About WIG Craft...

WIG's are advanced hybrid air cushion craft offering the highest possible combination of
speed, fuel efficiency, and ride smoothness. Unlike it's close cousin the hovercraft, a WIG
rides above the surface like an airplane on a dynamic air cushion that is produced by the
craft's forward motion. In contrast, a hovercraft rides on a captured air bubble (CAB) that is
produced by a mechanical blower---usually in the form of a fan or cyntrifugal compressor.
The Hovercraft's air cushion is held captive by an inflated skirt that surrounds the barge-like
hull of the craft. The speed and efficiency of a WIG's can be considerably higher than those
of hovercraft because they have no power lost to a blower and no bulging skirt to force
through
the
air
or
drag
over
the
waves.

WIG's share technologies with several other types of air and marine vehicles. The
hydrodynamics of the main hull are similar to those of high performance powerboats,
seaplane floats, or flying boat hulls. The hydrodynamics of the sponsons or wing endplates
are similar to catamaran hulls or hydroplane sponsons. The flow of ram air under the wing is
similar to that under tunnel hull racing boats. In the areas of propulsion, and operation on
the water, WIG's are similar to hovercraft and airboats. The flight performance, stability, and
control of WIG's are similar to aircraft. The design of a safe and practical WIG craft depends
directly on the understanding and successful orchestration of all of these technical elements.

Our History and Technology...

Wing-in-ground-effect R&D at Seair Craft began in 1986 with a requirement for a
surface-skimming small craft that would provide maximum ride comfort and efficiency at
high speeds. Seair founder Peter Longwood commissioned a technical survey by The X-Aero
Company to study the feasibility of such craft. This study compared the pros and cons, and
potential efficiency of various high speed marine vehicles. Catamarans, tunnel hulls,
hydroplanes, deep V's, hydrofoils, hovercraft, airboats, SES craft and various hybrids were
considered. The study concluded that an air cushion vehicle based on wing-in-ground-effect
technology would have the best chance of satisfying the given requirements. WIGs were
shown to share many of the unique characteristics of hovercraft, hydrofoils, and airboats, but
theoretically had the potential to excel in some areas---chiefly, the ability to maintain a
smoother ride over rougher waves at higher speeds. WIGs also had the potential for much
greater fuel economy than other types.
Alexander Lippisch* built one of the world's first WIG's in the U.S. in the early 1960's, but
the majority of serious WIG development has historically taken place in Germany* and
Russia*. In other parts of the world the handful of WIG research programs that existed
through the late 1970's were generally of a more academic nature without full-scale test
vehicles. By the mid-1980's, most interest in WIG technology fell dormant outside of the
Soviet Union. The X-Aero study pointed out that throughout the 60s and 70s WIG
technology had failed to find its niche. Of the several dozen WIG craft built up to that time,
few had reached even limited production status. In fact, until the early 1990s all WIGs built
outside of the Soviet Union were prototypes or proof-of-concept research craft. Several of
these prototypes were direct copies or minor variations of the 1960s Lippisch concept. Some
were simply misguided "design-by-guess" attempts resulting in expensive failures.
The X-Aero study concluded that to make WIG's a viable transportation alternative one must
be able to reliably design practical, mission-oriented craft without relying on expensive trial
and error testing of multiple full-scale prototypes. When Longwood commissioned the study

in the mid-1980s unclassified technical information applicable to WIG design was very hard
to come by. Published reports consisted mostly of general ground effect theory and academic
studies of a few generic WIG concepts. Frustrated by the apparent lack of practical WIG
technology in the U.S., Seair embarked on a long-term R&D program to build useful civilian
WIG design capability from scratch.
Seair's "Building Block Approach" to acquiring WIG know-how is illustrated symbolically
below. Research began with reviews of all existing WIG craft and published technical data to
help formulate practical design requirements for viable WIG's. This was followed by
experimental and computational work, building capability for full-scale craft designs.
The experimental phase began
with studying fundamental
WIGaerodynamics
and
hydrodynamics.
Lessons learned with wind
tunnel and hull models were
later extended to flight testing
with
large-scale
radiocontrolled models.
Test data were used to derive
and calibrate computational
methods and simulations.
Such
prediction
capability
allows a systematic design
approach and more accurate WIG conceptual design studies for specific applications.
After spending several years doing our "homework", the engineering tools, methods, and
data have been used to do more detailed design work on small WIG craft for personal
transportation and recreation.

Wind Tunnel Model Test

Dynamically Scaled R/C Test

WIG Design Requirements

Based on a study of potential uses of small WIG craft (less than 10 tons gross), Seair
compiled a list of specific characteristics which should be met if they are to be successful as
safe, practical marine transportation. Seair has used these proposed characterictics since
1986 to guide the development of key technologies for their WIG designs. Important
requirements and objectives included these
"Ten Commandments" of WIG Design :

Remain "boat-like" in most respects: Maintain good "boating" characteristics (running

on plane at below lift-off speeds---critical for operating in high traffic areas, narrow
rivers, or any area with restricted maneuvering room). Also good cockpit visibility for
seeing and avoiding other marine traffic. Have practical (reasonably "boat-like")
docking / mooring capability.
Avoid IMO "Type C" which is unable to capture the cost savings of licensing as a
"boat".
Design for reasonable operating speed margin between initial lift-off and maximum
cruise speed.
Moderate power required for takeoff (horsepower-to-weight ratio of < 7 % ) with
reasonably slow lift-off speed and short takeoff runs (< 30 seconds or so). Also have
ability to takeoff in other than "nearly calm" wind and waves.
Good resistance to blow-over if "bounced" by wind or waves above normal height,
and no dangerous loss of stability or control at maximum speeds. Be able to safely
recover from significant pitch or roll upsets.
Have good maneuverability (i.e. "boat-like" turn radius --or better-- at cruise or
harbor-taxi speeds) and the ability to quickly execute emergency stopping or other
collision avoidance maneuvers.
PAR takeoff assistance (if required) must not be too mechanically complex, costly or
noisy for commercial use.
Props or fans need to be located in areas not prone to debris damage, or sand and
spray erosion, and should not create a potential hazard to dock attendants, nearby
boaters, or other personnel.
1 to 6-seat craft should be conveniently folded or dismantled for transport or
trailering and should have walk-on "deck" areas for boarding, engine access (or for
swim platform, sun pad, etc.).
Avoid ultra-light aircraft type construction that is not robust enough for serious
marine use and avoid "low-cost" FRP boat construction that is too heavy to fly well
(use aircraft structure where necessary).

Every one of of the historical WIG examples investigated during Seair's survey exhibited at
least four deficiencies relative to the proposed list. During the last half of the 1990s several
WIG developers emerged with "next generation" designs that have addressed some of the
previous shortfalls, promoting the formal recognition of WIGs by the IMO and various Coast
Guards. It is good to keep the above factors in mind when making your own evaluation of
any current or future WIG craft.

Experimental Aerodynamics & Hydrodynamics

WIG Wake Surveys

(click images for more information)

Experimental Surface Pressures

(click image for more information)

Wind Tunnel Testing: During 1987 -1991, Seair conducted exploratory wind tunnel tests on
1/20 scale models of several wing, body, tail, and endplate combinations. This testing was
accomplished in a small research tunnel at Aeronautical Testing Services of Arlington,
Washington. Data from these tests were used to develop practical aerodynamic prediction
methods, identify viable configuration options, and to help understand various ground effect
phenomena. Wind tunnel tests helped determine several viable tail and endplate shapes from
more than a dozen options. Wing pressure measurements were used to assess the influence
of several airfoil section shapes and flaps on takeoff lift and cruise height stability. The wind
tunnel program employed several measurement methods to gather a range of data:

Longitudinal force and moment data

Off-surface and downstream wake survey
Flow visualization (tufts)
Wing and ground plane pressures
Free-to-trim pitch-heave dynamics

Some the data obtained over eight tunnel entries was the first of its kind collected on WIG's
anywhere (and some may still be unique in 2001). Pressures measured on the ground-plane
under a WIG wing with endplates graphically showed why the ride of some WIG's has been
described as feeling like that of a large luxury car with soft suspension. A hovercraft must
support itself on a short cushion of air bounded by the skirt around its hull, and a hydrofoil is
supported only at its ends on stiff struts. In contrast, the experimental data showed that a
WIG's supporting cushion extends well forward and aft of the wing. Its total pressure
"footprint" on the water (or in this case on the tunnel ground-plane) is three to four times
the length of the wing chord. The length of the WIG's air cushion acts as the aerodynamic
equivalent of a long wheelbase that smoothes out the bumps when the craft is "platforming"
over a choppy surface. Just as the craft exerts a force on the water surface well out in front

of the wing, oncoming waves feed a pressure force back to the wing of the craft allowing it's
motion a slight "lead" on the shape of the surface when "contouring" at an angle to long
swells.

Model Scale Flight Testing:

From 1987-1996 Seair Craft Inc. conducted extensive outdoor testing with 1/5 and 1/4 scale
powered models, and two small hand-launched gliders. Hull planing characteristics were
studied with towed and radio controlled models.
Just as the wind tunnel models provided insight into the aerodynamic lift and pitch stability,
the first generations of towed-hull and R/C model tests provided an understanding of the
hydrodynamics. We found that traditional seaplane float and boat hull design guidelines
could be used to build WIG endplates and hulls that had good "boating" characteristics, but
these were not necessarily compatible with the aerodynamic requirements. Conversely, the
lowest drag and highest lift aerodynamic shapes had very poor hydrodynamics. These were
difficult to get over the "hump" and onto plane, to unstuck from the water, and could have
bad "slamming" characteristics in choppy water.
When properly executed, the reverse-delta planform of Lippisch type WIG's has been shown
to offer good height and pitch stability, but the arrangement is inherently larger in width x
length for a given square footage of lifting surface. Besides being difficult to build compactly,
the wing geometry is potentially more difficult and costly to build than a rectangular
planform. The simple tandem rectangular wing arrangement favored by Jorg is perhaps the
most straight-forward and results in very fast cruise speeds over smooth waters. We were
concerned that the tandem wing craft did not seem to be very robust in stability or takeoff
performance when in choppy waters or gusty winds.
We initially investigated single-piece rectangular wings with simple trailing edge flaps and
flat-bottomed or S-shaped airfoils. First results were disappointing. After performing
computational fluid dynamics (CFD) on nearly 50 airfoil modifications, we arrived at a family
of custom hybrid airfoils and wing planforms that provided reasonable pitch stability, lift,
unstick from the water, when combined with a specially designed center hull and
sponson/endplates.
We
settled
on
a preferred general arrangement formula consisting of a mid-mount low aspect ratio main
wing, coupled with a high-mounted, moderately tapered horizontal tail surface of high aspect
ratio. The horizontal tail is supported and stiffened by twin vertical fins (in the case of single
engined craft) or a single centerline tail behind side-mounted twin engines. Although most
testing was conducted with open props, the preferred design employs shrouded props or
ducted fans. The resulting combination enables takeoffs without the use of auxiliary engines
or PAR devices at static thrust-to-weight ratios or less the 1:4. The horsepower to weight
ratios are comparable to efficient PAR WIGS. This makes the complexity of powered lift or
hovercraft type air cushions unnecessary (unless amphibious capability is desired).

Material on this website is copyrighted 2000 by C.P.Nelson, Seair Craft Inc.

Computational Prediction and Simulation Tools

Computational Tools Used By Seair:
From the beginning, Seair has used PCbased tools to help study and understand
WIG craft design in ways unavailable to
experimenters in the 1960's and '70's.

CAD Layout of 2-Seat Cockpit

Early in our studies, commercial PC

software was not widely available for the
kinds of tasks at hand, so much of the
initial simulation, analysis, performance
estimates, and lofting tools were custom
written in-house. As time progressed we
have been able to employ a range of
commercially available software tools.
Computational tools employed in Seair
studies have included the following
examples...

CFD Analysis (Panel Methods)

Tail-boom Finite Element Model

Operational Simulation (SC-180T)

Specialized 3D surface lofting

software
3D Computer Aided Drafting
(CAD)
Custom Airfoil Design & 2D
Analysis
3D Computational Fluid
Dynamics (CFD)
Performance and Vehicle Sizing
Codes
Structural Finite Element
Models
Batch-processed 3 and 5-D.O.F.
vehicle dynamics simulations
Piloted operational simulations
Spreadsheet-based vehicle cost
and weight estimation
Project planning tools
3D solids rendering and
animation

Simulation Time-History Plot

WIG Conceptual Design Studies

A number of concepts for commercial,
governmental,
and
private
WIGS were
investigated by Seair during 1996-98. Both
conventional and powered lift (PAR or SES takeoff)
variants were investigated. The SC-38T WIG ferry
/utility transport shown on this page was one of
the non-PAR concepts investigated for IMO Type A
and B WIGS from 4 to 30 seats in size.
The SC-38T is a multi-use craft. It was sized to
carry a pilot, and 9 passengers in a "commuter"
version or 6 passengers + up to 750 lbs of
SC-122T 150-Ton PAR-WIG Concept baggage / cargo as a "6-Pack" configuration. At
rest, the wing serves as a walk-on deck for
passenger loading. With an alternative "RV-style"
interior the -38T could be outfitted by private
owners for high-tech cruising ---imagine Seattle to
Glacier Bay, Alaska in two days! Twin-engined
reliability, 6-hour endurance, and the ability to
operate in 20 kt winds and 4 ft waves make it
suitable for SAR, customs patrol, or island
ambulance duty.

SC-38T Ferry Concept 3-View

SC-38T In A Banked Turn

(click picture for larger image)

Type B WIG craft can skim well above the waves,

so high cruise speeds can be maintained with
better comfort than any other type of high speed
marine vehicle. They can also takeoff and land in
larger waves than Type A WIG's and can skim over
sandbars, floating ice, logs and debris. The -38T's
floating draft is less than 2ft fully loaded, so it can
operate from shallow bays or rivers. A
"ruggedized" version would also be capable of
operating from flat expanses of ice or snow.
WIG
craft
are
very
"environmentally
friendly". The high energy efficiency of WIG's
allows the 4.25-ton SC-32T to achieve five times
the gas mileage of an equivalent sized deep-V hull
even while cruising at 60 knots! Low noise, low
emissions, no submerged prop, and zero wake
(while skimming) make the -38T well suited for
ecotourism or scientific access to sensitive remote
areas. The high fuel efficiency gives the -38T an
unrefueled radius of action of 160 NMi (in still air).
Dollarwise,

WIG

craft

are

generally

more

SC-38T USCG Configuration

(click picture for larger image)

SC-38T At Anchor

Simulation: Captain's View

expensive to build than a conventional boat (but

considerably cheaper than a seaplane or helicopter
of similar capability). The high fuel efficiency, high
seat-miles-per-hour
productivity,
and
low
maintenance actually offset the higher initial price.
USCG and other regulatory bodies have agreed to
license Type B WIG's as boats rather than aircraft --the WIG captain, taxi operator, mechanic, etc. do
not need FAA certification. The engines are
marineized GM V-8's so parts and maintenance are
easily obtained in any part of the world. The
construction is of corrosion-resistant aluminum and
composite materials.

Simulation: SC-38T Fast Cruise

Simulation: Tail Camera

* Digital animations of the operation of the SC-38T
were created in-house using data from piloted and
batch processed engineering simulations, 3D CAD
solid
models,
and
detailed
performance
calculations.

Personal and Recreational WIG Craft

One, Two, and Three Seat Recreational WIG's :
After spending several years doing our "homework",
Seair used the engineering tools, methods, and data
we have accumulated to do more detailed design
work on small WIG craft for personal transportation
and recreation.

"SC-14" Single-Seat WIG

"SC-19" 2 or 3-Seat WIG

SC-19 Dynamically Scaled Model

Although these craft have much of the utility of a

small seaplane, they are actually IMO Type B WIG
water-craft that do not require a pilot license to
operate and do not have to be maintained by a
certified aircraft mechanic. These factors, plus the
fact that an emergency "landing strip" is always
available a few feet below, allows significant
simplifications over aircraft and large cost savings
relative to a conventional seaplane of similar
payload. Cost to build is on the same order as that
of the smallest homebuilt kit aircraft, and only
slightly more than conventional speedboats or
recreational hovercraft.
While operating on water, these craft can be used
much like an Airboat. At higher speeds (30-45 mph)
the craft will lift free of the water surface and skim
along in ground effect.
The pilot regulates the cruise height and speed by
using a combination of tail trim and throttle setting.
Full throttle is normally used only for takeoffs so the
engine duty cycle is well suited to automotive type
powerplants. The loss of lift and increase in drag
experienced out of ground effect, plus the ducted
fan's natural decrease of thrust with forward speed
serves to curtail the craft's ability to sustain flight at
altitudes greater than about one wingspan above the
water.
A combination of shallow banking and yawing is used
to provide minimum radius turn capability in ground
effect.

Four,
Five,
and
Six
Seat
Personal
Transportation
WIG's: Engineering
data
accumulated by Seair in studying small recreational
WIG's can be easily "scaled" to larger sizes for more
serious transportation use. Seair has done
conceptual studies of single-engined WIG's of up to
eight seats, based on the same general arrangement
as the smaller SC-19. More detailed preliminary
design work has also been done on a four seat
personal WIG called "SC-24". A preliminary CAD
definition of the SC-24 design has been used to
create the 3D solids used in the digital renderings
shown on this page.
"SC-24" 4-Seat WIG

"SC-24" Folded For Transport

"SC-24" Stowed On A Large Yacht

As with the smaller Seair designs, the wings and tail

assembly of the SC-24 fold to allow road
transportation or storage. The overall dimensions of
the SC-24 make it compact enough to stow on large
yachts. With proper lift equipment the 1700lb craft
can be unfolded and lowered into the water for rapid
local transportation or sightseeing. Expected
performance of the SC-24 includes a range capability
of 140 nautical miles (with 20 minute reserve fuel),
and a payload of nearly 1000 pounds. The maximum
still air speed is near 100 miles per hour (75-80
knots) and the normal cruise speed is estimated to
be about 55 knots. At cruising speed the fuel
economy is 18-20 statute miles per gallon. Even
higher fuel economies should be achievable under
optimal conditions at slightly slower flying speeds.
The normal cruise height is 2 to 6 feet above the
mean wave surface. Based on model test data, the
SC-24 should be capable of operating over three to
four foot waves and in winds of up to 15-18 knots
(when flown by an properly trained experienced
skipper).