Hovercraft

A hovercraft is a vehicle that travels over land or water on a cushion of air trapped beneath its hull. Flexible skirts help contain the cushion while the vehicle moves.

Air cushion: A pressurized layer of air that supports a vehicle above a surface. Fans maintain this layer beneath the hull to lift the hovercraft.
Christopher Cockerell: A British engineer who developed the modern hovercraft concept and founded its first major development effort. His experiments established the separated air jets that improved cushion efficiency.
Landing craft air cushion: A military hovercraft designed to carry troops and equipment from ships onto shore. It uses the hovercraft's amphibious travel to land without a conventional beach or harbor.
Hydrofoil: A watercraft whose underwater wings lift its hull above the water as speed increases. Hydrofoils need water and forward speed for lift; hovercraft can cross land and water.
Hovercraft skirt: A flexible barrier around a hovercraft's underside that helps contain its air cushion. The skirt limits air leakage while bending over uneven ground and waves.
Saunders-Roe SR.N1: The first full-scale hovercraft, which made its inaugural crossing in 1959. This prototype demonstrated that Cockerell's design could travel over water.
Griffon Hoverwork: A British manufacturer of commercial and military hovercraft. Its vessels show how modern hovercraft serve rescue, transport, and defense roles.
Airboat: A shallow-draft boat propelled by an above-water air propeller. Airboats remain supported by water, unlike hovercraft riding on an air cushion.
Lift fan: A fan that forces air beneath a vehicle or structure to generate lift. It supplies the pressure that raises the hull above the surface.
Saunders-Roe: A British aircraft and boat manufacturer that built the SR.N1 hovercraft prototype. The company translated the hovercraft concept into a working vehicle.

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