Hovercraft History

Did you ever wonder where the amazing idea of the hovercraft come from?

Using an empty KiteKat cat food tin inside a coffee tin, an industrial air blower and a pair of kitchen scales, Christopher Sydney Cockerell a British engineer, tested his theory and came up with one of the most successful inventions of the 20th century, the hovercraft.

This is where the history of the hovercraft begins. He was originally testing out his idea that one could produce a cushion of air between the bottom of the tins and the surface of the scales.

Once he established this was possible he began experimenting with more sophisticated models.

Hovercrafts also known as ACV's (air cushion vehicles) are vehicles that ride on a layer of compressed air that holds the hovercraft off the ground or water. The hovercraft may ride only a few inches from the ground.

Unlike or like this real hovercraft ferry, several feet above the surface depending on the design of the vehicle.

Interested in real hovercrafts? Check out the History of the Hovercraft at HOVER CLUB OF AMERICA web site.

It's a pretty cool site. Also for some history on the hovercraft check out the hovercraft museum The History of the Hovercraft

Although Christopher Cockerell's initial tests were performed on dry land, his main goal was to prove that drag or friction between boats and water could vastly be reduced if the ‘craft’ floated on an air cushion. And so the ‘hovercraft’ came into being. Cockerell also came up with the word hovercraft.

The hovercraft can be propelled by giant air propellers or either by water jets.

The advantage of being off the surface is that there is less friction between the hovercraft and the surface.

Friction is a force that opposes movement when one object or surface is rubbed against another. For example friction is caused by a car's wheels turning on the ground or by a boat's hull moving through water. The more friction there is between a vehicle and the ground or water, the slower the vehicle travels.

Hovercrafts can traverse over water and land at relatively high speeds because there is no contact with a surface.

However they cannot operate over any surface which does not seal in the air cushion such as small trees or small bushes and shrubs.

Christopher Cockerell a British inventor and engineer began to experiment with ACV's (air cushion vehicles) in the early 1950's and in 1955 he obtained a patent for a vehicle that was neither an airplane, a boat nor a wheeled land craft.

In 1956 he demonstrated to the military a two-foot prototype that he had a boat builder produce. Although the military showed hardly any interest at all, this did not dissuade Cockerell and in the spring of 1959 his first hovercraft prototype, the SR.N1, a one-person hovercraft crossed the English Channel in 20 minuets. A prolific inventor, Cockerell held some 70 patents.

Cockerell tested various ways of maintaining the air cushion. In 1957 he came up with the idea of a flexible skirt, an idea that was ridiculed by skeptics who could not fathom the idea that a piece of fabric could be made to support a large vessel. He was Knighted in 1969.

Here's a bit of hovercraft history - in 1962 a British vehicle became the first to go into active service on a 19-mi (31-km) ferry run.

The maximum size of air-cushion vehicles is now over 100 tons; some of them travel at over 100 mi (160 km) per hr. Although air-cushion vehicles of several thousand tons have been under development for many years, it is in small vehicles, usually called flarecraft, that the greatest current potential market exists;current flarecraft can carry one to eight people at 150 mi (240 km) per hr.

Now that you've had some history of the hovercraft, lets take a really close look at how the hovercraft works. I think you'll find it very interesting. So lets take a look at How Stuff Works

It's really amazing how simple a hovercraft is. In fact, you might have all of the components for building a simple hovercraft in your house right now. Whatever components that you don't have can be purchased at a local hardware store. Here's a list of everything you need to put together a homemade hovercraft.

There's a great scene in the movie "Back to the Future: Part 2" where Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is being chased by a gang of hooligans on hoverboards.

In the movie, these hoverboards look like flying skateboards that have some sort of magnetic propulsion system. They don't look like conventional hovercraft at all, but the hovercraft depicted in that movie served as an inspiration to Kevin Inkster, who has invented the world's first commercial hoverboard scooter, called the 'Airboard'!

The Airboard will operate just like any other hovercraft, which is basically a vehicle that is supported and propelled by a cushion of air. Developers of the Airboard say it will initially be available at theme parks later this year, but you may have already seen it.

If you watched the opening ceremonies of the 2000 Summer Olympics, Inkster showed off his space-age looking Airboard by riding it around the Olympic stadium.

Hailed by the The New York Times as a "miniature flying saucer with handlebars," the Levitating Hover Scooter will provide an unprecedented experience in personal transportation, levitating inches above the ground and speeding a single rider across land on a cushion of air.

Gentle lift from an engine-powered fan elevates the scooter off the ground, and a stream of air exiting a vent in the back provides light forward thrust.

Learning to ride the scooter takes less than five minutes, and no previous skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, or other experience is required.

Easy and intuitive to control, the rider simply leans left or right to perform smooth turns. A throttle and clutch on the handlebar allow precise control of engine power.

To increase acceleration, the rider leans back slightly while gripping the handlebar, and the friction drive wheel at the underside rear of the scooter makes contact with the ground, increasing speed up to a maximum of approximately 15 mph!

The scooter deftly glides over level, solid ground such as concrete, asphalt, or well-groomed grass free of debris, sand, stones, and other obstacles. It can even travel up minor inclines.

Stopping is as easy as releasing the throttle and clutch controls and allowing the hovering scooter to gently coast to a halt over a distance of approximately twenty feet.

The hover scooter is powered by a four-stroke internal combustion engine that operates for approximately one hour on a full tank of unleaded gasoline.

The large scooter deck provides ample standing space, and two non-skid foot pads ensure confident foot-placement.

Head and tail lights come on at the flick of a switch.