In 1960 Britten-Norman Ltd began trials of their new "Cushioncraft"-their name for an air-cushion vehicle built for Elders and Fyffes.
Cushioncraft was reconstituted as a separate company in 1967 to permit British Hovercraft Corporation (BHC) to take a minority share holding, and it revived the name under which Britten-Norman's initial ACV endeavours were launched.