The History Of Air Cushion

An air cushion is simply a bag of plastic or textile that is able to be compressed into an extremely soft bag to offer amazing support. They are used in a variety of settings and situations from sports to office chair seating. Unlike regular cushions, air cushions typically have a squeeze lock mechanism to easily inflate or deflate the bag to conform to the contours of a user's body. They can also be custom-made to meet specific user requirements.

One particular example of using an air cushion while participating in water-skiing involves the use of a hovercraft skirt. Typically, a hovercraft skirt is utilized in the water to give the rider additional protection as well as stability. The air cushion acts as the hovercraft and is inflated accordingly. When the air cushion has reached the desired air pressure, it is then deflated, which pulls the skirt down on the hovercraft thus creating a low drag effect and allowing the skier to move more efficiently around the craft.

The early 1970s was the era of the first tracked hovercraft. These early vehicles were not able to hover over the water, but they could certainly skim water over land. Early enthusiasts of this new form of transportation found many uses for the device. Many modifications were made to the early hovercraft, many times adding wheels so that these vehicles could travel over rough terrain. Although the initial designs of the hovertrain appeared to have little resemblance to the modern air-cushion design, some innovative designers saw the potential of the humble air cushion.

The first true commercial application of the air cushion was found with the development of a racing hovercraft. Raced by the Formula 1 world championship teams, the first lcac hovercraft quickly became a favorite with drivers and spectators alike. The design of the racing hovercraft allowed for the implementation of many different air cushions on the different sections of the vehicle. The nose of the craft, the cockpit, the engine intakes, different portions of the body were all modified in order to accommodate various levels of cushion. Using a lightweight aluminum alloy, the lcac Hovercraft was able to maintain the sleek look of the early prototypes and become one of the fastest and most technologically advanced hovercrafts of its time.

A high-speed hovercraft became a reality when aerospace engineers took the concept of air cushioning and incorporated it into a solution for supersonic high-speed travel. This streamlined design allowed for the development of the first modern long-range passenger aircraft, which was later to become the Courier Helicopter. Although not quite as streamlined as the Courier, the Xantec Hunchback reached speeds of over two thousand miles per hour and could cruise at speeds as high as eighteen hundred miles per hour. The Hunchback also featured a rear landing gear wheel that allowed for a much smoother landing than earlier designs. Although this vehicle did not become quite as widely used as its faster counter parts, it still made a significant impact in the history of aviation. The design concept of air cushioning would later find its way into many military fighter planes, which used similar principles to the original Hunchback.

Air Cushion technology has remained a part of hovercraft engineering for the past fifty years or so. Although there have been several new hovercraft designs developed that feature an improved air cushion, many engineers prefer to use the original cushion design and to keep the sleekness of the original prototype. Although some craft designed for commercial purposes do incorporate the use of air-cushion systems, these systems are not generally used in the professional flight community because of the delicate nature of such a system.