A Design Study of a Two‐seat Road‐going Air Cushion Vehicle: A condensed version of a paper submitted under the Aircraft Engineering Student Awards scheme

A design study is carried out for an air cushion vehicle based on a specification giving it a performance comparable with cars of similar power and size, and compatible with current road conditions. Preliminary examination of requirements leads to the adoption of a plenum chamber lift system and ducted fan propulsion, powered by a single piston engine. Care is taken to provide the vehicle with the responsive and accurate control necessary on the road. Performance calculations are carried out, enabling it to be compared with wheeled road vehicles. It is found that its cruising speed and fuel economy are better than its wheeled counterpart, due to the low resistance to motion offered by the air cushion, while its turning performance is definitely inferior.