Crossword Genius

Hard done by pilots in court, principally supporting low-flying vehicles (11)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

hovercrafts

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'vehicles' is the definition.
(hovercraft is a kind of vehicle)

'hard done by pilots in court principally supporting low-flying' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'hard' could be 'h' (abbreviation used in pencil classifications) and 'h' is located in the answer.
'done' could be 'over' (both can mean completed or finished) and 'over' is located in the answer.
'pilots' could be 'raf' (Royal Air Force) and 'raf' is located in the answer.
'court' could be 'ct' (abbreviation used in road names) and 'ct' is located in the leftover letters.
A single letter 's' remains which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.