A ride quality study of a large power augmented ram Wing In Ground effect wingship

With the fall of the old Soviet Union, a wealth of information spilled forth that many could have only dreamed of during the Cold War. In the midst of all this, the world learned of a Soviet aircraft that was as large as a destroyer and could fly just off the surface of the Caspian Sea. These Wing-In-Ground effect vehicles were a concept the United States had abandoned over twenty years earlier thinking them to be too large as compared to their envisioned cargo and passenger capacities to be economically feasible.; The new Russian openness has again generated interest in the United States for these aircraft. This study is concerned with the history of the Wing-In-Ground effect vehicle, the interactions between vibrations encountered in flight and the how the human body responds to them, and the theoretical ride quality of such an aircraft in low altitude flight on transoceanic crossings. The ideas and data presented give information that, while unfavorable for passenger transport in low altitude flight, may lead to a better understanding of the variables which influence ride quality of transport aircraft.