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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 1067.PDF
Air-Cushion Vehicles FLIGHT International supplement, January 24 1963 "The basic reason for the continuance of these services is the fortunate long life of the steel vessels . the M V "Connaught" built in 1911 and rebuilt in 1950 This is ACVs ON LONDON RIVER BY W. B. CAISLEY* WITH THE ADVENT of air-cushion vehicles it is a matter of conjecture whether a suitable type of craft can be efficiently utilized in Great Britain to provide a new transport system for both long and short journeys. The cost of such provision is obviously the first consideration; but, being an island country, we are well served with water, and with ever increasing road traffic chaos the use of inland and seaway routes is a matter for the most serious thought. It may also be that our tired, dirty and costly railway systems could be organized to provide ways for hovering vehicles. Initially, it seems fairly obvious, waterways (somewhat less used, and in some ways more neglected) offer the least expensive ready-made routes for the use of hovercraft. In consideration of the type of craft to be employed for inland or coastal transport in Great Britain, the entirely "aerodynamic" type may not offer any special advantage, and indeed a particular disadvantage at the present stage of development by virtue of the noise factor, which would tend to exclude introduction in, or to and from, population centres already suffering from the clamour of modern life. Furthermore, the cost of pro duction would appear to be inevitably high as compared with a simpler form. An efficient amphibious operation would also necessitate prohibitively expensive ways for a landwise journey of any length. Restricted and valuable spaces in the country, already being torn apart by despoiling motorways and served by many efficient forms of trans port, are also important objections, although there may well be some areas where ACVs could be usefully put to work, if they can be economically produced. It would appear that, in most places with somewhat overdeveloped trans port facilities, there are principally two uses for the hovering vehicle—on land- ways already in existence and on water ways. The seaway, principal rivers, and possibly existing canals may well be used, although in using the latter, locks and low bridges would be a handi cap. The use of existing railway tracks, on the assumption that a suitable type of vehicle could be produced, would, naturally, be a very long-term exercise, and would obviously need enormous capital expenditure in adapting the existing ways, stations, maintenance and repair facilities and in training in technical know-how. Numerous addi tional problems would arise in the transi tional period of change from the present- day conventional operation of trains to a completely new network. In conse quence the immediate future of the vehicle for inland transport will no doubt be over the existing ways of water, and seaways where comparative costs of providing facilities would not be anything like so great. Indeed, vehicles with little or no requirement for amphibious operation would ap pear to be far cheaper to build and operate and could almost at once be produced at prices equitable with the provision of high-speed conventional waterborne traffic. The Denny Project London River probably offers the best first choice of inland waterways to prove the feasibility and value of a strictly scheduled and reliable service. There are many millions of potential passengers, and London is the most traffic-congested town in the country. During the early part of the year it is hoped to commence a fully commercial service on the Thames in the very centre of the City. The vehicle to be employed is the Denny D.2 Hoverbus. It is planned that the Hoverbus will run a frequent service from 10 a.m. every day, until dusk and beyond if demand warrants, with the object of proving the practic ability of hovering over a confined waterway and to give an opportunity to the maximum number of people to experience a trip in the craft. The operators, Thames Launches Ltd, are specialists in building steel commer cial craft, and their predecessors are long experienced in the carriage of passengers on the river. The company came into being shortly after the col lapse of the publicly owned services on the Thames after the year 1907, and it is upon their advice that the Hoverbus will not attempt initially any over- ambitious services from stage to stage. The vehicle will use Festival Hall Pier —with the co-operation of the London County Council—and make circular trips in the upstream direction as far as the Houses of Parliament and down stream to Tower Bridge, returning to the Festival Hall terminal point. The Hoverbus will be in the charge of skilled Thames Watermen—members of the historic Company of Watermen and Lightermen of the River Thames. At a future time the institution of regular services by Hoverbus on the River Thames and other comparable water routes appears to be possible— in particular on the historic Thames, one of the greatest rivers in the world, not because of its size, but of its im portance to London. This waterway has been, and possibly still is to some extent, the founder and giver of Britain's fortunes. Situate through the heart of the world's largest concentration of population, it is probably less congested now in the Greater London area than it has ever been in its working history. Recent history has, however, shown that there are many difficulties in the utilization of London River as a serious method of passenger transportation, although there has been some success in the carriage of goods. Numerous attempts have been made since the introduction of the first steamboat to the Thames in 1815 (called Marjory, and, incidentally, built by William Denny of Dumbarton, founder of the * Mr Caisley is a director of Thames Launches Ltd. This company is soon to operate a Denny D.2 in London, as des cribed in the article.—Ed. 4
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