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Hovercraft

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A Hovercraft, or Air-Cushion Vehicle (ACV), is an amphibious vehicle or craft, designed to travel over any sufficiently smooth surface supported by a cushion of slowly moving, high-pressure air, ejected downwards against the surface close below it. As they were a British invention many were named after royalty.

At one stage hovercraft were the glamour vehicle of choice for film makers and celebrities, such as Bill Wyman:

But BEA's on strike, there's no planes flying.
I can rent a motorbike, at least I'm trying.
We could go on the hovercraft accross the wat-er.

The commercial success of hovercraft suffered from rapid rises in fuel prices during the late 1960s and 1970s following conflict in the Middle East. The craft that operated between the UK and France held an iconic status, similar to that of the Concord, and their cessation of operation saw the end of the dream of hovercraft for all.

They were often used in conjunction with Gold Lamé Jumpsuits to indicated the existence of a super advanced civilization, but as in the TV series Logan's Run they were more often than not portrayed by wheeled vehicles for insurance reasons.