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Originally Posted by Pursuivant
The inability to brake in a hovercraft makes it similar to a fixed-wing aircraft. The controls might be similar to those of a car. Other than that, it seems like its own Driving specialization.
I imagine that it's very tricky to drive a hovercraft in rolling terrain since you would have to constantly adjust your thrust vector. I guess that's the reason that TL7-8 hovercraft are mostly used in flat areas like swamps, water, and areas of relatively flat sea ice.
Presumably, ultra-tech GEV have computer-controlled thrust/tilt sensors to keep them steady on slopes. (And, it seems like something that's easy to engineer at our current TL, should someone wish to do so.)
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Bulletproofing it, however, could make it a bit more costly. I had a van that had a dying computer. First, it acted like it was empty, on a half tank, once the engine was warm. We replaced the fuel filter, but it didn't help. Killing the engine, opening the door so the radio would turn off, and starting it back up, worked and we'd limp the car home a few miles at a time. Then the cruise started getting contrary, dropping without warning for no apparent reason beyond the heater was on, (or the cab was a consistent 80+ degrees). Eventually, the cruise wouldn't hold for more than a second, and I just quit using it.
A hovercraft that used computer assistance to stay straight might start pulling to the left, say, when the computer started failing. Possibly all at once, in traffic, like you got hit by a strong crosswind while on a tall bridge or hill. Suddenly, driving THAT hovercraft would be about like keeping a car going straight that's just had a blowout on a front wheel, at speed, or worse.