The investigation of the control of air cushion vehicles (ACV) is still relatively, a new art. One practical aspect in the study of ACV control is to determine the amount of extra power required far directional control purposes.

This study deals with a quantitative analysis of ACV directional control with respect to its power requirements in overland operations. Simplified steady-state equations of motion are developed and applied with a particular ACV configuration in mind, based on the existing available data and knowledge of hovercraft motion. A comparison of the various directional control methods is made and basic trends are shown with respect to the three criteria of power requirement, vehicle sideslip, and turning radius.