National Air and Space Museum Archives
Air Cushion Vehicles [Bertelsen] Collection
Bertelsen, William
NASM.1994.0013
Archival Resource Key
4.68 Cubic feet
13 letter-size document boxes, 1 VHS tape
1957-1994
bulk 1960-1980
The Air Cushion Vehicles Collection consists of materials gathered by William R. Bertelsen and it highlights his interest in, and contributions to, the development of Air Cushion Vehicles (ACVs). The bulk of the collection covers the span between 1960 and 1980, but materials before and after those dates are also present. The collection includes photographs, brochures, reports and proceedings, and a videotape on the topic of ACVs. Bertelsen's notebooks, documenting his research and development of air cushion technologies, constitute the majority of the collection.
English
.
Air Cushion Vehicles [Bertelsen] Collection
Biographical / Historical
William R. Bertelsen was a pioneer in the research and development of Air Cushion Vehicles (ACVs). Born in Moline, Illinois, on May 20, 1920, Bertelsen, initially studied electrical engineering but later pursued medical science studies. He attended the Indiana Institute of Technology, the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, and the University of Illinois College of Medicine. Bertelsen earned his M.D. from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 1947, while also serving in the United States Navy Reserve.
It was Bertelsen's career as a country doctor that primarily drove him to design and experiment with a variety of ACVs. His need for a way to reach rural patients in all forms of inclement weather quickly evolved into a life-long passion for developing alternative forms of transportation. Persisting through periods of encouragement and rejection alike, Bertelsen designed a number of ACVs and Ground Effect Machines (GEMs), including: Aeromobiles 35-1, 35-2, 72, 200-1, 200-2, 250-1; Arcopter GEM-1, GEM-2, GEM-3; and a vertical take-off and landing aircraft (VTOL). He also developed other types of air cushion applications, such as the Aeroplow, the Aeroduct System of Mass Transportation, and the Air Track Air Cushion Crawler. Additionally, Bertelsen wrote scientific papers, appeared in publications, and participated professionally in a number of domestic and international air cushion vehicles organizations, such as the U.S. Hovercraft Society, the British Hovercraft Society, and the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute.
Besides his busy career as a physician and inventor, Bertelsen was also a husband and father of four children. Experiments and tests were often a family affair, as he liked to involve family and neighbors whenever practicable. Bertelsen never truly retired, working for the Metro MRI Center in Moline, Illinois, until March 2009. His final blog posts, only months before his death on July 16, 2009, still encouraged innovation and new ways of thinking about transportation. Several of Bertelsen's vehicles are in the collections of the National Air and Space Museum.
Scope and Contents
The Air Cushion Vehicles Collection consists of materials gathered by William R. Bertelsen, highlighting his interest in, and contributions to, the development of ACVs. The bulk of the collection covers the span between 1960 and 1980, but materials before and after those dates are also present. The collection includes photographs, brochures, reports and proceedings, as well as a videotape on the topic of ACVs. Bertelsen's notebooks, documenting the research and development of his vehicles, represent the majority of the collection.
Arrangement
The Air Cushion Vehicles [Bertelsen] Collection is arranged as follows:
Series I: Notebooks, Photographs, and Writings
Series II: Personal Research
The arrangement presents the original order of materials. Series 1, Bertelsen's notebooks, photographs, and writings, is in original order (chronological), with folder titles reflecting his original notebook titles. Series 2 is also arranged in original order but with chronology being imposed at the folder level as necessary. Original folder titles are kept when available; titles appearing in brackets [ ] are the archivist's.
Processing Information
Arranged, described, and encoded by Amanda Buel, 2013.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by William R. Bertelsen; William D. Bertelsen, Jr.
Conditions Governing Use
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at
Permissions Requests.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access.
Conditions Governing Access
Please contact the Audio/Visual Archivist to access the VHS tape that is included in this collection.
Preferred Citation
Air Cushion Vehicles [Bertelsen] Collection, Accession 1994-0013, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Ground-effect machines
Bertelsen, William R.
Air-cushion vehicles
Vertical take-off and landing aircraft
Bertelsen, William
Notebooks, Photographs, and Writings
Series 1
Archival Resource Key
1957-1994
bulk 1960-1980
Scope and Contents
This series, ranging in dates from 1957 to 1994, includes Bertelsen's notebooks relating to his research, inventions, experiments, and tests; photographs showing a number of his vehicles; his writings and ground effect machine documentation; as well as his business correspondence with the Canadian Ministry of Transport and Hoverlift Systems. The topics addressed in his notebooks include the aerodynamic sustentation of ground vehicles, a register of inventions, and test and experiment records for the vehicles he developed. Some notebooks include photographs, others do not.
Arrangement
Bertelsen's notebooks are organized according to his numbering scheme, which, with a few exceptions, is in chronological order. His photographs are arranged according to their designated Smithsonian Institution (SI) Negative Number. Bertelsen's writings and documentation on his inventions are arranged chronologically and, when necessary, according to the order of their development. Folder titles appearing in brackets [ ] are the archivist's.
Notebook 1: Arcopter VTOL Models "Stovepipe" and "Windjammer," March 7
Archival Resource Key
1957
1
1
Notebook 2: Experiments on Aerodynamic Sustentation of Ground Vehicles, Volume I, February 17
Archival Resource Key
1958
1
2
Notebook 3: Aeromobile Research, Volume II, Research on the Aerodynamic Sustentation and Propulsion of Ground Vehicles, November 4
Archival Resource Key
1958
1
3
Notebook 4: Aeromobile Research, Volume III, Research on the Aerodynamic Sustentation and Propulsion of Ground Vehicles, June 29
Archival Resource Key
1959
1
4
Notebook 5: Register of Inventions, January 1
Archival Resource Key
1960
1
5
Notebook 6: Aeromobile 200 Test Records, Research on the Aerodynamic Sustentation and Propulsion of Ground Effect Vehicles, Volume IV (A-200-1), May 30
Archival Resource Key
1960
1
6
Notebook 7: Aeroplow Experiments, August 23
Archival Resource Key
1960
1
7
Notebook 8: Aeromobile 200-2 Test Records, January 21
Archival Resource Key
1961
1
8
Notebook 9: Arcopter GEM-1 Flight Tests and Research Observations, May 7
Archival Resource Key
1961
1
9
Notebook 10: Flight Tests of Arcopter GEM-2, August 21
Archival Resource Key
1961
2
1
Notebook 11: Experiments on Deflected Slipstream Vertical Take Off and Landing Aircraft, September 6
Archival Resource Key
1961
2
2
Notebook 12: Airtrack Research, December 23
Archival Resource Key
1961
2
3
Notebook 13: Arcopter GEM-2 Research Manual, April 30
Archival Resource Key
1962
2
4
Notebook 14: Arcopter Model Studies, October 22
Archival Resource Key
1962
2
5
Notebook 15: Arcopter GEM-3, September 7
Archival Resource Key
1963
2
6
Notebook 16: Aeromobile 250, January 22
Archival Resource Key
1964
2
7
Notebook 17: Aeromobile 13, June 10
Archival Resource Key
1967
2
8
Notebook 18: Aeroduct-Aeromobile Experiments, October 20
Archival Resource Key
1966
3
1
Notebook 19: Progress Book, Aeromobile 13, January 28
Archival Resource Key
1968
3
2
Notebook 20: Progress Book, Aeromobile 13, April 3
Archival Resource Key
1968
3
3
Notebook 21: Aeromobile 13 Progress Book, October 20
Archival Resource Key
1968
3
4
Notebook 22: Aeromobile 14 Progress Book, March 24
Archival Resource Key
1969
3
5
Notebook 23: Aeromobile 14 Progress Book, July 11
Archival Resource Key
1969
3
6
Notebook 24: Aeromobile 14 Progress Book, September 22
Archival Resource Key
1969
3
7
Notebook 25: Aeromobile 15 Progress Book, January 22
Archival Resource Key
1970
4
1
Notebook 26: Aeromobile 14 Progress Book, April 5
Archival Resource Key
1970
4
2
Notebook 27: Aeromobile 15, September 23
Archival Resource Key
1970
4
3
Notebook 28: Aeromobile 15 Notebook, November 25
Archival Resource Key
1970
4
4
Notebook 29: A-15 Aeromobile Notebook, October 3
Archival Resource Key
1971
4
5
Notebook 30: Aeromobile 15 Notebook, May 27
Archival Resource Key
1971
4
6
Notebook 31: Aeromobile 15 Notebook, August 31
Archival Resource Key
1972
4
7
Notebook 32: Arcopter Sail Plane. Man Carrying Glider, December 3
Archival Resource Key
1972
5
1
Notebook 33: Aeromobile 15 Notebook, June 24
Archival Resource Key
1973
5
2
Notebook 34: Arcopter Sail Plane. Man Carrying Glider, May 26
Archival Resource Key
1974
5
3
Notebook 35: Arcopter Sail Plane. May Carrying Glider, June 1
Archival Resource Key
1975
5
4
Notebook 36: Aeromobile 16 Twin Gimbal Air Cushion Vehicle, November 9
Archival Resource Key
1975
5
5
Notebook 37: Aeromobile 16 Twin Gimbal Air Cushion Vehicle, September 17
Archival Resource Key
1977
5
6
Notebook 38: Arcopter B-1A, May 15
Archival Resource Key
1977
5
7
Notebook 1: Full Scale Air Track Research and Development, April 8
Archival Resource Key
1988
6
1
Notebook 2: Full Scale Air Track Research and Development, June 24
Archival Resource Key
1989
6
2
Unnumbered Notebook: Aeromobile 17 and Aeroduct Full Scale Prototype Demonstration, May 2
Archival Resource Key
1994
6
3
Unnumbered Notebook: Aeromobile 18, November 18
Archival Resource Key
1994
6
4
Photographs, Folder 1 of 3 [Negative Numbers 94-13027 through 94-13058]
Archival Resource Key
1957-1960
6
5
Photographs, Folder 2 of 3 [Negative Numbers 94-13059 through 94-13079]
Archival Resource Key
1969-1978
7
1
Photographs, Folder 3 of 3 [Negative Numbers 94-13080 through 94-13107]
Archival Resource Key
1960-1974
7
2
[Writings by William R. Bertelsen]
Archival Resource Key
1959-1989
7
3
[William Bertelsen's Ground Effect Machines Documentation]
Archival Resource Key
1959-1991
7
4
Canadian Ministry of Transport
Archival Resource Key
1975-1976
7
5
Canadian Ministry of Transport
Archival Resource Key
1978
7
6
Hoverlift Systems
Archival Resource Key
1976-1980
7
7
Personal Research
Series 2
Archival Resource Key
1957-1994
bulk 1960-1980
Scope and Contents
This series contains material gathered for Bertelsen's personal research use and information gathering. Included are newspaper clippings and brochures, articles, conference proceedings and papers, and other miscellaneous materials.
Arrangement
The basic folder arrangement of Series 2 adheres to Bertelsen's original order. Newspaper clippings are arranged chronologically, with undated material at the end. Articles and brochures are arranged alphabetically by manufacturer. Folder titles appearing in brackets [ ] are the archivist's titles.
[Ground Effect Clippings, 1958-1960]
Archival Resource Key
1958-1960
7
8
[Ground Effect Clippings, 1961-1969]
Archival Resource Key
1961-1969
7
9
[Ground Effect Clippings, 1970-1992]
Archival Resource Key
1970-1992
7
10
[Ground Effect Clippings, undated]
Archival Resource Key
undated
7
11
Other Air Cushion Vehicles [Articles and Brochures - A.C.V. Sales Inc. through Cushionfight]
Archival Resource Key
1966-1985
8
1
Other Air Cushion Vehicles [Articles and Brochures - Deric Technological Innovation Ltd. through Hovermarine Ltd.]
Archival Resource Key
1968-1985
8
2
Other Air Cushion Vehicles [Articles and Brochures - Hoverspray through Weston Air Cushion Vehicles Inc.]
Archival Resource Key
1968-1985
8
3
[Haywood, L.L.
The History of Air Cushion Vehicles. Yeovil, England: Normalair Limited]
Archival Resource Key
1962
8
4
[Symposium on Ground Effect Phenomena]
Archival Resource Key
October 21-23, 1959
8
5
[Newsletters: National Research Council of Canada, Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology (ACACT)]
Archival Resource Key
1971-1975
9
1
[Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology (ACACT) Technical Report 1/72 "Air Cushion Technology in Canada 1972"]
Archival Resource Key
June 1972
9
2
[Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology (ACACT) Technical Report 1/73 "The Control and Guidance of Light Air Cushion Vehicles"]
Archival Resource Key
May 1973
9
3
[Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology (ACACT) Technical Report 2/73 "ACV Icing Problems"]
Archival Resource Key
October 1973
9
4
[Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology (ACACT) Technical Report 3/73 "Air Cushion Technology in Canada 1973"]
Archival Resource Key
November 1973
9
5
[Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology (ACACT) Technical Report 1/74 "Thrust Systems for Light Air Cushion Vehicles"]
Archival Resource Key
February 1974
9
6
[Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology (ACACT) Technical Report 2/74 "A Method of Controlling "Skirt-Buzz" in Light Air Cushion Vehicles with Peripheral-Bag Skirts"]
Archival Resource Key
February 1974
9
7
[Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology (ACACT) Technical Report 4/74 "Permissible Air Pressures - Air Cushion Assisted Vehicles"]
Archival Resource Key
April 1974
9
9
[Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology (ACACT) Technical Report 5/74 "Proceedings of the Symposium on Heavy Transportation in the Application of Air Cushion Technology"]
Archival Resource Key
6 June 1974
9
10
[Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology (ACACT) Technical Report 6/74 "The Caspar ACV Research Report No. 2, The Sensitivity of a Two-Fan, Single-Engine, Multicell ACV to Individual Fan Performance"]
Archival Resource Key
September 1974
9
11
[Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology (ACACT) Technical Report 3/74 "The Caspar A.C.V. Research Project Reort No. 1: Programme and Basic Data"]
Archival Resource Key
March 1974
9
8
[Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology (ACACT) Technical Report 1/75 "The Caspar ACV Research Project Report No. 3 - On the Drag of Air Cushion Vehicles Overland"]
Archival Resource Key
February 1975
9
12
[Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology (ACACT) Technical Report 2/75 "The Development of a Non-Dimensional Lift Air Coefficient for Air Cushion Vehicles"]
Archival Resource Key
April 1975
10
1
[Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology (ACACT) Technical Report 3/75 "Icebreaking with Air Cushion Technology"]
Archival Resource Key
September 1975
10
2
[Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology (ACACT) Technical Report 4/75 "Towed Air Cushion Rafts (TACRs)"]
Archival Resource Key
November 1975
10
3
[Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology (ACACT) Technical Report 1/76 "Air Cushion Technology in Canada 1975"]
Archival Resource Key
November 1975
10
4
[Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology (ACACT) Technical Report 3/76 "The ACV 1/2 Ton Truck - Fact or Fable"]
Archival Resource Key
March 1976
10
5
[Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology (ACACT) CT Technical Report 5/76 "Caspar ACV Research Project Report No. 4. Program 1, The Multicell Skirt, A Summary"]
Archival Resource Key
October 1976
10
6
["Minutes of the Fourteenth Meeting of the Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology"]
Archival Resource Key
October 28, 1976
10
7
[Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology (ACACT) Technical Report 1/77 "The Application of Air Cushion Technology to Icebreaking - Canadian Experience"]
Archival Resource Key
January 1977
10
8
[Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology (ACACT) Technical Report 2/77 "Proceedings of the 10th Canadian Symposium on Air Cushion Technology"]
Archival Resource Key
January 1977
10
9
["Minutes of the Fifteenth Meeting of the Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology"]
Archival Resource Key
April 22, 1977
10
10
[Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology (ACACT) Technical Report 4/77 "Prairie Weak Road Load Relief Program. A Feasibility Study to Determine Which Type of Vehicle Should be Developed to Meet this Need for Heavy Fleet Trucking Operations, for the Movement of Very Heavy Special Loads, and for Farm Trucking Over Poor Roads."]
Archival Resource Key
July 1977
10
11
Eggleton, Peter L. and Jacques Laframboise. "Field Evaluation of Towed Air Cushion Rafts"
Archival Resource Key
January 1974
10
12
International Hovering Craft, Hydrofoil and Advanced Transit Systems Conference Conference Papers. Brighton, England. 13-16 May 1974
Archival Resource Key
May 13-16, 1974
10
13
Quarterly Bulletin of the Division of Mechanical Engineering and the National Aeronautical Establishment
Archival Resource Key
October 1-December 31, 1974
10
14
[Sixth Canadian Symposium on Air Cushion Technology]
Archival Resource Key
June 12-14, 1972
11
1
Twelfth Canadian Symposium on Air Cushion Technology Proceedings, Copy 1
Archival Resource Key
September 25-27, 1978
11
2
Twelfth Canadian Symposium on Air Cushion Technology Proceedings, Copy 2
Archival Resource Key
September 25-27, 1978
11
3
Thirteenth Canadian Symposium on Air Cushion Technology Proceedings
Archival Resource Key
September 17-19, 1979
11
4
Fifteenth Canadian Symposium on Air Cushion Technology Proceedings
Archival Resource Key
September 29-30, 1981
11
5
Sixteenth Canadian Symposium on Air Cushion Technology Proceedings
Archival Resource Key
October 19-21, 1982
12
1
1984 [Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology] ACACT International Conference on Air Cushion Technology
Archival Resource Key
2 Copies (derivative objects)
There are two (2) copies of this document; one bound, one unbound.
September 25-27, 1984
12
2
1985 [Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology (ACACT)] Joint International Conference on Air Cushion Technology
Archival Resource Key
September 24-26, 1985
12
3
1986 [Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology] ACACT International Conference on Air Cushion Technology [Preprints and Late Papers]
Archival Resource Key
September 16-18, 1986
12
4
1987 [Associate Committee on Air Cushion Technology] ACACT International Conference on Air Cushion Technology
Archival Resource Key
February 1988
12
5
1988 Joint International Conference on Air Cushion Technology [Proceedings]
Archival Resource Key
September 1988
12
6
[Papers on Air Cushion Technology] Icebreaking, Cold Weather Operations, Vehicles
Archival Resource Key
September 1989
13
1
[Papers Presented to the Hovercraft Society]
Archival Resource Key
1979-1982
13
2
[Proceedings "On a Cushion of Air" A Review of Hovercraft Technology]
Archival Resource Key
1985
13
3
Multiped Air-Cushion Hybrid Systems [Forest Management Institute Information Report FMR-X-95]
Archival Resource Key
April 1977
13
4
An Evaluation of Air Cushion Assisted Vehicles for On-Road Freight Transportation in the Provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta [E 78-8]
Archival Resource Key
July 31, 1978
13
5
Air Cushion Vehicles Standards, Vol. 1 [Standards Relating to Design, Construction, and Operational Safety of Dynamically Supported Craft in Canada, Vol. 1]
Archival Resource Key
December 1985
13
6
Chaplin, J.B.Air Cushion Development Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow [Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute 25th Anniversary Annual General Meeting]
Archival Resource Key
May 1-3, 1979
13
7