Melville Whitnel Beardsley (10 October 1913 in Kansas City, Missouri – 26 November 1982 in Carmel, California) was the American inventor and aeronautical engineer whose developments on Hovercraft technology and principles lead to his invention of the Air-Cushion Vehicle. October 10 is the 283rd day of the year (284th in Leap years). ... 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Fountains or Heart of America Location Location in Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass Counties in the state of Missouri. ... November 26 is the 330th day (331st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Carmel-by-the-Sea is a city located in Monterey County, California. ... An inventor is a person who creates new inventions, typically technical devices such as mechanical, electrical or software devices or methods. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... BHC SR-N4 The worlds largest car and passenger carrying hovercraft A hovercraft, or air-cushion vehicle (ACV), is a vehicle or craft that can be supported by a cushion of air ejected downwards against a surface close below it, and can in principle travel over any relatively smooth... BHC SR-N4 The worlds largest car and passenger carrying hovercraft A hovercraft, or air-cushion vehicle (ACV), is a vehicle or craft that can be supported by a cushion of air ejected downwards against a surface close below it, and can in principle travel over any relatively smooth...

Biography

Melville Beardsley was born in Kansas City, Missouri on 10 October 1913, to George and Ella Whitnel Beardsley. His father and grandfather Beardsley were attorneys. He was the third generation of his family to graduate from the University of Illinois, where he took a degree in mechanical engineering. From childhood he was fascinated with flight, and soon after college he joined the United States Army Air Corps as a pilot. By the time World War II broke out, he was one of the Army's few experienced pilots and spent the war years as a flight instructor at Hondo Field, Texas. The United States Army (and later United States Air Force which was created out of the Army's Air Corps) sponsored post-graduate education in aeronautics and management at Georgia Tech and the University of Chicago. He was USAF project officer for aircraft development projects, including Northrup's noted "flying wing." Flag Seal Nickname: City of Fountains or Heart of America Location Location in Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass Counties in the state of Missouri. ... October 10 is the 283rd day of the year (284th in Leap years). ... 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The University of Illinois is the set of three public universities in Illinois. ... The W16 engine from a Bugatti Veyron Mechanical engineering is a very broad field of engineering that involves the application of physical principles for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. ... 1. ... Look up pilot in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the use of images on this page may require cleanup, involving adjustment of image placement, formatting, size, or other adjustments. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerospace branch of the United States armed forces and one of the seven uniformed services. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Management (from Old French ménagement the directing, from Latin manu agere to lead by the hand) characterises the process of leading and directing all or part of an organisation, often a business, through the deployment and manipulation of resources (human, financial, material, intellectual or intangible). ... The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is a public, coeducational university located in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and part of the University System of Georgia. ... The University of Chicago is a private university located principally in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. ... Northrop YB-49 flying wing. ...

He retired in 1980 and moved to Carmel, California. In his retirement he invented, tested, and patented the Beachbuilder system of beach erosion prevention. Beardsley passed away 26 November 1998. 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Carmel-by-the-Sea is a city located in Monterey County, California. ... November 26 is the 330th day (331st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...

References

• "Jet-Age Boat Tested on Bay" from The Evening Star (Washington, DC), 4 August 1961
• "Amphibian Vehicle Riding on Air Cushion is Shown" in Baltimore Sun 3 August 1961.
• "Craft is Designed for Cushion-Air (sic) Trip to World's Fair" from the New York Times, 15 June 1962.
• "'The Little Skimmer' from Fairwinds: Unique Amphibious Vehicle Rides on Cushion of Air, Goes About 20 MPH" from The Maryland Gazette 10 December 1964.

External links

• Meville Beardsley: American Inventor of the Air-Cushion Vehicle