SOA having used Hovercrafts particular operating abilities, having equipped them and having studied innovative technologies, can boast in its curriculum several carried out activities. The new operative technologies are in the greatest part absolutely unknown and have been finalized to satisfy customer specific requirements.

On our Hovercrafts have been installed several equipments: seaweed compressor, penetrometers, nebulizers (atomizers), desalinators, electronic sensors of several types, and other.

The use of new conception Hovercrafts has made possible SOA activity. SOA Hovercrafts have beared techological "transplants" and extreme operating conditions. Not existing operative backgrounds, nearly all the techniques have been put to point without any previous check, but directly through experience, with the constant use and the deep knowledge of the vehicles used.

Following is the description of some meaningful activities carried out. In the "Movies" section some movies concerning these activities can be downloaded.

ADDA river bathymetric survey (11/06)

Between Turin CNR (National Research Center) IRPI research activities connected to the rivers morphologic evolution study and to the sediments management, a bathymetric survey of a part of Adda river using single beam has been undertaken. The instrument used is made of two sensors assembled together overhanging on the side of Hover4 in a coaxial way with GPS antenna. All the necessary instruments for the correct work realization have been mounted inside a watertight box projected and realized by CNR IRPI and hosted in the boat.

With the instruments in use have been obtained readings up to - 14 cms.

Shaded surface, bathymetric survey trajectory and Lidar data

Sacca Cavallari - Porto Levante bathymetric survey and bottom sampling (9/2006)

Support to the Dipartimento Scienze della Terra (Heart Sciences dept.), Università di Ferrara - dott. Geol. Valerio Brunelli.

The bathymetric survey has been done for a lenght of about 40 km. inside a net and along transversal profiles, both inside the lagoon (Vallona - Porto Levante - Albarella) and outside, at Maistra Po mouth. At the same time it has been carried out the collection of 52 bottom samples, of the internal lagoon area and of the coast external area.

The instruments mounted on Hover4:

Support given from SOA to Foster Wheeler SpA for activities of characterization in the site Syndial of Mantova, protected wet area of the Mincio Park, area of hard access and with high and soft mud.
To realize this work we have provided an Hover4 with a special mower (Figaro) to open the access and then with a bow dashboard, support to coring activities.
The application of other techniques have been very important for the activity success, as the two side winches which permitted to move away logs floating and to overcome big obstacles.

Removal of floating detritus on the emerging seaweed in the Po River - (Turin, August 2003)

This intervention has been demanded by AMIAT in order to solve the problem of the detritus stagnation on the emerging seaweed, during the Po river shoals period in the summer 2003.

Such intervention was impossible using other vehicles, as the depths of the interested zones were from 50 cms to the surface of the water,

and moreover this work was impossible for any boat with immersed propellers for the presence of filamentous seaweed.

The necessity not to damage the seaweed, shelter of several species of fishes, has been resolved with the construction of a "big rake/comb" of remarkable width, with teeth of harmonic steel, in order to carry out a sort of deep but delicate "combing", pushed by Hover4.

Detritus have been pushed in the current and recovered downstream using the Customer usual technique.

SOA has supplied to Geovit (VT) suitable vehicles for the survey necessities in the fluvial area and has set up with the customer several techniques of bathymetryc survey, in a torrential stream, with variable shoals and strong currents, often interrupted by dams and barrages.

In such occasion has been used the Total Station, 2 XtraGuard equipped with Navisound depthsounder and the prism mounted on the hull.

The technique involves the arrest in hoverrig on the line of the section, arresting for the time necessary to strike the prism.

This operation - species if carried out with strong stream - demands a remarkable driver ability and a very manageable and powerful vehicle.

Surveys have continued also in state of flood and in not favourable weather conditions (fog, low temperatures, mud).

Service for penetrometric surveys and drill activity in Kashagan - Atyrau - Kazakstan (Caspian Sea 9-10/2002)

The interested zone is characterized by sandy bottoms, with a very light bathymetryc course, with depths declining from 3 mts to zero in several tens of kms., with several problematics.

Problematics which are increased by the very rigid local legislations for the environmental protection, so rigid that prevent the only vehicles parking on the lagoons canes, moreover there also are logistic and organization difficulties.

 For the operativity in these areas SOA has equipped a special vehicle- - Mosquito - with the penetrometryc system supports included in the hull.

A normal Hover4 has been used for ulterior support.

Previewing a certain period in water, especially during night hours (as base, the vehicles had a shuttle berthed to approximately 20 mls from the coast) on the place was realized a suitable small pontoon.

Mosquitos biological fight treatment at Lago Viverone (Biella Province) August 2003-July/August 2004

In the past years the wooded riverside and the shoals were a very big problem for the mosquito fight at Viverone lake, an appreciated touristic area near Biella.

 An experimental intervention with an Hover4 equipped with a tank and sprayer pump, has allowed a localized action in the infested zones using a biological larvicide and obtaining excellent results.

The equipments installed on Hover4 are practically the same ones used on pick-up and boats, a 100 lts tank for the product mixing and a motorized pump for the spraying.

 It is to be ideally considered as the first confirmation of Hovercraft potentialities in the hydrogeological field.

In July 2001 have been experimented several techniques to obtain fluvial and coastal bathymetries and the results were positive, the areas in exam were characterized by shoals or emerging lands and our techniques have been constantly improved.

DEM - Tagliamento river test area

Initially it has beeen carried out a test on the Tagliamento River, in collaboration with Demetra Environmental Studies for the High Adriatic Rivers Basin Agency, from this test emerged the high potentialities in the specific field.

In such occasion it has beeen used an Hover4 opportunely equipped, with the sensor positioned in the inferior hull and an RTK positioning system.