air-cushion vehicle

air-cushion vehicle
air-cushion vehicle [er′ koosh΄ən]
n.
a vehicle that travels just above the surface of land or water on a cushion of air provided by a downward jet from its engines, propellers, etc.

* * *

Vehicle supported above the surface of land or water by an air cushion, produced by downwardly directed fans, enclosed within a flexible skirt beneath the hull.

The concept was first proposed by John Thornycroft in the 1870s, but a working model was not produced until 1955, when Christopher Cockerell solved the problem of keeping the air cushion from escaping from under the vehicle, and formed Hovercraft Ltd. to manufacture prototypes. Problems with skirt design and engine maintenance have restricted the vehicle's commercial application; today hovercraft are used mainly as ferries.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • air-cushion vehicle — [er′ koosh΄ən] n. a vehicle that travels just above the surface of land or water on a cushion of air provided by a downward jet from its engines, propellers, etc …   English World dictionary

  • air cushion vehicle — air cushion vehicle, a vehicle that travels a few feet above the surface of land or water on a cushion of air produced by a system of fans; ground effect machine; hovercraft. Abbr: ACV …   Useful english dictionary

  • air cushion vehicle. — See ACV (def. 2). Also, air cushion vehicle. [1960 65] * * * …   Universalium

  • air cushion vehicle — važiuoklė su oro pagalve statusas T sritis Gynyba apibrėžtis Transporto priemonė, sukonstruota taip, kad jos masė, įskaitant krovinį, visiškai ar iš dalies remiasi į oro pagalvę, kurioje slėgis didesnis negu aplinkos oro. atitikmenys: angl. air… …   NATO terminų aiškinamasis žodynas

  • air cushion vehicle. — See ACV (def. 2). Also, air cushion vehicle. [1960 65] …   Useful english dictionary

  • air-cushion vehicle — air′ cush ion ve hicle n. cvb trs navig. hovercraft • Etymology: 1960–65 …   From formal English to slang

  • air cushion vehicle — A vehicle capable of being operated so that its weight, including its payload, is wholly or significantly supported on a continuously generated cushion or “bubble” of air at higher than ambient pressure. Also called ACV. (Note: NATO uses the term …   Military dictionary

  • air-cushion vehicle — noun : a vehicle that is supported above the surface of land or water by a cushion of air produced by downwardly directed fans …   Useful english dictionary

  • Patrol Air Cushion Vehicle — Geschichte Typ Luftkissenfah …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Patrol Air Cushion Vehicle — PACV redirects here. For the airport in Alaska with that ICAO code, see Merle K. (Mudhole) Smith Airport. PACV cruising through swamp area Class overview Name …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”