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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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hovercraft
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(also called air-cushion vehicle or ACV) Machine using jets of air, within a protective skirt, to provide a cushion on which it travels over any relatively flat surface, such as water, marsh or desert. It was developed from 1953 by Christopher Cockerell (b. 1910); his original working model used a hair dryer and two coffee tins. The first full-scale hovercraft was successfully tested at Cowes in 1959, and since then they have been used in many contexts all over the world. The largest is the SR.N4, which carries 60 cars and 400 passengers across the English Channel at a speed of up to 77 knots – making it the fastest sea-going vessel of its size in the world.
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