GEM (Ground Effect Machine) used in VZ-1 design reports: Development of a Unique GEM Concept with Potential for Achieving Efficient Forward Flight, October 21-23, 1959); Development of Airbourne Personnel Platform; and Ducted Operations and article
Princeton University P-GEM Ground Effect Machine [Documents]
Collection Creator:
National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division. Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.
Princeton University X-3A GEM Ground Effect Machine [**No File**]
Collection Creator:
National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division. Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.
Princeton University X-3B GEM Ground Effect Machine [**No File**]
Collection Creator:
National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division. Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.
Princeton University X-3C GEM Ground Effect Machine [**No File**]
Collection Creator:
National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division. Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.
[Technical reports on radar repair, flight training, low altitude navigation, aircraft detection, soldier opinions on the bayonet, and skill requirements for air cushion vehicle operators.]
Author:
United States Department of the Army Office, Chief of Research and Development Search this
[Technical reports on jet-fluid suspensions, scheduling and routing problems of air transport systems, waveguide for communication with high speed vehicles, demand for freight transportation, and air cushion vehicles]
Author:
United States Office of High-Speed Ground Transportation Search this
Northeast Corridor Improvement Project (U.S.) Search this
[Technical reports on reactions between gases and solids, blood circulation and respiratory flow, shear flow, report of the high Reynolds number wind tunnel study group of the fluid dynamics panel, aeromedical aspects of radio communication and flight safety, handling qualities, stability, control, and structural loads, ACV concept and its military application, aircraft design, and flutter]
Author:
North Atlantic Treaty Organization Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development Search this
[Technical reports on safety in aeronautics, helicopters, VTOL/STOL aircraft, aircraft fatigue, gliders, flutter, aircraft accidents, design of aircraft, maintenance of aircraft, aerofoils, air cushion vehicles, and airplane control systems]
Author:
United States Army Transportation Research Command Search this
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.
Collection Citation:
New York Airways Collection, Acc. NASM.1992.0052, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
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.
Collection Citation:
New York Airways Collection, Acc. NASM.1992.0052, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Monograph, "The Issues and Challenges of Air Transportation: A Symposium in the Public Interest to be Sponsored by Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, Hartford, Connecticut, November 1, 2 and 3, 1961," Advisory Committee to the Connecticut Gene...
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.
Collection Citation:
New York Airways Collection, Acc. NASM.1992.0052, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
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.
Collection Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Please contact the Audio/Visual Archivist to access the VHS tape that is included in this collection.
Collection Rights:
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.
Collection Citation:
Air Cushion Vehicles [Bertelsen] Collection, Accession 1994-0013, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Please contact the Audio/Visual Archivist to access the VHS tape that is included in this collection.
Collection Rights:
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.
Collection Citation:
Air Cushion Vehicles [Bertelsen] Collection, Accession 1994-0013, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
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.
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.
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.
Provenance:
Donated by William R. Bertelsen; William D. Bertelsen, Jr.
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Please contact the Audio/Visual Archivist to access the VHS tape that is included in this collection.
Rights:
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.
![View Air Cushion Vehicles [Bertelsen] Collection digital asset: Finding aid](https://ids.si.edu/ids/deliveryService?max=120&id=https://sirismm.si.edu/siris/findingaid.gif "Finding aid")
