Hovercraft make a Comeback

Sir Christopher Cockerell invented hovercraft during the 1950’s. He first came up with the idea when he was thinking how to make a boat go faster by reducing the amount of friction caused when it travels through the water, first testing the 'hover' theory using a cat food tin inside a coffee tin, with an industrial air blower and a pair of kitchen scales. Hovercraft were first described as a revolutionary new form of transport that can operate on sea and land, a sort of man-made flying saucer. The commercial success of hovercraft suffered from rapid rises in fuel prices during the late 1960s and 1970s following conflict in the Middle East; alternative over-water vehicles such as wave-piercing catamarans used less fuel. Hovercraft have unique capabilities that make them ideal for rescue, military and commercial applications such as underwater wreck location, oil exploration, and coastal civil engineering projects.

Leisure hovercraft market growth.

Small leisure hovercraft are now proving extremely popular as all terrain alternatives to personal watercraft and Jet Skis. These 2-3 seat craft achieve speeds of up to 45 mph. The ability to drive from land to water and back over land without stopping is at first slightly unnerving since boats traditionally slow and stop at the water’s edge; hovercraft just keep on going. Hovercraft are real all-terrain vehicles, and use their air cushion and thrust propulsion to good effect.

Environmentally friendly

Hovercraft are more environmentally friendly than other marine craft, they don’t exhaust fumes into the water like boats, or cool engines through water intake systems, nor do they damage sensitive marine life with spinning propellers. Hovercraft make barely any impact on the surface they fly over, having less weight per square centimetre than a sea gull standing on one leg. This characteristic is often demonstrated by videos such as the following showing hovercraft flying over unbroken eggs without cracking any. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY0pe-d-QQ8

One such leisure hovercraft, the Hov Pod manufactured in Southampton, UK handle a wide range of terrain; imagine a PWC, Snowmobile, Quad-bike, Boat, 4x4 all rolled into one vehicle. Manufacturer Reaction International Ltd recently announced a new production process to keep up with growing demand, with hulls now manufactured from High Density PE.

Hov Pod flying is addictive, and very popular with rental operators. Start the engine and you’ll rise about 8 inches in the air, as if on some anti gravitational levitation sci-fi vehicle. Bemused onlookers peek under your skirt to see where the wheels are; there aren’t any. Increase the throttle, and move forward on the cushion of air. You have freedom to float off and away, over any flat surface, flying a Hov Pod is exhilarating, liberating, adrenaline pumping and addictive.

The wide range of operating surfaces that thovercraft can fly over can be viewed on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/group/hovercraft

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