Sun, Apr 06, 2003
Australian Company Banks On Ground Effect
It is neither an airplane, a ship, nor a
hovercraft, but could make island hopping and coastlines patrol a
quick and comfortable journey.
The "Flightship" a product of Flightship Ground Effect Pty Ltd,
Australia has wings, propellers a hull but it skims above the water
making use of the phenomenal effect called the "ground effect". The
"Flightship" which is an extremely high speed, highly efficient
marine vessel lifts totally clear of the water surface to ride a
self-generated airwave at speeds above 55 knots.
Riding The Wave
Flight attitude in the "Flightship" is extremely
stable. Sea state and wave action has only a very minor effect when
airborne. All Flightship vessels operate above the water up to
around 50 per cent of the wingspan. The larger the vessel, the
higher the surface clearance and wave height capability.
Ground Effect is the name given to the dramatically improved
aerodynamic performance of a wing when it operates close to a
ground plane.
Wing in Ground Effect (WIG) is the official term adopted by the
United Nations International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the
United Nations International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) for
a marine craft using ground effect as a means of lift.
Other developments in Australia, China, Korea and
Taiwan generally use WIG craft as the preferred terminology,
although some still call the technology 'surface effect' rather
than ground effect.
The "Flightship" has a maximum water surface clearance
capability of up to 3 meters over the crests of 4-metre waves. A
range of up to 300 NM (nautical miles) and a cruising speed of 170
km/h (86 knots) are achievable.
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