IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO ATTACHMENT MEANS

1294303 Air cushion vehicles HOVERMARINE TRANSPORT Ltd 13 Feb 1970 [24 Dec 1968] 61499/68 Heading B7K [Also in Division E2] A gas cushion vehicle comprises a flexible skirt 5 consisting of a flexible sheet 15 having a beaded edge portion which is clamped by bolts 26 and nuts 25 between an angle member 20 secured to a body 4 of the vehicle and a strip 24 of aluminium alloy or of flexible plastics so that a bead 23 on the edge portion abuts an edge of the strip. To allow movement of the skirt, holes therein for the passage of the bolts may be elongated and each bolt may be provided with a nylon distance piece. Two beaded edge portions of the skirt may be bolted between two strips, or one beaded edge portion may be bolted between one strip and a skirt edge portion without a bead, Figs. 6, 7 (not shown). Air for the cushion is drawn from the air by a compressor driven by variable speed gearing through a duct 9 to the cushion. The skirt 5 is connected to a series of individually deflectable skirt members. Each U-shaped skirt member has side portions the inner corners of which are detachably secured to the body 4 by flexible tie members. The rear skirt comprises an inflatable bag 10 and a series of skirt members 11. The sides of the cushion are contained by structures 30.