Hovercrafts

Paper Summary:

The paper examines the history of the hovercraft, its design and recent developments such as the heavy load air-cushioned vehicles (ACVs) and personal hovercrafts. The paper looks at potential developments with this technology and concludes that the technology will likely continue to contribute to new applications such as space exploration.

Outline:
Introduction
Hovercraft Developments
Conclusions

From the Paper:

"The concept of a vehicle which would be able to travel on cushions of air was first proposed back in 1877 by the English engineer John Thornycroft, although Christopher Cockerell is credited with the actual invention. Cockerell developed and built the first hovercraft in 1955 (Johnson 550). It was constructed of balsa wood and powered by a small fan, reaching speeds of up to 12 mph over both land and water. It was not until 1959 that the first practical model was built by Saunders-Roe Ltd. who were predominantly an aircraft manufacturing firm. The hovercraft then entered public use in 1962, where the first passenger hovercraft began operation across the Dee Estuary in Scotland (Sebastian 179)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "ACV Research and Development." Links 999. 13 August 2007. 18 February 2008. <http://links999.net/hovercraft/hovercraft_development.html>.
• Bourg, David M. Physics for Game Developers. Cambridge, MA: O'Reilly, 2002.
• "History of the Hovercraft." Neoteric Hovercraft Inc. 2003. 18 February 2008. <http://www.neoterichovercraft.com/general_info/historyof.htm>.
• "IRI & Techno-Marketing International Technologies." International Robotics Inc. 18 February 2008. <http://www.internationalrobotics.com/iaapapres_a.html>.
• Johnson, Keith. Spotlight Science. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes, 2004.

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