a Magnetic levitation train. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The project was abandoned in 1977 due to lack of funding, the death of its main protagonist and the adoption of TGV by the French government as its high-speed ground transport solution. The TGV ( t rain à g rande v itesse, French for "high-speed train" is France 's High-speed rail service

A test track for a tracked hovercraft system was built at Earith near Cambridge, England. Earith is a Village in The Fens of Cambridgeshire, England, south of Chatteris and east of Huntingdon. The city of Cambridge (ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England It ran SW from Sutton Gault, sandwiched between the Old Bedford River and the smaller Counter Drain to the West. Careful examination of the site will still reveal traces of the concrete piers used to support the structure. The actual vehicle, RTV31, is preserved at Railworld in Peterborough and can be seen from trains, just South West of the station. The vehicle achieved 104mph on the 7th of February 1973 (source Railway Magazine May 1973 p235) but the project was cancelled a week later. The project was managed by Tracked Hovercraft Ltd. , with Denys Bliss as Director in the early 1970s, only to be axed by the Aerospace Minister, Michael Heseltine. Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, CH, PC (born 21 March 1933 is a Welsh -born British businessman and Conservative Records of this project are available from the correspondence and papers of Sir Harry Legge-Bourke, MP at Leeds University Library. Major Sir Edward Alexander Henry Legge-Bourke KBE ( 16 May 1914 &ndash 21 May 1973) was a British politician ^{[9] [10]} Heseltine was accused by Airey Neave and others of misleading the House of Commons when he stated that the government was still considering giving financial support to the Hovertrain, when the decision to pull the plug had already been taken by the Cabinet. Airey Middleton Sheffield Neave, DSO, OBE, MC, (23 January 1916 &ndash 30 March 1979 was a British soldier barrister and politician

Despite promising early results, the Cambridge project was abandoned in 1973 due to financial constraints, but parts of the project were picked up by the engineering firm McAlpine, only to be finally abandoned in the mid 1980's. Alfred McAlpine plc was a British construction firm headquartered in London The Tracked Hovercraft project and Professor Laithwaite's Maglev train system were contemporaneous, and there was intense competition between the two prospective British systems for funding and credibility. Eric Roberts Laithwaite ( 14 June 1921 &ndash 27 November 1997) was an English Engineer, principally known for his development MAGLEV, or magnetic levitation, is a system of transportation that suspends guides and (usually propels vehicles predominantly trains using magnetic forces The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

At the other end of the speed spectrum, the Dorfbahn Serfaus has been in continuous operation since 1985. The Dorfbahn Serfaus is an unusual underground air cushion Funicular transit system in the Tyrolian village of Serfaus in Austria This is an unusual underground air cushion funicular rapid transit system, situated in the Austrian ski resort of Serfaus. A funicular, also known as a funicular railway, incline, inclined railway, inclined plane, or cliff railway, is a type of self-contained A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway or metro(politan system is an electric passenger railway Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich A ski area is a developed recreational facility usually on a Mountain or large Hill, containing ski trails and vital supporting services Serfaus is a municipality in the district of Landeck in Tyrol, Austria. Only 1,280 m (4,200 ft) long, the line reaches a maximum speed of 25 mph (40 km/h). A similar system also exists in Narita International Airport near Tokyo, Japan. The is an automated People mover used in Narita International Airport, Narita, Japan. is an international Airport located in Narita, Chiba, Japan, in the eastern portion of the Greater Tokyo Area. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics.

Records

• World's Largest Civil Hovercraft - The BHC SRN4 Mk III at 56. 4 m (185 ft) length and 310 metric tons (305 tons) weight, can accommodate 418 passengers and 60 cars.
• English Channel crossing - 22 minutes by Princess Anne MCH SR-N4 Mk3 on 14 September 1995
• World's Hovercraft Speed Record - 18 September 1995 - Speed Trials, Bob Windt (USA) 137. The Mountbatten class Hovercraft or SR-N4 (Saunders Roe Nautical 4 was built by the British Hovercraft Corporation (BHC Events 81 - Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Events 96 - Nerva is proclaimed Roman Emperor after Domitian is assassinated Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 4 km/h (85. 87 mph), 34. 06 secs measured kilometre

Hobbyists

There are an increasing number of small homebuilt and kit-built hovercraft used for recreational and racing purposes, mainly on inland lakes and rivers but also in marshy areas and in some estuaries.

The Hovercraft Club of Great Britain organises inland and coastal cruising hovercraft races in various venues across the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

Lee-on-the-Solent, Hampshire, England is the home to the Hovercraft Museum [4] which houses the world's largest collection of rare Hovercraft including some of the earliest and largest. Lee-on-the-Solent, often referred to as Lee-on-Solent, is a small seaside town in Hampshire, England about five miles west of Portsmouth. It can be found on the main road along the seafront and hosts an open day every summer.

Modern Hovercraft Development

The real innovation in hovercraft development occurred in 1957, and was revealed to the public in 1960. It was the invention of the "Double-Walled Flexible Skirt" by Mr. Norman B. McCreary in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA (Patent No. 3,532,179) and was published in the Arkansas Gazette Newspaper on Jan. 25, 1960 and in Science and Mechanics Magazine in June, 1960. This was the conception and technological development that enabled hovercraft to travel over uneven terrain or waves of the sea. It later became known as the "Bag Skirt" as it inflated around the edge of the hovercraft. It would raise and lower the hovercraft off the ground by inflation and deflation of the "Double-Walled Flexible Skirt". Later fingers were added to the bottom of the skirt to compensate for wear and reduce drag. After this concept was made public in 1960, all hovercraft utilized a "Double-Walled Flexible Skirt" system for practical hovercraft operations, (see time line Naval Engineering Journal, February 1985, page 261).

See also

• Air Car
• Airboard
• Air-cushioned landing craft
• Avrocar
• "Bora" Class
• Coandă effect
• Ekranoplan
• Flymo
• Ground effect
• Hoverboard
• Hovercar
• Hovercraft Museum
• Hydrofoil
• LCAC
• Pegasus
• Surface effect ship
• Zubr class LCAC

References

External links

• Commemorative projects at Somerleyton in Suffolk, England, birthplace of the Hovercraft, including the Hovercraft Column
• Hovercraft at the Open Directory Project

The Open Directory Project ( ODP) also known as dmoz (from directory

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