Air-cushion vehicle with brush support

Claim 1

An air-cushion vehicle including a body having a deformable peripheral wall or skirt of impermeable material extending downwardly therefrom and means for producing an air cushion beneath said body within the confines of said peripheral wall or skirt for raising the vehicle above a supporting surface, in which the improvement comprises a plurality of discrete separated support brushes fixedly mounted on the under side of said body a substantial distance inwardly of the boundary of said peripheral wall or skirt and spaced therefrom, said brushes extending downwardly and terminating in a plane at a level below the major portion of said peripheral wall or skirt and approximately at the level of the lower edge of said peripheral wall or skirt for supporting said vehicle in the absence of said air cushion, each said brush comprising a plurality of individually flexible bristles, the aggregate of said bristles providing stiff brushes for the said support of said vehicle.