Ground effect vehicle

Claim 1

IN A GROUND EFFECT MACHINE OF THE TYPE WHICH INCLUDES A BASE SUBTENDED BY A FLEXIBLE SKIRT HAVING A BOW PORTION, AN AFT END PORTION AND TWO SIDE PORTIONS DEFINING A CONTINUOUS LOWER MARGINAL EDGE AND WHICH ENCLOSES A PRESSURIZED FLUID DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID BASE AND A SURFACE OVER WHICH SAID MACHINE IS OPERATING FOR SUPPORTING SAID MACHINE IN VERTICALLY SPACED RELATION FROM SAID SURFACE, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING, THE ENTIRE LOWER MARGINAL EDGE PORTION DEFINED BY SAID AFT PORTION OF SAID SKIRT HAVING A DEPTH LESS THAN THE DEPTH OF THE LOWER MARGINAL EDGE PORTION DEFINED BY SAID BOW PORTION OF SAID SKIRT TO AVOID MANEUVER INTERFERENCE PROBLEMS IN THE OPERATION OF SAID GROUND EFFECT MACHINE, AND WHEREIN, SAID SIDE PORTIONS OF SAID SKIRT ARE PROVIDED WITH FORWARD PORTIONS DEFINING PORTIONS OF SAID LOWER MARGINAL EDGE WHICH ARE OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME DEPTH AS THE LOWER MARGINAL EDGE PORTIONS DEFINED BY SAID BOW PORTION, SAID SIDE PORTIONS OF SAID SKIRT HAVING REARWARD LOWER MARGINAL EDGE PORTIONS SLOPING UPWARDLY AND REARWARDLY FROM SAID FORWARD PORTIONS TO SAID AFT PORTIONS OF SAID SHAFT.