Sheet transport drum assembly in a rotary printing press

Sheet transport drum assembly including an air blowing device comprised of air nozzles and a rotatable transport drum having a jacket with an outer cylindrical surface in a rotary printing press wherein a sheet having a leading edge and two lateral edges and being transported by the transport drum rests upon an air cushion formed between the outer surface of the jacket of the rotatable transport drum and the sheet, said air cushion being generated by said air blowing device supplying pressurized air to a cavity bounded on opposite sides by the sheet and cylindrical surface and by sealing strips disposed on the outer cylindrical surface of the drum jacket at respective locations of the drum jacket surface underlying the leading edge and the two lateral edges of the sheet, said sealing strips extending radially away from the drum jacket surface for limiting the air cushion whereby the volume of pressurized air required to maintain said air cushion is minimized.