AIR CUSHION VEHICLE DEMONSTRATION IN BETHEL, ALASKA: COSTS, PERFORMANCE, AND IMPACT

Air Cushion Vehicles (ACV) are a special class of hovercraft that operate on the so called "ground effect." This report is an evaluation of the costs, performance and impacts of a one-year demonstration of two ACVs used to provide transportation services in and around Bethel, Alaska. The purpose of this demonstration was to determine the costs and commercial viability of using air cushion vehicles as a transportation link between neighboring villages in rural areas of Alaska. In this report, two types of ACVs and the service they provide are discussed, namely: 1) ACV Tiger-smaller, passenger carrying vehicle designed for speed, and 2) ACV Barge - larger, ACV barge built specifically for the conditions existing in the tundra of Western Alaska. Specifications for these vehicles are contained in Appendices B and C of this report. The authors state that: 1) the demonstration program was generally successful; it proved that ACV systems would work in the environment and could deliver cargo and people; economically, as a commercial carrier, it established a data base for future planning for such operations; 2) the D-PAAC vehicle was a technical success, and its potential for continued utilization appeared high; and 3) the relatively high capital and operating costs of an ACV are a major drawback to commercial ventures using this technology in other areas of the United States. This report provides engineering drawings of the D-PAAC vehicle, amphibious operations, as well as trip logs and sample operator and delivery schedules.

• Corporate Authors:

  McCall (Omar) and Associates, Incorporated

  Beltsville, MD  United States 
• Authors:
  • McCall, O
  • Scalzo, M
• Publication Date: 1982-3

Media Info

• Pagination: 80 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air cushion vehicles; Capital costs; Ferries; Operating costs; Specifications
• Geographic Terms: Alaska
• Subject Areas: Operations and Traffic Management; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00373822
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: UMTA-MD-06-0058-83-1Final Rpt.
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 30 1983 12:00AM