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HovercraftHovercraft BulletinBulletin www.hovercraftwww.hovercraft--museum.orgmuseum.org

The Official Newsletter of the Hovercraft Museum Trust & the Hovercraft Society

In this Issue:In this Issue:

July to September 2001July to September 2001

Price £5Price £5

ISSN 0144ISSN 0144--37553755 Issue Number 44Issue Number 44

Latest News from the Hovercraft Museum & SocietyLatest News from the Hovercraft Museum & Society

Hovercraft Industry NewsHovercraft Industry News

Military Applications for HovercraftMilitary Applications for Hovercraft

US Army TranspUS Army Transportation Museumortation Museum

Items From the ArchivesItems From the Archives

Mark Porter’s 1:32 Radio Controlled SR.N4 ModelMark Porter’s 1:32 Radio Controlled SR.N4 Model

Round Up of Commercial Hovercraft forRound Up of Commercial Hovercraft for Sale Sale

Hovershow NewsHovershow News

July to September 2001

The Hovercraft Museum Trust is a Registered Charity (No. 1003689).

Opinions expressed by the contributors are not necessarily endorsed by the Editor or Trustees of the Hovercraft Museum Trust.

No responsibility for the quality of goods or services advertised in this newsletter can be accepted by the publishers and advertisements are accepted on the express condition that they in no way contravene the provisions of the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 nor any other prevailing Consumer Legislation.

Contributions to this newsletter are welcomed and submissions should be addressed to:

The Editor The Hovercraft Bulletin 12 Ferndale Road Collier Row

Romford Essex RM5 3ER United Kingdom

Articles may be typed, hand-written, on IBM 3.5” disk or CD in MS Word or other raw text format. The Editor accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or transparencies, though material will be returned if requested when submitting. All material addressed to The Hovercraft Society, The Hovercraft Museum Trust, The Hovercraft Bulletin or the Editor will be considered available for publication unless otherwise indicated. The Editor reserves the right to edit all material. Accuracy remains the author’s responsibility. The Hovercraft Bulletin and its contents are copyright © and permission to reproduce any material must be obtained from the Editor in writing. The Hovercraft Society and The Hovercraft Museum Trust accept no responsibility, nor do they endorse any product, design or concept mentioned anywhere in the Hovercraft Bulletin.

We currently hold the largest electronic archive of hovercraft related material in the world and in order to make this as complete as possible, The Hovercraft Museum is very interested in borrowing any hovercraft-related photographic material for scanning. Formats that can be accepted include prints, negatives or mounted slides. Please contact the editor if you wish to offer material for scanning and note that all material will be returned to the owner. Having said this, the Museum would also be very grateful for donations of original material for its archives which are held at Lee-on-the-Solent.

Access to the Hovercraft Museum Collection

The Hovercraft Museum Trust maintains a collection at two storage sites in the Gosport area. The Museum is not yet open to the public, and the office is not permanently manned, however we have volunteer staff attending site on most days.

Members requiring a visit to the collection at HMS Daedalus or Wicor Farm should contact the Manager, Brian Russell or his assistant, Lyndon Ford on the office number – 023 9255 2090 to arrange a mutually convenient time. If the office is unattended, please leave your details, a contact number and your requested visit date and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

It should be noted that for visitor numbers less than ten, a minimum twenty four hours notice is required and car registration details will need to be notified. For greater numbers, which will involve a greater number of hosts, as much notice as is practical is required.

Working parties are held on most Saturday mornings, where volunteers assist with cleaning and restoration work on the various craft in our care.

The United Kingdom Hovercraft Society was formed in 1971, later becoming ‘The Hovercraft Society’.

The Society supports the Hovercraft Museum Trust in it’s aim to set up an International Hovercraft Centre to promote and acknowledge the hovercraft world past and present.

The Society’s activities include lectures and films on various aspects of the hovercraft industry past and present. Visits to h o v e r c r a f t m a n u f a c t u r e r s a n d establishments, and social events are also organised.

The Society is run by a council consisting of well respected persons from the hovercraft industry. Council members are nominated and voted on to Council on an annual basis at the Society’s AGM.

The Main objectives of the Hovercraft Society are:

1. The encouragement of invention, research and development of Hovercraft, and other related issues.

2. Discussion on operating and trading aspects of Hovercraft.

3. The Circulation of a quarterly newsletter (jointly with the Hovercraft Museum—i.e. this publication).

Museum Trustees Alan Burns Rochford House, Newton Place,

Lee-on-the-Solent, H a m p s h i r e PO13 9JL 023 9255 0477 (home) [email protected]

Peter Habens 8 Holford Road, Wooton Bridge,

Ryde, Isle of Wight PO33 4NL 01903 882205 (home)

Warwick Jacobs 15 St Marks Road, Gosport,

Hampshire PO12 2DA 07970 986251 (mobile)

Chris Potter 12 Ferndale Road, Collier Row,

Romford, Essex RM5 3ER 07971 607556 (mobile) [email protected]

Stuart Syrad (Chairman of the Hovercraft Society) 3 2 S p r i n g d a l e R o a d ,

Broadstone, Dorset BH18 9BU 01202 692642 (home) [email protected]

Mick Wells 84 Glencoe Road, Margate,

Kent CT9 2SW 01843 296538 (home) [email protected]

Museum Manager Brian Russell The Hovercraf t Museum,

Argus Gate, Chark Lane, Lee-on-the-Solent, Hampshire PO13 9NY 023 9255 2090

(office - 24 hours phone / fax) 07818 087855 (mobile)

[email protected] [email protected]

Manager’s Assistant

Lyndon Ford 023 9255 2090

(office - 24 hours phone / fax) 07881 922778 (mobile)

[email protected] [email protected]

Hovercraft Museum Staff Important Notice Our Details

The Hovercraft Society

On The Cover: The Museum’s SR.N5 (006) being put through its paces at Hovershow ‘66 (Photo by Pat Lawrence)


Museum Open Day & Hovercraft Society

AGM - Saturday 13th October 2001

Defence Estates have given permission for an open day to be held at the Hovercraft Museum storage site at the former HMS Daedalus on Saturday 13th October, to which the public can be invited. This will be used as an opportunity to update the general public on the way ahead for the Museum. This will help to keep our profile high and raise much-needed funds via entrance fees, hovercraft rides, shop sales and a raffle. The open day will feature the following: Presentations in the Lecture Theatre on the Museum at 11:00, 12:30, 2:00 and 3:00. Videos will be shown in between and a notice board will clearly show the times. Hovercraft rides (weather permitting) on a Griffon 2000, operated by the Museum with proceeds to the Museum. Prices will be:

Adults £4.00 Children £3.00

Tickets will be available on the slipway and the craft will offer continuous operation throughout the event. The Museum shop will be open as usual, and a raffle will also be run. Refreshments will be available from a stall run by the Museum. One of the Hoverspeed SR.N4 craft will be opened up to visitors. A hoverbed will be demonstrated and some Museum craft and models will be operated in a fenced off area. Other attractions such as a bouncy castle are also planned. Entrance fees will be as follows:

Adults £2.00 Children £1.00

Museum Friends and Society Members will be FREE (on presentation of a valid membership card). Opening times will be 10:00am to 4:00pm. The Hovercraft Society AGM will then be held at 5:00pm and a dinner will follow at the Alverbank Hotel, Alverstoke which will cost around £18.00 per head. This event will only be possible with the help of volunteers to act as stewards, man the gate, supervise hovercraft rides, safety etc. Whilst these tasks will not be as onerous as with the main Hovershow, they are equally as important. If you can help and / or are interested in the evening dinner, please return the enclosed form and full details will be forwarded when available.

Help Needed The continued development of the Hovercraft Museum Storage Site at Lee-on-the-Solent to increase its utilisation, is very dependent on the support of volunteers. The Trust needs support in two ways—help with physical tasks, the donation of crockery and sponsorship of equipment. With the opening of The Sir Christopher Cockerell Lecture Theatre, visits of organisations can be hosted. However, help is needed ill refurbishing the BP Travelling Exhibition, with the provision of crockery and cutlery to facilitate the serving of refreshments and the sponsorship of projectors, audio facilities and a pull down screen. Whilst enough stacking chairs are held, some aluminium trestle tables would be extremely useful. The next move, once the Theatre is completed, is to re-decorate the West end of the hanger and to mount a display—perhaps featuring hovercraft propulsor development. The floor will also be painted. At the same time, the hovercraft on display will be sorted into a more relevant layout. One of the Trust's most valuable assets is the archive of reports, papers, books and magazines. This archive is not currently user-friendly and needs significant work. Again, volunteers could help with this process and the provision of glass fronted bookcases and cupboards. If you feel you can help with any of the outlined requirements, please let me know by contacting me directly at the Museum’s office address. Thanks very much for any help you feel you can give.

Presentation at Museum

Friday 12th October Friends or the Hovercraft Museum member Hamon Stewart will be giving an illustrated presentation on his work in Germany, looking at the history and development of hovercraft. This is to be held in the recently opened Sir Christopher Cockerell Lecture Theatre in Building 40 at HMS Daedalus at 7pm for 7.30pm on Friday 12th October—the evening before the open day. Friends of the Hovercraft Museum can use their membership card to gain access to the site. Non-members will need to notify the Site Manager of their intentions and car registration number at least 24 hours prior to the event. For more details telephone the Museum office on 023 9255 2090 or write to us at the Office address.

“The Christmas Spirit” Christmas by Moonlight

Friends member Peter Mugridge has organised a unique event for this year’s festive season. Being held on Saturday 29th December, this will be a traditional Xmas party, followed by a 90 minute moonlight sightseeing flight to the Scottish borders in a Boeing 757, then a traditional Xmas dinner. Venue will be one of the Heathrow hotels as the flight will depart from Heathrow. If the aircraft loads to 90% or higher, then 10% of the profits will be donated to the Hovercraft Museum. Please see the enclosed flyer for more information and contact details.

Hovershow 2002 Manager Brian Russell and the Trustees have already started preparing for Hovershow 2002 which is again due to be held over the May Day bank holiday weekend, subject to approval from Defence Estates, our landlords at Daedalus. If you feel you can offer any help in any capacity either prior to or during the show, please contact Brian so he can start to co-ordinate things at an early stage.

Next Issue Now a quarterly publication, the Winter issue of the Hovercraft Bulletin is due for issue just before Christmas in about mid-December. Following issues during this subscription period will be published at the end of March and end of June, at which time subscriptions are again due for renewal.

Talking of which, thanks very much to all those members who have recently renewed for the 2001/2 subscription year—it’s much appreciated.

If you have any material you feel would be of interest to our membership, we would be grateful for submission of this by the end of November to allow it to be incorporated into the Winter issue. We also welcome comments and suggestions for articles for future issues.

Please also let us know what you think of the new magazine-style format of the newsletter. We are striving to include as much topical news as possible, as well as articles and pictures from our archives which you may not have seen before. If any urgent, time-critical news or information comes to light between issues, we will send out information sheets appropriate to the event—much as has been seen in recent weeks with a mailing from the Manager.

Best Regards, Chris Potter (Editor)

Latest News & Events


(by Paul Hynds of Speed at Sea)

Hovercraft are being introduced to carry out a varied range of tasks such as coastguard and

border patrols, life-saving rescue duties and passenger carrying

services, encompassing operations in India, Saudi Arabia,

the UK and Cuba

Griffon Hovercraft F o l l o w i n g G r i f f o n Hovercraft's successful tender to supply six 20m-long amphibious air cushion vehicles to the Indian C o a s t g u a r d , t h e Southampton, UK, based company has also won orders from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution

(RNLI) in the UK and from the Saudi Arabian government. The first two Griffon 8000TD(M) hovercraft in the six-craft Indian Coastguard order are now in full operational service. Four craft are being constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd of Calcutta, under a licensing agreement. Griffon Hovercraft is supplying technical supervision on site together with maintenance and operation training personnel. Griffon has also delivered three 3000TDX hovercraft to the Shell Petroleum Company.

Saudi Arabian Order The Saudi Arabian government order is for a total of five Griffon 8000TD(M) hovercraft to enter service with The Saudi Arabia Border Guard. This order, won in an international tender, represents a significant business coup for Griffon as the Saudi Arabian Border Guard is the world's most experienced operator of military and paramilitary hovercraft deployed in security and search and rescue (SAR) roles. Sixteen British Hovercraft Corporation-built SR.N6 gas turbine powered hovercraft have been operated on both the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf coastal sectors by the Saudi Arabian Border Guard over the past 30 years. Two of the new Griffon hovercraft will enter service on the east-coast of Saudi Arabia, with the remain three deployed on the west sector.

For the Saudi Arabian Border Guard the new hovercraft will present a less complex, lower maintenance and more cost-effective

solution than its previous older-generation SR.N6 vehicles. The complicated airframe-type construction of the SR.N6 hulls was prone to corrosion and required intensive protective and corrective maintenance. The Griffon hovercraft hull is fabricated as a simple 'egg-box structure' raft using marine grade alloy material. The complex, high fuel consumption, gas turbines of the SR.N6 hovercraft are now replaced by lower maintenance, more economical diesel units in the Griffon 8000TD(M) hovercraft.

The five Saudi Arabian Border Guard hovercraft will each be fitted with two water-cooled MTU 12V183TB32 diesel engines. Power output is approximately 600kW per unit to provide both lift and thrust. Each machinery set will link the MTU diesel engine to the lift fans and Hoffman variable-pitch ducted propellers via a system of shafts and drive belts. As specified for this order the Griffon 800OTD(M) will be capable of a disposable load of 12 tonnes translating into a payload of 8 tonnes.

Performance requirements are for a maximum speed in excess of 50 knots and a mission range of 500 nautical miles. Power redundancy provides a 'get-you-home' capability on one machinery set. The Saudi Arabian Border Guard's Griffon 8000TD(M) hovercraft differs from the similarly designated versions delivered to the Indian Coast Guard in the design of its superstructure arrangements, to fulfil the multi-purpose mission role required by the Saudi Arabian government.

These latest craft will be fitted with a special well deck and bow ramp enabling the hovercraft to carry a single Jeep or Land Rover type all-terrain vehicle. Equipment will include fire-fighting monitor and pump system, a one-tonne deck-mounted crane, and a 0.5-calibre machine gun. The revised accommodation cabin is divided into a crew room and a main area with provision for up to 16 seated troops. Twin air-conditioning systems are installed to sustain a comfortable interior environment and protection from the outside temperatures exceeding 50°C found in the local operational theatres.

Hovercraft Industry News

The RNLI Griffon 450TD craft ready for transport after Hovershow 2001 at HMS Daedalus (Chris Potter)

Artist’s impression of the Griffon 8000TD(M) half-welldeck craft being built for the Saudi Arabian Border Guard (W Jacobs)


RNLI Craft The UK's principal marine life-saving agency, the RNLI, has taken delivery of a Griffon type 450TD hovercraft. The RNLI cu r ren t l y opera tes 307 conventional vessels from 224 lifeboat stations around the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland.

The 7.6m long hovercraft has been purchased by the RNLI to evaluate the potential of the air cushion concept to facilitate access to many areas that are currently difficult to reach. Theses include shallow waters, mudflats, sandbars and tidal regions where people become stranded and where boats frequently run aground. All of these areas cannot, at present, be reached by conventional craft or land-based vehicles.

The RNLI stresses that the craft is being tested in operational conditions to ascertain the technical and operational suitability of hovercraft, and, if the extensive trials prove satisfactory, to enable the RNLI to draw up a specification, in terms of optimum size, capacity and speed for SAR hovercraft. It is believed that the total requirement could be for up to 20 amphibious craft. The Griffon 450TD is powered by twin Volkswagen automotive diesel engines each developing 56kW Each engine is flexibly mounted and drives an integrated lift and thrust system comprising flexible couplings, a belt and pulley set powering an aluminium alloy centrifugal lift fan, and a 1m-diameter plastic ducted propulsion fan.

The structure is fabricated from marine grade aluminium alloy with detachable side decks mounted on a central hull. The cabin is constructed from glass-reinforced plastic with seating provided for six personnel. The skirt is of the open loop and segment design, with the loop made of PVC and the segments from natural rubber coated nylon. Individual segments can be simply unbolted to allow replacement and the entire skirt can be maintained without lifting the craft.

Control systems comprise six rudders mounted aft of each propulsion duct activated by a cord and pulley arrangement, and water ballast to adjust fore and aft trim. Four elevators located in each propulsion duct are fitted to supplement fore and aft trim. The unladen weight of the Griffon 450TD is 1,450kg, which with a payload of 450kg enables a maximum speed of 30 knots in this specification. Maximum recommended wave height for normal operations is 0.6m. Fuel consumption is 13.5 litres per hour. An important requirement specified by the RNLI was the need for environmental sensitivity. It was considered essential that the hovercraft had zero impact on the surfaces over whim it travelled or on the associated wildlife.

Craft to be Trialed at Southend The six-seater craft has been tested over a variety of terrains and in different conditions at RNLI headquarters in Poole Dorset and is now embarking on a series of trials around the coast. Experienced volunteer lifeboat

crew members will be involved in the testing and their comments will help the project team decide if hovercraft have a practical use for the RNLI throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland. The hovercraft will start two weeks of trials at Southend on Monday 3 September. The other chosen

locations are Hunstanton in Norfolk, Morecambe in Lancashire, Flint in Flintshire and West Kirby in Merseyside.

The locations have been selected because of the number of incidents, which occur where a hovercraft might be used. For instance where there are extensive sand or mud flats, which inhibit the ability of water-borne response. Mud rescue in particular can be very dangerous and slow to execute, whilst a hovercraft can reach the casualty very quickly and affect a rescue without danger to the rescuers.

Speaking of the project, its managers, Hugh Fogarty, staff officer operations and Tony Stankus, senior design engineer, say, 'During the evaluation in Poole, we tested a standard Griffon 450TD hovercraft and tried to establish what terrains and conditions it could work with and how much training would be involved for the volunteers who would operate it. The hovercraft showed that it could withstand damage, was easy to prepare for launch, worked well over sand and mud and crew training was comparable to that undertaken by inshore lifeboat crews.'

'Its limitations, which will be further tested during these coastal trials, include its carrying capacity (maximum 450kg), an inability to work on porous surfaces and a weather restriction to a wind speed of less than 25 knots and wave height of less than 600mm (2ft).'

A member of the project team will be taking the craft to each location. Once there, he will train selected local lifeboat volunteers to 'fly' the craft and carry out a series of trials, lasting approximately two weeks. The hovercraft will then move onto the next location. Once all the tests are complete a report will be submitted to the RNLI's executive committee in November and a decision will be made whether to introduce hovercraft to the RNLI's fleet.

Hoverwork & Hovertravel

Last year Hovertravel sold its AP1-88 hovercraft Courier to Cuban aviation and shipping company Aeromar for domestic operations. The UK operator's sister company Hoverwork supplied initial training to the Cuban crews and remains as technical adviser. The craft (GH-2108) was originally built in Australia by NQEA at Cairns, Queensland, in 1986, before being transferred to European operator Real Maritima de Cruceros in the Mediterranean for tourist services between Malaga and Ceuta as Benidorm. Hovertravel later operated Courier on the company's Solent services in the UK.

Aeromar is developing its network of

operations in the Caribbean transporting passengers and light freight to and from Cuba. The craft is linking Batabano, which is on the south coast 70km from Havana, with Cayo Largo del Sur and Isla de la Juventua. Marcelo Perez, the commercial manager of Aeromar, commented that the introduction of the hovercraft established the first regular hovercraft passenger flights on the American continent and that the service would transport passengers at half the price of aircraft travel. Aeromar is planning to expand its hovercraft routes in the future. Courier is powered by four Deutz BF12L 513FC air-cooled diesels each rated at 386kW driving ducted propellers to give a service speed of 38 knots and a maximum speed of over 50 knots. The craft has capacity for up to 101 passengers.

During Hovershow 2001, a return hovercraft service was operated from Ryde to Lee-on-Solent, departing at 10.45 and returning from HMS Daedalus at 15.00 on May 4th / 5th / 6th / 7th. The craft used was the Freedom 90 which returned to Ryde in between each trip and also offered a hovercraft ride each afternoon before the departure back to the Island.

The Hovercraft Museum & Society also staged two day excursion charters from Lee-on-Solent to Alum Bay on the Island, using one of the three Hovertravel craft. The visits were held on Saturday 2nd and 30th June.

The former SAS craft Liv Viking resides at Aluminum Shipbuilders' Fishbourne yard in a poor state of repair. Meanwhile the Freja Viking has been moved to Hoverwork's workshops at nearby St. Helens for full refurbishment and upgrade to match sister craft Idun Viking and Freedom 90. The craft was re-launched in June before being put up for sale by Hoverwork. (See Page 20 of this issue for more details).


A.S.R.H.

The Cumbrian Branch of ASRH took delivery of their £20,000 Osprey 5 standard Rescue Hovercraft at Grange-over-Sands, as seen in the photo above.

This is the first full-time dedicated Hovercraft available to the emergency services, with the craft working in the Morecambe Bay area.

A second Osprey 5 is now ready for delivery to the Gosport area for similar tasks. Good luck to the team up there in Cumbria.

The website address for ASRH has been changed to one a lot easier to remember: www.asrh.co.uk

Develops New Design

The UK-based organisation that operates hovercraft for emergency relief and to promote economic development in remote regions overseas, HoverAid, is developing a new hovercraft design designated the 'HoverLorry'. Currently at the design stage, the new craft will be built as soon as funding allows.

Drawing on 25 years of hovercraft experience including expeditions to Nepal, Irian Jaya, Peru, China and Tibet, HoverAid works with other agencies and partners. The organisation has been providing hovercraft and operation expertise since 1992 to many countries including Papua New Guinea, Nicaragua, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. A key element is HoverAid's ability to 'go in cold' with hovercraft to assist in disaster relief as in, for example, the Mozambique floods last year. HoverAid's amphibious fleet numbers five of its own-design River Rovers and two RTK-4 hovercraft recently acquired from the British Antarctic Survey.

One of the River Rovers is currently being refurbished and will be used primarily for training purposes. A second River Rover has been fitted with an experimental extended skirt system and will undergo trials this year. An eight-seat River Rover is being prepared for deployment in the flooded areas of Malawi where the hovercraft will be able to transport personnel and relief supplies to locations beyond the reach of boats and at a fraction of the cost of helicopters.

Specialist Skirt Technology from Avon Checkmate

The supply of hovercraft skirt material in the UK will not be affected by the withdrawal of Hoverspeed's two remaining SR.N4 hovercraft from English Channel operations. The supplier of skirt material to Hoverspeed, Avon Flexible Fabrication Division of Avon Technical Products, had already re-structured its business in 1997 when the parent company decided to pull out of specialist product development. The Flexible Fabrications Division was sold to Checkmate, another British company producing flexible material industrial products that was already involved in hovercraft and industrial air cushion systems. Although Hoverspeed had latterly manufactured much of its own skirt component requirements using Avon materials, the technical contribution by Avon had significantly improved the service life and performance of Hoverspeed's skirts. From its new factory in Wiltshire, Avon Checkmate continues to develop hovercraft skirts and supplies hovercraft manufacturers including Griffon and Slingsby. The company also supplies UK domestic operator Hovertravel and a number of operators of surface effect ships throughout the world. With its former parent company no longer supplying skirt materials for fabrication, Avon Checkmate sources supplies from Northern Rubber, another company with extensive experience of hovercraft skirt design and manufacture.

Hoffmann Propellers Have Low-Noise Characteristics

The German manufacturer of aviation and hovercraft propellers, Hoffmann, continues its development and supply of a range of propellers for installation on air cushion vehicles. The company designs and produces hovercraft propellers in three, four, and five-blade versions. Hoffmann has developed its own composite wood material for propeller blade construction which is suitable for step stream, ducted and non-ducted installations. Several key advantages of this construction method are cited by the company including the fact that as each propeller blade is individually manufactured there is no requirement for complex and expensive moulds or castings. Additionally the use of wood composite material allows extremely low weight for each component. Blades can be coated with Irathene lacquer which guarantees excellent protection against erosion. Its hovercraft propeller systems also return extremely low noise levels comparable to an equivalent low-noise twin-diesel-engine boat, says Hoffmann. Hoffmann designs and produces hovercraft propellers in three, four, and five blade versions. Propeller blades are produced up to 6m in diameter and may be fitted with fixed pitch blades, ground adjustable blades

or fully variable, hydraulically or mechanically adjustable pitch systems. Maximum power per unit is 3,000kW and larger-diameter propellers may be easily disassembled to faci l i tate lower transportation costs.

ACT Craft Feature Foam Sandwich Hulls

Air Cushion Technologies in the US, a builder of small hovercraft that has supplied the US Department of Agriculture and Department of Fish & Wildlife with amphibious machines, is offering a range of designs featuring, it says, an innovative hull and skirt system design. The designer reports that the craft have been developed and proven through thousands of hours of rugged field use by government agencies. The platform is designed for ease of operation and manoeuvrability. Hulls are constructed of a tough and lightweight composite sandwich of high density foam and fibreglass and the bow profile is curved to prevent 'plough in'. The skirt is of a three-chamber type which is designed to prevent snagging and reduce spray. The skirt material is reinforced to prevent slash and tear and virtually eliminating maintenance, says ACT. Individual skirt bags may be differentially dumped of air to facilitate turning or stopping. The craft use a single power source for both lift and thrust. The smallest craft in the range is the 15kW (20hp) 4.5m-long Seal with capacity for two people. The largest is the 440kW (600hp) 10.5m Tourister which can carry 22 passengers. Quoted prices range from US$13,000 to US$250,000. Air Cushion Technologies will also build cargo craft and ferry versions with capacity for 80 passengers.

Light Craft on Jobs A Skima 4 has been sold to Mistley Marine & Leisure Ltd for occasional survey work on the River Stour and for use by their transport and construction department. Associated British Ports recently used two light hovercraft for surveying the mudflats of Southampton Water. Zenika recently surveyed Hampshire & Kent mud flats for the Environment Agency using their Skima 4. Meanwhile Northwest Water used their own Skima 4 to survey Northern mud flats. A Skima 12 has been used on recent crew ferrying on mud flats in Germany, working alongside two Griffons recently purchased. The Pindair 12-seater was one of the Sultan of Oman’s fleet and until recently was used in Sweden. Light hovercraft are to be used on mud flats at Runcorn as bridge construction / repair work takes place. The craft will be used as a safety boat for up to six months.


Les Colquhoun Reconnaissance pilot whose

photographs of Axis positions was vital to Allied successes in

Southern Europe LES COLQUHOUN, who has died aged 80, was a p h o t o g r a p h i c reconnaissance pilot with No 69 squadron whose daring coverage of Axis positions in southern Italy and Libya contributed significantly to the survival of Malta; his contribution to the preparations for the 1944 landings in the south of France was recognised with the award of the DFC. In 1941, Colquhoun had being flying fighter sweeps over northern France with No 603 (City of Edinburgh) Auxiliary Air Force squadron when he was detailed to deliver a photographic reconnaissance Spitfire to Cairo. During a stopover in Malta it became apparent that the situation there was desperate. He and his Spitfire were seconded to No 69 Squadron and so hard pressed were the island's defenders that for a while the squadron comprised only Colquhoun and one other pilot. For nine months during 1941 and 1942, Colquhoun piloted an unarmed and unescorted pale blue Spitfire out of Malta; flying over Italy and assessing the enemy's position. Travelling at great speed and using considerable guile, he would continuously outmanoeuvre the enemy before landing back at Luqa with his anxiously awaited photographs. Not until May 1942 was the squadron reinforced by Spitfires transported in the aircraft carrier Eagle. By then, Colquhoun had survived 154 operational sorties, each of which had been flown mostly over the sea, a risky business in a single-engine Spitfire. Wing Commander Laddie Lucas, the ace commander of No 249 Squadron summed up the value of Colquhoun's contribution when he noted: "At Luqa, in the face of adversity, photographic reconnaissance was touching the limits of human endeavour. It placed the highest premium upon personal character and integrity." Sergeant Colquhoun was awarded the DFM and commissioned. Leslie Robert Colquhoun was born on March 15 1921, at Hanwell, Middlesex, and was educated in Ealing. He enlisted in August 1940, trained as a pilot, and in the autumn of 1941 was posted to No 603 (City of Edinburgh), an Auxiliary Air Force Spitfire squadron engaged on sweeps over France and convoy protection patrols. Following his exploits in Malta, Colquhoun

returned home for Mosquito operational training and in 1943 he joined No 682, a Mosquito photographic-reconnaissance squadron based in Algeria and operating over Tunisia and Italy, moving to San Severo in Italy in September 1943.

He remained with 682 squadron until October 1944, during which time he flew 82 operational trips over enemy territory Involving 262 hours of operational flying. He was awarded the DFC for his photographic contribution t o t h e s ucc ess f u l conclusion of the North Af r ican and I tal ian campaigns and his part in the preparation for the landings in the south of France during the summer of 1944.

In 1945, after a short period as an instructor, Colquhoun was posted to Vickers Supermarine where he joined the team of production test pilots. Here he tested the later marks of Spitfires as they rolled off the production lines. He also displayed a special aptitude for putting new types through their paces, particularly the Attacker, an early carrier-borne naval jet fighter. In May 1950, he was flying an Attacker when the outer tip of his starboard wing folded up. The ailerons locked and Colquhoun began to lose control of the plane. Coolly declining to eject, he stayed put in the hope of discovering the cause of the fault. Flying by rudder alone, he managed to bring the speed up to more than 200 mph. Although this was about twice the Attacker's landing speed, he was able to land at Chilbolton, Hampshire's 1,800yd runway, with the length of a cricket pitch to spare. By putting his life on the line, Colquhoun, as the subsequent investigation revealed, had enabled the fault to be identified. Colquhoun's career progressed through testing naval Scimitar jet fighters and early hovercraft - which assured him control, in 1962, of the first hovercraft service between Wallasey and Rhyl. He was appointed operations manager of Hoverlloyd in 1966, later becoming managing director and operating the company's car ferry between Ramsgate and Calais. After Seaspeed took over Hoverlloyd, Colquhoun ran the company's jetfoil service to Dieppe. After a period spent as custodian at Chiddingstone Castle, Colquhoun retired to Broadstairs, Kent. He was a great supporter of the Spitfire society of which he was a former chairman. He is survived by his wife Katie, whom he married in 1946, and by their four daughters.

Tony Riley Hovercraft Enthusiast &

Engineer Life member Tony passed away in July after losing his battle against cancer. Tony was an avid member of the Hoverclub, having been involved with many craft, not least being the Cushioncraft CC.7 which he re-engined with Jaguar engine, and used on the River Severn.

Tony lived in Chepstow and was a keen supported of the Hovercraft Museum from its beginnings. Tony’s CC.7 went to the Museum of Army Transport at Beverly in Yorkshire, and is now to be seen in smart Army 200 Hovercraft Squadron livery. This is the sister craft to the Museum’s own CC.7 which is in Navy livery.

Tony restored a ‘basket case’ Winfield fairground hovercraft from the 1970s Jersey Hoverdrome to fully working order and it has been a great source of amusement to many at the three Hovershows at which it has been displayed. The Hatton & Bass machine is in great condition, especially hard to believe looking at pictures of it in Tony’s back garden.

Thank you Tony for all your help and enthusiasm. Tony’s funeral was held on Friday 4th August in Wales. Our sincere condolences go to Hazel and family.

Obituaries - Les Colquhoun & Tony Riley


(by Paul Hynds of Speed at Sea) Military advantages of amphibious hovercraft technology have been widely promoted over the past four decades but have yet to be taken up on a global scale. Other than the massive and continuing f inancial commitment by the US to develop a fleet of air cushion landing craft, there has been only sporadic interest by other forces. That situation is likely to improve as more countries are now looking closely at hovercraft for deployment in assault, search and rescue, and logistics support roles.

Russian Craft The former Soviet Union committed significant economic resources to high speed marine technology research, particularly hydrofoils, amphibious hovercraft and WIG vessels. Soviet forces had operated a range of amphibious hovercraft designs, including Gus, Aist, Lebed and Pormornik (their NATO designations), in varying mission profiles. That technology is now attracting attention and providing export potential for Russia and the CIS. Almaz Shipbuilding Company yard in St Petersburg, Russia, and the Feodosia Shipbuilding Association Morye yard in the Ukraine are each supplying a pair of Zubr class military hovercraft to the Ministry of Defence in Greece. The first of these craft, Kefallinia, has been delivered with the remaining three craft due in service later this year. Kefallinia was originally constructed in 1993 and has been extensively refurbished and upgraded by Almaz, as are the two craft from Morye in Feodosia. The fourth craft is a new building under construction at the Almaz facility. The total value of the four craft contracts is around US$200 million. The Zubr class hovercraft was originally developed as for beach landing of advance assault troops, armoured vehicles and

support equipment. Additionally the craft, then given the NATO designation Pormornik, is equipped to provide supporting fire and for laying minefields. Typical capacity is for 360 troops or 10 armoured personnel carriers or three tanks. Typical weapons outfitting includes two turret-mounted 30mm automatic machine guns on the forward upper hull structure, four portable anti-aircraft missile packs, and a pair of 140mm MS 227 missile launching stations. Mine-laying racks of up to 80 mines can be installed depending on the particular mission requirements. The dimensions of the Zubr are similar to the BHC SR.N4 Mk III amphibious hovercraft formerly in commercial service on the English Channel with Hoverspeed. The Zubr's length overall is 57.3m and the beam is 25.6m (compared to the SR.N4 Mk Ill's 56.4m length and 27.9m breadth). However

the gross weights are very different with the Zubr returning 550 tonnes against 285 tonnes for the SR.N4 Mk III. This is partly explained by the extra strengthening of the Zubr vehicle deck to accommodate tanks and other heavy vehicles, and by the provision of armour plating. The Zubr's load bearing main structure is enhanced by two longitudinal bulkheads dividing the vehicle deck into three zones. Hydraulically operated integral bow and stem loading ramps are fitted. The Zubr is powered by five GTD 8000 gas turbines each developing 5,890 kW. Two of these units each drive a pair of NO-10-type 2.5m-diameter lift fans feeding a peripheral bag and finger skirt. Three 5.5m diameter four-bladed ducted propellers with variable pitch are mounted aft, driven by the remaining three power units. Two auxiliary gas turbines each power an electrical generator rated at 100kW. The Zubr is remotely steered from a centrally located island control cabin by rudders mounted aft of the propulsion ducts, differential pitch control of the propellers, and by venting of the air cushion through exit ducts located on each side of the outer surfaces of the hull structure fore and aft. Capable of lifting a payload of 150 tonnes (approximately 40 tonnes more than the SR.N4 Mk III hovercraft) the Zubr has a maximum speed of 60 knots. Normal cruising range is 300 nautical miles with a mission endurance of five days.

US Navy LCAC Fleet In the US, the scale of the belief in the potential of military hovercraft can be measured by the amount of funding approved to develop the Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) programme for the US Navy following several development projects and prototype craft trials between 1977 and

Activity Increases for Military Applications

One of the Zubr class hovercraft recently rebuilt by Almaz Shipbuilding for Greece

Another Zubr class hovercraft hull being rebuilt at Almaz Shipbuilding in St Petersburg (Ian Maw)


1981. Six LCACs were delivered from the Textron Marine & Land Systems yard in New Orleans by 1986. Funding approval was granted in 1987 to increase the Navy's fleet to 33 LCACs. This was supplemented in 1989 with approval for a further 15 craft, and again by an additional 36 LCACs funded between 1990 and 1992. Estimates in 1990 priced each craft at US$25 million. Fifteen of the craft were constructed by Avondale Industries, also of New Orleans. A key justification in securing finance for the LCAC was research indicating that conventional landing vessels had a typical beach approach speed of less than 8 knots travelling approximately 2 miles from support vessels. Additionally estimates revealed that only 17 per cent of the world's beaches were accessible to the US Navy's existing landing craft fleet. The LCAC is capable of landing on 80% of the world's beaches and can make a surprise-beyond the horizon-assault from 50 miles. The design was put to operational examination in the role of equipment and vehicle delivery to the beach during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in the Gulf conflict in the Middle East during 1990-1991. Later in Operation Sea Angel in Bangladesh in 1991 and operation Restore Hope in Somalia in 1992 there were opportunities to demonstrate the LCAC's effectiveness by successfully delivering several thousand tonnes of relief aid to homeless and starving populations. Following an assessment of these operations the US Navy ordered a further seven LCAC hovercraft in 1993. One operational area that showed up several shortcomings of the LCAC was an arctic environment test conducted in Alaska in 1992. These trials quickly established that the LCAC was not suitable, as it was then configured, to sustain reliable arctic operations. A key problem was related to transmission torque limitations in cold weather. Other problems included severe icing of structure and machinery; and

suspension of operations due to high wind speeds and sea state. It was concluded that some design changes would be necessary before the LCAC could be determined operationally effective in arctic theatre conditions. In subsequent below-zero tests, including at least two arctic exercises, the LCAC demonstrated a capability to travel over ice although severe icing would cause suspension of the mission until cleared. The LCAC was developed to provide the US Navy with a landing craft to carry troops, tanks, artillery, and combat support equipment and to deliver a high speed, over the beach capability. The well-deck craft measures 26.4m length overall with a beam of 14.3m. The 87-tonne craft can carry a normal operational payload of 60 tonnes and an extreme condition overload of 75 tonnes. Range is 300 nautical miles at 35 knots with full payload, or 200 nautical miles at 40 knots. Main machinery comprises four Avco-Lycoming TF-40B gas turbines. Two engines power a pair of 3.85m-diameter Dowty Rotol ducted four-b l a d e d propellers with reversible pitch. The remaining two gas turbines each drive a set of twin double-entry centrifugal lift fans. In 1997 A l l i e d S i g n a l released an e n h a n c e d version of the T F - 4 0 g a s t u r b i n e developing over 3,900kW and returning a 7 p e r c e n t improvement in specif ic fuel consumption.

In 1998 a service life-extension programme was initiated that will increase the operational life of the LCAC fleet by 30 years. As part of this programme the US Navy's stock of over 400 TF-40 gas turbines are being upgraded to the improved specification. Directional control is maintained by a pair of rudder vanes mounted behind each ducted propeller unit and remotely operated from the wheelhouse located on the starboard side of the welldeck forward. The rudders are augmented by a directional venting port mounted each side of the well-deck just forward of the midship position. The rubberised and reinforced fabric skirt is of the parallel bag and finger type, with an increased chord at the bow beneath the well-deck loading ramp. As part of the service life-extension programme, the US Navy has conducted extensive research into skirt performance and reliability. Part of this evaluation included testing skirt design enhancements at GKN Westland on the Isle of Wight in the UK, where test results indicated a significant improvements in the area of rough water resistance. According to us Naval Sea Systems Command sources, the continuing development of skirt technology is crucial to the prospect of future generation of heavy-lift hovercraft. The LCAC is designed to operate from shore bases or from the welldecks of support ships or amphibious assault ships. The craft has been evaluated in this role by the Royal Australian Navy, and by the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force. Japan has a requirement for a minimum of eight LCACs to operate from a fleet of four LST 4000 class ships. The first of these, the 22-knot 14,700-tonne Ohsumi was launched in 1998 and has now entered operational service. Originally the order to build the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force LCAC fleet was expected to be awarded to a Japanese yard, with Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Company the probable favourite to win the contract, but the initial batch of craft are being supplied from the US.

The US Navy’s LCAC is designed to operate from shore bases of from the welldecks of amphibious assault ships


(from Speed at Sea) Textron Wins LCAC New Building & Life Extension

Orders New Orleans-based Textron Marine & Land Systems (TM&LS) has been awarded two major Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) contracts: Yamada International Corporation in Japan has placed an order worth over US$91 million for two LCAC new buildings, and a contract from the US Navy valued at around US$35 million addresses its LCAC service life extension programme. The LCAC is a 28.8m high-speed amphibious vehicle that can travel at over 40 knots and carry a 61-76 tonne payload. Its amphibious capability allows the LCAC to reach more than 70 per cent of the world's coastline, compared with 15 per cent for conventional landing craft, TM&LS says. The company adds that since the LCAC was first introduced in 1984, the craft has broadened its basic role of transporting equipment and has become a multi-mission vehicle, suitable for tasks including mine-hunting and sweeping, troop carrier, medical evacuation and humanitarian support during civil emergencies. Altogether, Yamada has now ordered six LCACs for the Japan Defence Agency. The first two were delivered in 1997; the third and fourth are scheduled for handover at the end of this year and early 2002; and the pair of craft just ordered will be delivered in the second half of 2002. The contract includes spares and other support services. The goal of the US Navy's LCAC service life extension program (SLEP) is to extend the useful life, reduce operating costs and improve performance of 74 fleet LCACs. SLEP entails modifications for extending the service life of the craft from 20 to 30 years. Changes include incorporation of main engine upgrades, installation of a new skirt

system, and some hull and fuel system modifications developed to improve trim and damage stability characteristics. The order just placed is the first SLEP production contract, addressing the first three craft only; before it was placed, these initial design changes were developed, incorporated and tested on craft 91, delivered to the US Navy in March this year. Under SLEP, Atlanta-based Vericor Power Systems has begun upgrading the TF40B aero derivative marine gas turbines that are the LCAC power plant. The TF40B is an engine manufactured exclusively for LCAC programs, and more than 400 of these units have been delivered for this purpose, logging more than 300,000 hours. As part of this program, TF40B engines will be upgraded to the Enhanced TF40B configuration to be known as the ETF40B, which will generate in excess of 15 per cent more power at Maximum Intermittent Power, while requiring only minor changes to the current installation, Vericor Power Systems says. The maximum output for the ETF40B is 4,745hp at an ambient temperature of 100°F (3,490kW at 38°C). Also, the ETF40B will offer improved fuel efficiency with significantly reduced maintenance efforts, the company adds. Details of the engine upgrade will be included in a feature on gas turbines in a future issue.

Aker Finnyards T2000

Newbuilding No. 432, the Fast Multipurpose Hovercraft is 27.40m long, by 15.40m wide with a skirt height of 2.10m and a weight of 84 tons. Crew of ten and speed estimated at 50 knots. Delivery is later this year.

Recent rumours and reports from Russia seem to confirm that most, if not all, of the Russian Navy’s old Aist class hovercraft have been scrapped. The SR.N4-size giants, of which 24 were built in various configurations, have been recycled, as the armoured craft contained a lot of metal – certainly more than the SR.N4 does.

The Zubr (Pormornik) fleet has also been reduced, with refurbished craft being sold to Greece, and others being cannibalised for spares and components.

A drive on the sale of Aist craft failed to sell any, and a similar drive is now underway for the giant Bora class SES, but interest is minimal. Sources suggest that these too will be scrapped in due course.

Yaroslavsky Offers Diverse Portfolio

The evolution of amphibious hovercraft continues at the Yaroslavsky Shipbuilding Plant in Russia, whose output includes the 12m Chilim design. The yard has been building air cushion vehicles since 1981 and constructed 22 hovercraft up until 1989. These craft were used in remote regions where accessibility to road vehicles was limited by swamps and ice. Derivatives were also used as ground recovery vehicles during the Russian space programme. The yard is now offering several hovercraft types designed by the Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau, and projects include the Kharza, an 18m coastal patrol craft with a payload of 4 tonnes and a range of 400 nautical miles at speeds up to 45 knots.

A small passenger craft (Project 12270) has capacity for 50 people at 40 knots service speed. The craft is intended for passenger charter, geological prospecting and drilling support operations. The Bobyor is a 30m cargo hovercraft capable of transporting a payload of 50 tonnes including tracked vehicles. Alternatively the Bobyor can be fitted with removable modules to provide passenger accommodation or mobile hospital facilities. A larger version, the Kalan, is designed for open sea operations in sea state 4 up to 50 nautical miles from refuge. This design can also be fitted with four 24-seat passenger modules or a combination of passenger and cargo spaces.

More Military News


The Transhover T.6 is the latest project for Paul Hiseman & Dave Beard of the Museum Trust to undertake. The six-seater was given to the Trust by Insurers after a road accident where the craft literally fell off the back of a lorry ! The engine is to be re-aligned, and Lucas Black, propeller expert, is to repair the damaged props.

Shown in the picture above, taken at Hovershow 2001, are from left to right: Ian Butler—director of TransHover, based originally in Wimbourne, Dorset, Mervyn Davies of Hovercraft Rides Ltd, Cambourne, Cornwall—last owner of the T.6, and, Andy Goudge, latest designer of the new Storm Hovercraft of Wimbourne in Dorset.

Recently the Hovercraft Museum Trust provided exciting footage of the 1970s Bell Buffalo aircraft which featured a hovercraft undercarriage. This was for a new Café Productions Ltd film on flying machines for the Discovery Channel featuring the new airship which uses ACV technology 30 years on. The programme is due for broadcast next Spring.

BAe Links with War Museum (from The Times 1st August 2001)

BAe Systems will today announce that it has linked with the Imperial War Museum to fund a £19 million exhibition centre celebrating Britain’s aviation heritage. The centre, called The Air Space, will be built at Duxford near Cambridge, underpinned by a grant for £9 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund. It is due to open in 2005. BAe Systems is committing £5 million to the project over five years. Frank Crosby, Duxford’s head of marketing, said: “Young people are not going in to engineering, and companies—and the RAF—are finding it hard to recruit people. This is seen as an investment aimed at encouraging the engineers of the future.” Duxford is already the UK’s most visited aviation heritage site, with more than 400,000 visitors a year. The new exhibition centre will document nearly 100 years of UK aviation, using Duxford’s collection of British civil and military aircraft.

Good progress has been made on the Lee-on-the-Solent site development plans as agreed by the Trustees.

These have included the mundane tasks of keeping the Lecture Theatre, office and kitchen areas clean and tidy. A sincere debt is owed to Jeanette, who undertakes these tasks and also helps with secretarial duties. A great deal of weeding has been done to the outside areas in preparation for the Open Day on 13 October, thanks to Ben Pratt, Terry Watson and Dave Owens.

The BP travelling hovercraft exhibition has been moved from the hangar into an area for refurbishment. It is hoped to have at least two units back in the lecture Theatre by Open Day.

At the recent Trustees meeting, approval has been given to installing shelving in one of the upstairs rooms in the hangar, for the storage of large models. Tables have been moved, models cleared, prior to the wall being painted and shelving installed.

All these activities are being carried out by volunteers, who would welcome involvement from others. Please contact the Site Manager if you can help.

Visits

The Museum has hosted a number of visits, including individuals from Australia, Austria and the USA. Others involving in excess of thirty and forty people have been hosted from Poole and Bitterne and Woolston Rotary Clubs and the Fareham Model Engineering Society, respectively. Both these visits resulted in donations and shop sales.

A very recent visit was from the Alverstoke St Mary’s Men’s Breakfast Group, who enjoyed a simple breakfast and an illustrated talk by the Site Manager. This demonstrated that it is possible to lay on simple meals for groups of visitors.

These visits raise the profile of the Museum, raise funds by way of donations and shop sales and sometimes result in further visits or help with other Museum activities.

If you are a member of an organisation that would like a hosted visit to the Museum, or know of one who would, please get in touch with the Site Manager.

Hovercraft Refurbishment

The coming months are going to see significant work carried out on some of the

hovercraft in the Museum Trust’s collection.

To this end, Project Managers have been invited to accept positions as follows:

SR.N5 Chris Verrinder SR.N6 Mk.5 Mick Wells SR.N4 Swift Paul Hiseman The first task is to survey these hovercraft to assess what work is needed, initially to prevent further deterioration and then to refurbishment activities.

SR.N5 (006)

This is currently stored at the Barn at Portchester and is unlikely to deteriorate, as it is undercover. The Trustees have agreed that the survey should cover the necessary work to get the craft suitable for static display.

SR.N6 Mk.5 (003) Welldeck

A preliminary survey has identified the work immediately required which will be carried out on a week-by-week basis.

SR.N4 Mk.2 (002) Swift

The priority task is to remove the forward blower used to lift / move the craft and ballast items used to trim the craft when it hovered at Hovershow 2001.

The immediate problem is water ingress via the roof. To alleviate this, the craft will be raised on blocks to facilitate run-off and the roof air condition vents removed and blanks placed over the feed holes. Preparations will be made so that these actions can be completed soon after the Open Day on 13 October.

All these tasks require teams to carry them out, so if you can give time / support, please let me know - details on the inside cover.

Brian J Russell Hovercraft Museum Site Manager

Hovercraft Museum News


(by Warwick Jacobs & Chris Potter) Green Marine Donate HM.2 Parts Recently the Museum Trust acquired some HM.2 sidewall spares from Green Marine who occupy the old Hovermarine factory at W oo l s to n , S ou th a mp t on . T h i s incidentally was once part of BHC when BH.7s were built, and earlier Vickers, where the VA.1, VA.2 and VA.3 ran from and the SR.N1 visited. Griffon Hovercraft, just up the road, also used the site. Many pictures and components of hovercraft were found as Green Marine cleared out corners of the old Spitfire Quay building as they expand, including lots of dials, two pilot seats and all sorts of spares for the HM.2 craft as well as a lot of 16mm film. Also retrieved from the company were the HM.2 model moulds – so a die cast or resin model could be made for future sale. On Sunday 19th August a team of friends helped pump out HM.2 017 and pull her fully ashore on the highest tides ready for a crane lift in to a position next to the barn. The 18ft wide craft was moved courtesy of Barry Hollaway’s 10-ton HIAB lorry, which pulled her on front and stern lines – finishing at 12:15am on a 4.8m tide. The Trust is well aware that the sidewall hovercraft accounts for half of all sales and builds to date and needs to be shown in the Trust’s collection. Our other two sidewalls are Osprey’s Esperance and Hovermarine’s Decider concept model – a military SES design, funded by the Government to the tune of £1 million and now just a model in our Wicor store.

HM.2…Saved Again ? The HM.2 was the second ever donation to the Trust in 1987 after the SR.N5 in 1986. Our only full-size sidewall craft, donated by Hovermarine and its receivers, an original HM.216 16m craft. The craft was kept at Hovermarine for a few years, and moved courtesy of Griffon and Aluminium Shipbuilders in 1987 to berth at Vosper's pier hardway, free of charge until 1991. Vosper’s mooring lines pulled her under the pier and caused a partial sinking, so the craft was recovered and pulled ashore, only to have vandals smash the windows etc. Repairs to the windows, costing £700, were carried out, and the craft was towed to Vosper’s Portchester yard to a water berth in the inner basin. Here the engine was removed and scrapped. In 1995, Marsh Cranes at a cost of £700, lifted the craft out of the water for repairs, as scaffold poles in the mud had ruptured the hull. £2,000 was paid to Parker Plastics to systematically repair the hull care of retired Les Spriggs who also donated drive shafts, propellers, skirt fingers, radar and more bearings etc.

The craft was then stored until 1999, when the hardstanding was again required by the owners, and the craft was craned back in to the water free of charge, ending 13 years of Vosper’s free storage and security. The craft was towed around Portsmouth Harbour to a mooring at Wicor, and in 2000

the craft began to take on water. Even though measures were taken to keep her pumped out, she was eventually beached to prevent her sinking, and then neglected somewhat, despite actions being appointed to individuals. The craft was then too accessible on the shoreline, and she was vandalised with windows being the first thing to be smashed. These were replaced with unbreakable polycarbonate, but despite these measures, by May 2001 she had been systematically attacked by local vandals with all windows, dials and loose parts stripped and thrown overboard – some of which was recovered by Trustee Warwick Jacobs, by wading out in to the soft black mud. With the hull essentially complete, the Trust

looked at its options, and decided that the craft should be saved again. With windows and other fittings, the hull could be made sound again. The Trust was initially quoted £3,700 to lift her out of the water, as a large crane would be required in order to reach the craft from the shoreline. We were then offered a special rate of £2,000 by Baldwins Crane Hire and we pursued a grant of £500 and a £500 donation from various sources. On a very hot Saturday 8th September, Baldwins arrived on site at 8am with a 100-ton Liebherr crane, and after making some

preparations to allow the crane in to the site, it was rigged at the water’s edge. With some adjustments to the slings after attachment, the crane gently pulled upwards, expecting the HM.2 to lift out of the mud, but it barely budged. The crane was rated to take 10-tons at the jib length and angle it was rigged at,

but the reading in the crane driver’s cab steadily increased to 12, 14, 16 and finally 18½ tons before the craft moved—the crane tipping on its outriggers due to the load ! It was concluded that the craft must still contain some water despite having pumped it out... It was then decided that the best course of action was to slide the craft further in towards the shore on boards, so several of the helpers present got dirty by sliding the planks of wood under the hull as the crane gently lifted the stern clear of the mud. This did the job, and shortly afterwards, the crane was able to lift the craft up and over

the fence and deposit it in the field next to the barn—water pouring from several small cracks in the hull. After moving and re-rigging the crane, several items such as BH.7 stands and other bits and pieces were moved with the crane to allow room for the HM.2 in front of the barn. The craft was again lifted and gently deposited on the four stands designed to hold these craft. However, the hull was not up to the stress, and after a few minutes the decision was taken that it would be prudent safer to put the craft on the ground. With this done, and the craft in position, the fences were replaced and the site tidied up after all the work. The crane was packed and

went away, with Baldwins only charging us £1,000 for the lift—a considerable reduction on their initial quote. Thanks to all down at the Barn on that day; Bob McLaren, Dave Owens, Dave & Pat Ingham, Lucas Black, Lyndon Ford, Warwick Jacobs, Alan Burns, Chris Potter and to Baldwins for their assistance. Seats & trim are in store at the Portchester barn and Lee, together with the recovered materials from the mud, so all is not lost. Cockpit dials are available, saved by Don Bennett, and of course we also now have extra

items from Green Marine as reported elsewhere. Two other HM.2 craft are in use as houseboats (value of the craft as a houseboat is approximately £20,000), and there is also an HM.221 craft in store at Southampton (new in 1996) and up for sale at £180,000. No news has surfaced yet of the fate of the 30 or so HM.2 craft tied up in Hong Kong – although it is thought that some may be being used in China.

HM.2 Parts Donation & Lifting on to Dry Land


This past February I had the opportunity to pay a visit to the US Army transportation Museum located just inside the grounds of Fort Eustis, Virginia. The Fort is just off Interstate 64 in the Hampton Roads / Newport News area of Virginia.

What brought me here were two very different - yet similar machines that I've always wanted to see. What kept me there - and will probably bring me back - is yet another surprise machine or two!

First, what brought me there: Back in 1952 the cold war was quite active and there was a thriving aviation industry in Canada centered around AVRO Aircraft of Malton, Ontario – just north of Toronto. At that time a bright AVRO engineer conceived an aircraft that would use the 'Coanda effect' (a method of focusing a column of air) and have the ability to not only hover and manoeuvre as a helicopter, but also accelerate through the sound barrier. Of course, the US military was extremely interested in such a vehicle and so in 1958 let a contract to AVRO for the construction of a prototype. The 'Flying Saucer' (as it became to be known) was powered by 3 J69 Turbojets

whose exhaust was directed to the tips of a centrally mounted axial fan. The air from this fan was distributed around the periphery of the vehicle and louvers redirected the thrust for both lift, control and forward motion. Capable of carrying two crew members each seated in his own cockpit located on either side of the vehicle. Tethered trials began in December 1959 and the first non-tethered

flight was made in May 1961.

As things turned out, the stability problems of the Coanda Effect were never ironed out and the 'Flying Saucer' never left ground effect. I suppose, this makes it the World's First successful hovercraft - rather than flying saucer! ! In 1963 the project funding was cancelled and the vehicle was transferred to the Museum in Virginia. Unfortunately, during my visit to the museum the AVRO-CAR was off being refurbished. This has thus predetermined my destiny to make another visit!

I also knew of another vehicle present at the museum – the last of the three that were made by Bell Aerosystems of Buffalo, New York. These were the SK-5 military hovercraft used by the US Army during the war in South Vietnam. Of the three craft constructed, one was blown up during the conflict, one was left behind in Vietnam (and its whereabouts is unknown) and the last example is on display here at the museum.

Its design was featured in a 1967 cover story in Popular Mechanics. Based heavily on the design of the British Hovercraft Corporation

SR.N5 (three of which saw service with the US Navy during the Vietnam conflict in 1967) the SK5 used a more powerful engine and featured a signif icant amount of armour protection for the occupants as well as purpose-designed gun mountings.

Earlier, I alluded to a couple of surprises at the museum. One of these was arguably the first ever 'production' air cushion vehicle. The Curtis-Wright Air Car. This remarkable vehicle was powered by a helicopter

engine and seated up to four on its centrally located bench seat. The resemblance to an automobile of the era is obvious. This vehicle was a real surprise find. It is in excellent condition and if only I could have the chance to try it out! ! It certainly showed how far ACV development has come over the years! Anyone who has seen the early films of this vehicle in operation will simply love to see it first hand !

Situated right beside the air car was another vehicle that I remembered from the plastic modelling days of my youth - the Piasecki Air Jeep. This remarkable device did fly free of ground effect. It was available as a plastic model (re-issued recently) and kept my attention at an early age. I'm not sure why more weren't produced as from all accounts that I've read, it was quite successful. Another device that has yet to earn a display spot is a rocket belt. They hope to have this on display in the near future.

If you get a chance, drop in on the Museum. Admission is free and it is open every day 9:00 am to 4:30 pm except Monday's and US Federal Holidays. Also of note is their amply stocked gift shop. You can also check out their web site at http://www.eustis.army.mil/dptmsec/museum.htm If you're interested in other military vehicles, this is the spot! From aircraft to boats to trains to wheeled vehicles. This is the best collection of military vehicles I've ever seen & well worth the trip.

Bob Rennick Visits the US Army Transportation Museum

One of the three Bell Aerosystems SK.5 craft built, based on the SR.N5, and similar to the craft in the Museum


Members of both Houses of Parliament have expressed interest in the Bertin Aerotrain, and recently Mr John Osborn, MP, and Lord Merrivale travelled on the test vehicle in France, which runs along an experimental track four miles in length. Despite the restrictions imposed by the limited length of the track, rapid accelerations and dece le ra t ions were conv inc ing l y demonstrated, together with a maximum speed in excess of 180 mph. Sustained runs at these speeds are out of the question at present, but the chief characteristics could be fully appreciated including the quietness of the vehicle, the overall smoothness of the journey and trouble-free transition from low to high speed and vice versa. At the time of the Members' visit the Mayor of Orleans and the City Councillors were also present, as well as the engineer in charge of the project. Sufficient knowledge has now been obtained from the experiments and test runs to enable the construction of a 20 km track to be undertaken in the vicinity of Orleans. This will enable high speeds to be attained for an appreciable length of time and, as well as enlarging the operating envelope of the Aerotrain, will make possible the trials of a much larger vehicle seating over eighty passengers. The use of the Aerotrain as a means of speedy inter-city services and city to airport links had been referred to by Mr Osborn in the House of Commons in March this year when he spoke of the efforts being made by the French to develop this means of transport, and how it could best be tackled in this country. The existence of a British "tracked hovercraft" design was made known some time ago, and a model of this project was shown at the Hovershow last year, but the practical results of this knowledge have yet to be realised in the UK. The question of some form of collaboration with the French on the Aerotrain or hovertrain project would seem to be raised, and this was in fact mentioned in debate at the time. Later this year, after his visit to the Bertin test track, Mr Osborn asked the Minister of Technology whether he has approved the proposals of the National Research and Development Corporation to set up a subsidiary, Tracked Hovercraft Ltd, to develop a 250 mph hovertrain. The reply given was hardly of a satisfactory nature, as it spoke of "considering proposals in consultation with the Minister of Transport". Meanwhile the Bertin Company is proceeding with its experiments and in the near future will be conducting full-scale trials of passenger-carrying services employing this new method of rapid transport. Details of the System In a paper read before the societe Scientifique du Dauphine in 1966, M Jean Bertin gave information about his company's product and the plans for the

future. In this description, he detailed the systems used for the control and propulsion of the vehicle together with the development history to date, and further particulars of the advantages envisaged from a use of the Aerotrain for inter-city travel or for journeys such as that from airport to city centre where rapid ground transportation is essential so as not to lose the advantages given by modern air transport. The present Aerotrain vehicle is an experimental model guided by a concrete track of inverted "T" shape and was the first air cushion vehicle (ACV) of this kind tested in the world, in December 1965. This was itself preceded by a test programme whereby models of various sizes were used to prove the system; for example, in 1963 a scale model was constructed to investigate directional control. The model weighed 25 kg and was 1.7 m in length; it was notable for its almost frictionless movement and was also used to examine the practicability of the central guiding rail, this being designed to remove one of the problems of the ACV -travelling at speed over obstacles.

This Aerotrain is basically of a light alloy construction, the cabin seating six passengers in the front of the vehicle while the rear part is occupied by the engine compartment. Both lift and guidance are provided by two Renault Gordini engines, each of 50 hp, driving two centrifugal fans. These feed four guiding and four sustaining air cushions. Propulsion is provided by a 260 hp Continental aero-engine fitted with a reversible-pitch propeller. Air pressure is 0.36 psi and the max airflow is 353 cu ft/sec. For braking, three systems are used on the vehicle: the reverse pitch of the propeller, brake pads at the rear of the Aerotrain which act as disc brakes on the vertical section of the track, and wooden skis in case of suspension failure. The main dimensions are as follows: length 32 ft 10 in, width 6 ft 7 in, height 5 ft 3 in, height of propeller axis 8 ft 10 in, diameter of propeller 6 ft 8 in, overall height 12 ft 2 in. The total weight is 5,500 lb. As originally

constructed this Aerotrain was capable of a maximum speed of 200 km/hr (125 mph), but was subsequently fitted with a rocket engine, enabling more representative speeds to be attained of the order of 300 km/hr. The test vehicle made its first run in 1965 and, with the rocket fitted, attained a maximum speed of 188 mph in December last year. In the paper by M Bertin referred to previously, mention was made of the place that the ACV occupies in the transport spectrum of the present or the near future. In the accompanying diagram, speed of transport is plotted against specific propulsion power in kW/tonne. It can be seen how pedestrians, wheeled vehicles, helicopters, aircraft and ACVs fit into this diagram, varying from 5 kW/t to greater than 70 kW/t. One finds that helicopters and aircraft do not operate successfully at the present time in the 200-300 km/hr "band", and also that wheeled traffic is for all practical purposes limited to speeds of about 200 km/hr. In addition, very considerable increases in

installed power are needed for small increases in higher speeds for trains or road vehicles. The ACV speed of 300 km/hr mentioned seems to be the ideal for fast transport on routes such as, for example, the journey from Paris to Lyon, which by the fastest train takes four hours; an Aerotrain operating over the same route would take between seventy and ninety minutes.

The Aerotrain Track The Aerotrain vehicle is intended to travel along a track about 5 m in height across normal country, but this can be varied to suit geographical conditions and a subterranean track is possible if the conditions existing make it

necessary and it is economically justifiable. For the comfort of passengers at high speed when turning, centrifugal force generated is kept to a low level and the largest possible radius of curvature is employed, bearing in mind the future velocities which may be possible with the Aerotrain. At 400 km/hr, for example, a centrifugal acceleration of 0.15 9 is obtained with a radius of 8,600 m. Where the Aerotrain would have its maximum speed limited to 200 km/hr, the radius for the same acceleration could be 2,100 m. It should be emphasised that for special reasons, such as the avoidance of obstacles or the proximity of stopping points where the speed would necessarily be much lower, a radius of curvature as low as 800 m could be considered in these circumstances. In some cases it may be necessary to alter the height of the Aerotrain track and this can be easily undertaken, to twice the normal stated height.

From the Archives - The Bertin Aerotrain for the UK (!)

Aerotrain 01 during trials. This train has been restored & preserved by the Bertin Society


The world's first hovercraft race took place 37 years ago, in Australia's capital city, Canberra. Participants and observers recall that historic event, which has never before been fully recorded.

(By Eric Shackle)

Nine mostly backyard-built mechanical hares and tortoises competed in the world’s first hovercraft race in Australia’s capital, Canberra, on March 14, 1964. One of the amphibious hares sank, three had to be towed ashore, and a tortoise was first to cross the finish line.

The race took place on a cold, windy Sunday morning, on the city’s new man-made scenic Lake Burley Griffin, then only part-filled The event, one of several celebrations marking the 51st anniversary of the naming of Canberra, was organised by the Canberra branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Race organisers had received 13 entries, from the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, but there were four scratchings.

I was there as the Sydney-based public relations officer for the sponsor, BP, which supplied fuel and lubricants for a wide variety of motors, ranging from tiny Victa lawnmower engines to one salvaged from a Catalina flying-boat..

I clearly recall the ear-splitting noise of the motors as they were warming up onshore, and the clouds of sand and dust raised by the downward blasts of air from the machines.

The fastest craft was built by two friends, Arthur Powell and Roy Raymond, both living in the Canberra suburb of Ainslie. Powell, who worked as a bricklayer, was also a skilful woodworker. He built the frame from 1/16-inch aircraft plywood covered with several coats of varnish.. Raymond looked after the engineering.

“When we heard the race was to be held, we decided to take part,” says Raymond, who now lives in Nabiac, a small country town 288 km (166 miles) north of Sydney. “We built an annular peripheral craft, with a triangular frame for cheapness and speed.”

“Two motors were needed, one to give it lift and the other for forward drive. The vector motor came from an old World War II

Catalina flying-boat. It was a V-twin generator motor which had been used to keep batteries charged when the Cat was moored in water. We used it through drive shaft and gearbox to the propeller, thereby giving lift to the propeller pressure tube. The other engine was a two-cylinder Sunbeam motor which had been used in motorbikes.”

The pair finished building their craft just in time to tow it to the shores of the lake, where they arrived shortly before the race was due to begin. When they started the motors, the craft rose two and a half inches above the ground, to pass the lift test.

“Arthur Powell took it out for a test run, and reached a speed of about 40 miles (64km) an hour,” says Raymond. “He covered the five-sided course of just over a mile in less than three minutes.

“While returning towards our shore base, he made a sharp turn, and the craft overturned. Fortunately, the lake was only partially filled in 1964, and the water was only about a metre deep. We quickly righted the craft, dragged it out of the water, dried the motors, and restarted them. We were ready for the race start. Arthur and I tossed a coin to decide which of us would be the driver, and I won.”

Because those primitive hovercraft were difficult to steer, race officials set competitors off one at a time instead of all together, to the disappointment of spectators.

Entrants were required to make two-way demonstration runs in front of the crowd lining the lake’s bank, cover the five-sided course, and then return to the finish line at the edge of the lake.

"On the demonstration run, I steered the craft into the wind and opened both throttles," says Raymond. "The faster the hovercraft moved, the higher it rose from the water. I was just tipping the tops of the little waves. I slowed down for the five-sided course, and completed it in two and a half to three minutes.

"But disaster struck on the way back to the shore. When I stopped in front of the crowd, the vector drive shaft broke, so I failed to cross the finish line, and we were disqualified, after achieving the fastest time over the main course."

Thirty-seven years later, Raymond blames himself for the mishap which cost him the race. "It was my fault, because I’d used the

wrong steel for the shaft," he says. "But considering we built the machine for only that one-off race, it performed very well."

Only five hovercraft completed the circuit. First prize of £100 ($200) was won by a beetle-like plenum chamber type vehicle entered by a syndicate of five from New South Wales. It was piloted by Allen Hawkins, an engineer from the Sydney suburb of Sans Souci. Raymond says Hawkins steered it in the direction he wanted to go by leaning to that side. Another plenum chamber craft, built by William Slege and Kevin McCloud, of South Australia, gained second place.

Other craft taking part included an entry from the Air Cushion Vehicle Development Group, and two annular peripheral jet craft, one built by RAAF personnel at Amberley, Queensland, the other by Alan Ellis, electrical engineer at Radio station 2CN, Canberra. Raymond recalls that Ellis was a fellow member of the Canberra Aero Club, where he was nicknamed LAME, because he was a Licenced Aircraft Mechanical Engineer. What became of Powell and Raymond’s speedy machine? They towed it back to Ainslie, where they dismantled it, took out the motors, and destroyed the frame. They had built their last hovercraft. Raymond resumed his favourite pastime: building and flying light aircraft.

Today, at 82, he is probably Australia’s oldest licenced pilot. His old friend John Coggan says: "Roy has built boats, gliders, and powered aircraft. He flies his own plane, a J1 Taylor Cub which he totally rebuilt himself. With his son Barry, he flew around Australia in it a couple of years ago."

Several other Canberra residents remember watching the 1964 race.

Judy Papps, of Isaacs: "What is most vivid in my mind is how funny it was watching the hovercraft going off in all directions - not necessarily the one the driver intended. My husband, Peter, recalls that Harold Clisby, a South Australian inventor, was one of the competitors."

Neal Gowen, of Kaleen: "I was 15 and must have gone to see the race with my dad. As far as I can recall, it took place in the bay (West lake) near the Australian National University, and I am sure we were watching from Black Mountain peninsula. The lake was not full at that time, and there was still a

From the Archives - The World's First Hovercraft Race


land bridge from the main shore to what is now Springbank Island.

"A lot of dust was blown up (and noise) at the start as the hovercraft left the shore. The event got a little confused after that and I recall one craft sinking. There seemed to be a total lack of control of direction in the other craft. It took forever for the ‘Race’ to finish. Unfortunately I did not take my camera with me that day to add to my ‘historical’ collection of Canberra photos."

Gavin Byrne, of Mawson: "I had arrived in Canberra a few weeks before to join CSIRO as a research scientist. The lake was half full at the time, so the shoreline of Lake Burley Griffin was very different from what it is now (I remember driving past the wet end of the then hospital, now museum, jetty).

"Most of the entries seemed to be powered by Victa lawn mower engines but there were one or two larger, more finished, craft built by university engineering departments. I think Melbourne University Engineering Department was one of the entrants."

John Coggan, of Hackett: "They were good days when all this happened. We were flying Tiger Moths and building our own sailing boats and life was good. I am glad I was there and very happy to be able to look back on it still."

Hovercraft have come a long way since those days. They are used around the world to perform a variety of tasks. Travelling on a cushion of air, they can traverse any kind of surface - dry land, swamps, water, snow or ice.

Large hovercraft have carried millions of passengers in many countries. Armed military hovercraft provided speedy river patrols in Vietnam. Tank and troop carrying hovercraft carried out beach landing missions in the Gulf War. Smaller craft are

widely used for recreation, racing and rescue.

More than three decades of hovercraft ferries crossing the English Channel ended on October 1, 2000, when Hoverspeed completed its conversion to an all-catamaran service.

The company retired the world's two largest hovercraft, the Princess Margaret and the Princess Anne. For 32 years, the twin Princesses had carried tens of millions of passengers between England and France, providing the fastest way to cross the Channel on the Dover-Calais route. The Princess Anne holds the record for the fastest crossing of the English Channel, travelling the 23 miles (37km) between Calais and Dover on September 14, 1995, in only 22 minutes. The Princess Margaret was featured in the James Bond film Diamonds are Forever. The Southsea - Ryde, Isle of Wight journey is now Europe’s sole remaining hovercraft route.

The largest hovercraft in the world was built by the Russian company Almaz in St Petersburg. Named Zubr (NATO called it Pormornik or Skua), it was until recently a top secret technological achievement. It’s 57 metres (187ft) long, 22.3 metres (76ft) wide, and moves at 96kmh (60 mph). It can carry three tanks and 100 marines, and can move over water, sandbanks and marshes, surmounting obstacles up to two metres (6ft 7in) high.

Somehow, it doesn’t sound nearly as much fun as those tiny lawnmower-powered craft that staggered across Lake Burley Griffin back in 1964.

POSTSCRIPT: The Hoverclub of America says "Hovercraft racing is now an established sport. As there is very little sponsorship most of the hovercraft racing is still within the reach of the shade tree mechanic. The hovercraft industry shares many engineering breakthroughs with the ultralight aviation community." The 2002 World Hovercraft Championships will be held in Du Quoin, Illinois (U.S.) in September Organisers claim the world's fastest machines and drivers will compete in "this ultimate hovercraft competition." Eric Shackle is a retired journalist whose hobby is searching the Internet and writing about it. His work has been published by the

New York Times (U.S.), Toronto Globe and Mail ( C a n a d a ) , S y d n e y M o r n i n g H e r a l d (Australia) and Straits Times (Singapore). He is copy editor of Anu Garg's Ohio-based A Word A Day free newsletter, which is e-mailed five days a week to nearly half a million word lovers in 203 countries. He has written a free e-book, LIFE BEGINS AT 80...on the Internet, at ht tp:/ /www.bdb.co.za/shackle/ebook.htm.

(by Mike Morton) Geoff Hatton, of England, contacted me recently via E-mail to say that he had created a web site that might be of interest to members. The site contains a brief pictorial history of hovercraft constructed by himself and a few business associates during 1964 to 1976. The old pictures of these vintage hovercraft along with some informative verbiage depict the pioneering of hovercraft. Be sure to check out this site: www.geocities.com/hoverman2001

Mini-Hover built by Ossie Sterling and flown by Lord Brassey at Apethorpe in May 1966. Built in an old chapel in Crowland Lincolnshire, the materials used were plywood frame covered with unbleached calico then shrunk with aircraft dope. The engines were Villiers lawn mower engines, one for lift, and originally two for thrust. Overall size 11'9” in length, 9'01” in width. Linked twin rudders at the rear for directional control. There was no ducting on the thrust engines, nor were there any safety guards. When it was completed the first problem arose, it was too large to get out of the door. The side of the building was knocked down and a sliding door installed to release the craft to the outside world. This craft was the forerunner of the Hoverair range of craft that were built in Whittlesey in Cambridgeshire under the sponsorship of Lord Brassey and continued after his death in 1967 by his wife Lady Barbara Brassey.

Modified 'Major' at Sybson airfield 1968. An attempt was made by Geoff Hatton on the land speed record for hovercraft at the Biggin Hill Airshow in 1968. It crashed on the first leg of the run at an approximate speed of 70 mph and was never rebuilt. Prior to this it had completed a circuit of Silverstone racetrack. The only hovercraft ever to do so. Geoff Hatton can be contacted at [email protected]

Pictorial History of Hovercraft

The results to date speak for themselves in the photos. I am working on the cabin, rear doors and fins, and plan to operate the craft at the next museum open day on 13th Sept.

Length 48 in (1,240 mm) Width 29.25 in (743 mm) Height (power off) 14 in (359 mm) Lift Motors Four 400 Lift Power Two 7 cell Thrust Motors Four 480 Thrust Power Four 7 cell Controls 6 channels - All pylons collective direction (yaw) - Aft pylons direction (rotate) - Fins direction - Forward pylons thrust - Aft pylons thrust - Lift


SEAIR designs and constructs amphibious aircraft, hovercraft, and a "Micro Watercraft" we call the "Water Sport". Our smallest Hovercraft is 24 feet (7.315m) long and 8 feet (2.438m) wide off hover. We have designs and manufacturing capabilities for hovercraft up and over 36m. Target markets are for search & rescue, commercial transport, and recreation. The SEAIR "flagship product" is our Ultralight Flying Boat. This is a 2 person water based aircraft capable of taking off and landing in small bodies of water and reaching altitudes of 8,000 feet. For the most part hovercraft in the USA are built in garages and backyards. With the exception of Textron (LCAC) the USA does not have any commercial grade hovercraft production. Until now. There are a few smaller companies that market 2 and 4 person craft for recreation but the technology and basic designs are very old. I would very much like to hear from people who support the hovercraft technology and want to see it taken to higher levels. Please feel free to contact me via E-mail, or direct. Kurt H. Peterson Vice-president SEAIR 500 Davy Lane Wilmington, IL 60481 USA www.seair.com [email protected]

I started building this model in 1994. I have built over 20 scale radio controlled hovercraft since the CC.5 model that I made in 1971, but nothing as big and complex as this.

Most of the models that I have built are based on types that have been operated by Hovertravel, e.g. SR.N5, SR.N6 and AP1-88. The largest craft that I had built before starting the N4 were 1/12 scale SR.N6 Mk.6 and 1/20 scale AP1-88/100, at around five feet long, or 1.5 metres. An SR.N4 Mk.2 built to 1/32 scale would be the same length, but 50% wider. The 19 foot diameter propellers would scale to just over 7 inches, so would work well directly driven by electric motors.

The craft was originally designed to be lifted by two RS380 motors, driving 5 inch diameter 3-bladed props. The main skirt trunk was made, running from one rear corner, around the front of the craft, and then to the rear on the other side. A makeshift single-piece rear trunk was made, and the craft hovered. Unfortunately, I ran out of enthusiasm at that point, and put the craft into storage.

Two SR.N6 Mk.6 and one AP1-88/100 later, I dusted off the N4 and started again. I made four removeable lift units with homebuilt centrifugal fans, and four removable pylon mounts. I also new skirt, with two rear trunks, and the project was on again.

1:32 R/C SR.N4 Mk.2 Model by Mark Porter SEAIR Hovercraft

Exclusive - NGH Lift Fan Design


(by Ron Wade) You never know where a phone call will lead, and that was very true one day late in November 1989. What, the caller asked, would be involved in certifying a British- designed passenger hovercraft built in Australia for a cargo operation in northern B.C.? We got a lot of weird queries, which were obviously wild dreams, but this one was different. The caller was a Merlyn Royea, a vice president of Cominco, a large mining company based in Vancouver, which wanted to construct and develop a gold mine in an area, which was virtually inaccessible. A feasibility study had concluded that a hovercraft could provide access, and identified 3 possible craft which would meet Cominco's cargo requirements, these were to transport mine construction modules weighing up to 12 tonnes, during the construction phase, and 12 -15 tonnes of concentrate product, and fuel, when the mine was operating. The route was over about 110 km of the Stikine-Iskut river system in northwest B.C., from the SNIP mine (I never did find out why SNIP) at Bronson Creek, to the Alaskan port of Wrangell. Of the 3 identified craft, Larus (already in Canada), was deemed to be too slow, unreliable, and with many 'one-off components, while a LACV-30 was very expensive to operate, and too noisy for regular operation in and out of Wrangell. The feasibility study recommended that Cominco proceed with the procurement and modification. of an AP .1-88, of which 2 were for sale in Australia. Cominco did proceed, and I found myself flying into the tropics of Cairns in Queensland from the January snows of Ottawa, in company with Merlyn Royea and another v .p., David Nichols. John Leonard, chief designer of BHC had already arrived, and we all headed for the shipyard of NQEA, to meet the owner, Don Fry and his team. NQEA built the AP.I-88 under license from BHC; they also build wave-piercing catamarans, warships for the Australian Navy, and other ships. The primary modification to the craft was to remove the passenger cabin structure aft of Frame 4, to provide a well deck 9m long, 4.5m wide. The sides of this were strengthened, and a grid of tie-down points

was provided. The forward part of the passenger cabin was kept. John and his team had done the preliminary stressing and design and there did not seem to be any problems. I had already certified the basic AP.1-88 for Canada, so only required the data relevant to the modification. Other, low temperature mods would be fitted in Canada. Next day was Sunday, and we relaxed on a trip by wave-piercer to the Great Barrier Reef for a stop of about 4 hours for snorkelling and close-ups from a submarine. We then flew to Brisbane, where the 2 craft lay; this was the first time Merlyn and David had seen a hovercraft in the flesh, and they went off for a long demo, while I did a thorough check of the other craft and its records, and prepared a report for Merlyn. He and David had contractual sessions with the craft owners, and the next day he told me they were going ahead. So, back to Cairns to get together with John Leonard (with whom I had worked closely for many years} and the NQEA engineers; it was rather a unique situation and it was important that we all knew who was doing what and who wanted what. Cominco and NQEA agreed to a timetable, which would have the craft ready for trials in May. During the next 3 months, the data and reports trick- led in and I developed the certif ication tr ials and inspection programme -standard to John and I, but a bit fancy for the laid-back Aussies. Back to Cairns in early May, to find the craft in the throes of the usual last-minute delays. A couple of days later, she was lifted on to a low-Ioader and towed about a kilometre to the slipway. First item was to get the weight and c.g.,

from 2 cranes fitted with scales -result was close to what we expected, so we filled the fuel tanks and went for gentle system checks. Everything was OK, so we got into the trials programme. John and I wanted to see if the new profile would affect handling in the single lift engine, -failure at high yaw angles. It did, but not to cause concern. We completed the lightweight phase, and loaded up with water tanks. The new stressing allowed an increase of some 4000 kg to 44,000kg, and we approached the engine failure cases with caution, which was wise as the deceleration on lift engine failure was on the severe side of moderate. John and I agreed that we needed some yaw limitations at high weights. Apart from that, the trials and inspection went off with no problems, and we all departed for home. The craft, now CH-COM, was loaded on a freighter and arrived in Vancouver in early June for fitting the Canadian modifications, before travelling under her own power to Snip. From Wrangell to Snip, the route crosses Wrangell Sound into the wide Stikine River for about 50 km, and then branches into the Iskut. From here on, there are no charts; the Iskut is what is known as a "braided stream", which means that it is very shallow, full of shifting sandbanks and with few straight stretches. Heavy rain- storms up-stream wash 'logs'- mostly whole trees -into the river, swollen by the rain and running at up to 10 knots, making every trip a new adventure. Crew concentration and a high level of driving skill are essential. For the first few trips, the craft was monitored on the Iskut by a helicopter, while the crew made notes and markings on the rudimentary maps. The primary task in 1990 was to construct the mine, and Cominco had an army of engineers designing how to cut the larger

From the Archives - From Ozz to Snip


items of equipment to fit the craft. Cranes, bulldozers, trucks, modules, cement -it all had to be moved, and very little could come in by air. In the first 4 months, she imported over 900 tonnes -the largest single loads were 4 generator sets, each 12 tonnes. Why all this effort? The ore vein (in the middle of a mountain, found only by a stain in the rock) had been assayed at just over I oz per tonne with a reserve of almost I million tonnes. The estimated production would be about 270 tonnes per day, giving a working life of 8 years. Thanks to the work capacity of CH-COM the mine commenced operation early in 1991; now the craft started exporting concentrated ore and importing fuel and supplies to support the camp, which had a rotating crew of about 120. 4 special fuel tanks, each of 3,000 litres, were permanently installed in the well deck to import diesel fuel, whilst the export load was 7 bags of concentrate, each stamped with the weight, nominally 3,000lb. Compared to the original production estimate of 270 tonnes per day, the mine was up to 360 tonnes. The approach to Snip by air is not for the faint-hearted; side slipping down a glacier valley, levelling out over the river and turning into an impossibly short (but uphill) airstrip aimed at the mountain. On landing, one passes the wreck of a Bristol freighter in the bush on one side, and a Cessna on the other. My first trip, soon after the crew had got familiar with the route, was to check out the route safety; there are only two log cabins and occasional eagles and bears on the route, so radio checks are a must. The trip down to Wrangell took about 3 hours -we got lost going up a blind alley, and the cockpit chatter indicated the need for unusual navigation skills -" This is where we turn sharp right and go between those two trees", "What two trees?" "Well, they were there yesterday". We checked frequently with both Wrangell and Snip, usually getting both, always one. It was on the return trip that we ran into problems -we were over halfway back and could not raise Snip, despite repeated calls right up to being visual. When we got in, the reason became apparent -a mum bear and her cub had come in to camp at suppertime, and a rather cranky dad was prowling on the outskirts. All hands had been called out to (carefully) settle the family quarrel before anyone got hurt. This was one situation, which is NOT covered in the approval process!! The mine staff took a little time to get used to the hovercraft, and initially insisted on it

travelling the full length of the airstrip to refuel and tranship cargo. This meant about 3 km per trip over very abrasive gravel and stirring up dust storms. The operator had pointed out the unnecessary skirt wear to Merlyn, to no avail. At a convenient opportunity, I raised the point with Merlyn, and eventually he gave in, and the fuel truck and crane were positioned at the riverbank. Skirt wear and damage, due to the tree debris and gravel beds on the route, were the major maintenance problem -on several trips, the craft returned with a sizeable tree impaled in the skirt. A comprehensive stock of spares had been bought with the craft, but skilled personnel were needed, and for the first year, mechanics from Hovertravel and BHC were contracted, and the mine had excellent workshop resources for major work. Normally, 2 trips per day were made to Wrangell from April to October, then one a day until December. Night operations were avoided, but were possible with powerful searchlights. In 1992, work capacity was almost doubled by positioning a barge on the Stikine just downstream of the Iskut, and transferring cargo there. With this change and continued successful operation, the mine was worked out somewhat ahead of estimate, and the craft was put up for disposal in 1998.

This operation must rank as an outstanding example of the application of the unique capabilities of hovercraft when operated within its limitations. Unfortunately in Canada, this has been almost unique in the commercial field.

ENFIELD, Connecticut, USA (from James Wilkinson)

There were some scary moments on the Connecticut River Saturday afternoon near Enfield. A boat became hung up on some rocks near a dam just after 4 p.m.

Enfield police and fire units responded and needed a hovercraft and another boat to free the trapped vessel. The boat was occupied, but it was unclear just how many people were in it.

Police say the boat was hung up in an area of dangerous whirlpools and currents. Rescuers were able to get a line on the boat and tow it to safety. There were no injuries.

(A message recently posted to the Hover-Gen discussion group on the internet)

Dear All, I know this somewhat deviates from our normal subjects, but still remains of interest to some of us.

I have made tentative enquires about preserving one of two Rodriquez RHS 70 hydrofoils currently up for sale with Red Funnel Ferries, Southampton. They are laid up in Cowes, in very good condition. They have no commercial potential in UK waters due to classification conditions and the insurances associated with this. They are realistically worth scrap values or MTU engine spares value. They can however be used as a private vessel and I am currently investigating whether or not they can then be used as private charter / corporate activities to help it's upkeep. My objective is to try to keep one of these interesting and rare vessels, synonymous with Southampton and the Isle of Wight in the Solent area. They do fall into the category of "too old for service, too young for a museum" but thrown away now they go forever. We all have seen many an interesting item go in this direction.

The question is; If any of you, your friends or colleagues have any interest, advice (I especially need advice with how to fund i.e. a trust or syndicate etc.) in any shape or form please can you contact me, Neil Newman, at the following e-mail address: [email protected].

Further information can be seen at the International Hydrofoil Society website www.foils.org under hydrofoils for sale. Also an article in Classic Fast Ferries cybermagazine current issue.

Thanks, Neil Newman, Southampton

Slightly Off-Topic...

Hovercraft in the News


Name: Freja Viking

Type: AP1-88/100S

Manufactured by: British Hovercraft Corporation / Hovertravel Ownership: Previously owned and operated by Scandinavian Airline System between Copenhagen and Malmo. 1997 onwards by Hovertravel Limited. Status: Undergoing a major refit and upgrade programme on the Isle of Wight, England.

Delivery: June 2001

Capacity options: 98 seats without toilets or air conditioning OR up to 84 seats with 2 toilets and air conditioning OR further allocation of passenger cabin space for different types of accommodation e.g. galley, bunk space etc. General description: The hull is manufactured from welded marine grade aluminium. Forward propulsion is provided by 2 diesel engines each driving a fixed pitch 4 bladed propeller positioned within a duct. Transmission is via a toothed belt and shafting. Lift power is supplied from 2 air cooled diesel engines each driving centrifugal lift fans which are connected by shafting. Control is achieved primarily by vertical rudders situated immediately behind the propeller ducts, and secondarily through bow thrusters, which are powered by fans driven by the lift engines. Additional control inputs are available by varying engine power to include asymmetric application.

Propulsion system of type AP1-88/100S: A combined fuel and ballast system feeds the engines and enables the Captain to trim the hovercraft when experiencing varying loads and different weather conditions.

A 24 volt electrical installation provides power to all systems via an essential services and a main busbar. The craft is fitted with an essential services battery and 2 start battery sets.

The hovercraft is fully amphibious and is supported on a 'bag and finger' type skirt system, which features transverse stability bags and a half craft length longitudinal keel. These features provide considerable stability and durability.

Performance: 45 knots in calm conditions is guaranteed. The craft is capable of 50+ knots in calm conditions but 45 knots is the maximum type approved speed. Typical speeds in service will range from 25 to 45 knots subject to wind and sea conditions.

Please Note Items marked by ' * ' may be specified by the Buyer.

Major Refit: All engines and transmission removed. Ducts, bow thrusters, the mast and all other deck hatches and machinery removed. All buoyancy tanks opened, inspected and tested. Hull structure cleaned back to bare metal using very high pressure water jets. All electrical systems overhauled

and tested. All new uprated lift fans and transmission bearings fitted.

All new skirt 'fingers'. * Craft painted overall. * New carpet and seat covers - internal trim to customer specifications. * New OR manufacturer overhauled lift engines fitted. * Sutrac air conditioning - customer option. * New main skirt structure - customer option.

Performance modification: P r o p e l l e r ducts strengthened. Hull lengthened 1m at the stern. Two new 800hp MTU water cooled propulsion engines fitted. All new propulsion transmission to include toothed kevlar belts and carbon fibre propeller shafts, 2 sets. New electronic throttles for lift and propulsion engines. New propeller hubs and manufacturer overhauled propeller blades. Equipment: * New Radar, DGPS and Radios - customer option. * New life rafts - customer option. Certification: Freja Viking supplied with new Dynamically Supported Craft Safety Certificate issued by the UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency. All radio licences. Documentation: Opera t in g Manu a l Maintenance Manual Support: This hovercraft is offered with a 1000 hours consumable spares pack and a spare overhauled Deutz lift engine. * Extensive operating spares are available by arrangement and a full spares service is available from the UK. * Training in the UK for Pilots and Engineers. * Support in country by an experienced Pilot and Engineer for any time period subject to agreed terms. * Mechanical warranties subject to the operating environment and retention of Hovertravel personnel.

Operating Costs: T y p i c a l f u e l consumption 300 ~ 400 litres per hour. Estimated parts and direct labour cost, £100 per operating hour.

The above is based on a long term and ongoing basis and includes all engine overhauls / replacements, all periodic refits and all flexible structure maintenance.

Price: Subject to Specification and On Application Please note additional hovercraft of the same specification may be available soon. Contact: Mr Richard Box Director & General Manager Hovertravel Ltd. Lind Street Ryde Isle of Wight Tel: +44 1983 563051 Fax: +44 1983 562216 E-mail: [email protected] www.hoverwork.co.uk

Griffon 1500TD

The photograph above shows the Griffon 1500TD. The craft for sale is some 13 years old, has some 3000 hours on the clock and is in reasonable condition. It has been used as Griffon Hovercraft Ltd's charter craft, carrying out hydrographic surveys, mud sampling, assisting dredging operations etc. Whereas the craft is equipped with sixteen inward-facing bench seats, it should really only be used for up to say 12-14 people or a payload of one tonne. Before any sale, GHL would service the craft and repair or replace any worn skirt segments. The craft is equipped with a VHF radio. Price £42,000 (Pounds Sterling).

Griffon 2000TD and 2000TDX MkII

Both craft are shown in the photograph above, the 16 seat Griffon 2000TD being on the left and the 21 seat Griffon 2000TDX MkII on the right. The 2000TD is some 12 years old, has around 8500 operating hours on the clock and is in good mechanical condition. It is currently used as GHL's demonstrator and before selling it we would put in a new (reconditioned) engine, repair or replace any worn skirt segments and give it a good check-over and service. The 16 seats are inward-facing bench seats. The 2000TDX MkII is around 3 years old, has about 850 hours on the clock and is in good mechanical condition. This craft has a PVC roof and roll-up PVC windows, and again before selling, we would repair or replace worn skirt segments, and service it. This craft has 19 forward facing basic seats and two inward-facing seats. Both craft are equipped with a VHF radio and the 2000TDX MkII has a Furuno radar. The price of the 2000TD is £125,000 and the 2000TDX MkII is £250,000. All prices above are quoted ex works Southampton England, nett of all commission, and subject to final specification and contract.

www.griffonhovercraft.com

Commercial Hovercraft for Sale - A Round Up from the Web


One of the fastest passenger carrying craft in commercial operation, the Hovercraft are capable of reaching service speeds of up to 50 knots. Their amphibious capabilities offer exceptional flexibility for passenger and cargo carrying operations. Powered by four 3,800 horsepower gas turbine engines, a Hovercraft works on aeronautical principles as a cushion of air is generated under pressure by huge lift fans. This lifts the craft a few feet off the ground and enables pusher propellers to fly it in any lateral direction above the ground or water surface. Used as a sea vehicle, Hovercraft have enormous advantages over conventional ships. They are much faster and can reach speeds of up to 60 knots with a usual service speed of 50 knots. Since they draw no water, they are not restricted by sea depth or tides and can leave the water and skim into a large pad located well ashore to allow embarkation and disembarkation of passengers. No dry docks are required for maintenance and Hovercraft can be parked safely on their pads when not at sea.

Charter & operational history Since their construction in 1967 both The Princess Anne and The Princess Margaret have operated on the Dover, England - Calais, France route.

Vessel Description

Name: GH-2006 The Princess Margaret & GH-2007 The Princess Anne. Type: Passenger Ro-Ro Amphibious Hovercraft. Date of Build: 1967-69 to Mk 1. Lengthened, modified and uprated 1977-79 to Mk 3. Built By: British Hovercraft Corporation, East Cowes, Isle of Wight. Port of Registry: N/A Owner: Hoverspeed Ltd / Sea Containers Ltd. Capacity: 321 passengers which includes 40 first class seats with dedicated servery (max. passenger capacity is 424). Vehicles - approximately 52 cars. Cars and vans to 3 tonnes, limited space in a strengthened area for vehicles to 10 tonnes.

Classification: Nil. Certification: UK Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) Safety certificate issued annually. Dimensions: Length: 56.38m Breadth: 27.89m Height (off cushion): 11.73m Height (on cushion): 14.17m Weight: Empty: 195 tonnes All Up: 325 tonnes Main Engines: 4 x Rolls Royce Proteus 15M 529 Gas Turbines, (max. continuous 3800 S.H.P. each). Propulsion: 4 x 21 feet diameter G.R.P. Variable Pitch Propellers. Auxilliary Power: 2 x Rover IS/90 Gas Turbines with generators for electrical power (55 KVA each). Navigation Equipment: 2 x Bridgemaster Daylight Viewing Radars 250 x 340 'X' and 'S' Band. Interswitchable. 2 x Sailor VHF Radios GPS Fibre Optic Gyro Compass (C. Plath). Safety Equipment: Life rafts and lifejackets. Fuel: Kerosene. Maximum Fuel Capacity: 36000 litres (28000 litres useable). Fuel Consumption: 5000 litres / hour. Maximum Operating Conditions:

Mean wind speed 40-50 knots. Maximum sea height 3½m (significant). Speed: Cruise speed 60 knots in calm conditions. Spares: 6 spare engines 4 Rover engines 4 propellers 5 generators Major structural spares Complete spare skirt system Large quantity of skirt raw material Huge quantities of consumables (aluminium, fasteners, extrusion, tube, sealants, etc) Complete set of specialised tooling for calibration, set up, handling of craft components. Ground Equipment: Specialised jacking and winching system. * All details given without guarantee For further information on The Princess Margaret or The Princess Anne please e-mail us at: [email protected]

www.vessels4sale.com

SR.N4s The Princess Anne & The Princess Margaret


(Reprinted from Punch – September 9, 1959)

First Annual General Meeting of the Hovercraft Development and Friends of Air-cushioned Travel

League THE CHAIRMAN: Ladies and gentlemen, we are privileged to be present at the dawning of a new age. The pioneer flights of the SR.N1 have shown beyond all possibility of doubt that the vehicle of the future will be neither waterborne nor wheelborne nor indeed airborne, but air-cushioned. Our League has come into being to ensure that for once planning is and continues to be, ahead of achievement. We have seen how dismally, in the motor car age, the authorities of this country have failed to provide in time the roads, the parking space, the safety devices that the growth of that form of travel has successively demanded, so that now, more than sixty years after the first petrol-driven vehicle took the road, we will lag calamitously behind. Let us not be caught napping again. Let us, by forethought, by, discussion, by agitation, by pressure of every kind, if need be by uproar and marches with banners (Applause), see to it that this time our preparations are made too soon rather than too late - that our hoverways and our hoverparks, our hoverports, our hovercode for hoverists (or, as I should myself prefer to call them, hovercraftsmen), that all these essential concomitants of the Hover Age are ready before and not after the hovercraft themselves begin to pour in their thousands and their tens of thousands from the factories. Let us take heart from the example of the Interplanetary Society, who have for years been studying the problems of space travel, though the first man-carrying space vehicle has still to make its maiden flight. As man rises to new heights- A VOICE: Eighteen inches in this case, so they say. THE CHAIRMAN: I was speaking metaphorically, Mr. Hardcastle. I will now, without more ado, call upon the secretary to put you all in the picture with a brief description of the principle upon which the hovercraft operates. Mr. Gooch. MR. GOOCH: I want you to try to imagine a

force F acting downwards upon a flat surface S, to which it is inclined at an angle which we may call X. Now it is a well known fact that where the angle of incidence- MR. HARDCASTLE: I vote we have none of this. We don’t want to get bogged down in a lot of detail. The point is, what are we going to tell the Government to do for a start? A MISS HANKEY: Oh, the Government. I can tell you what the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation will say. He’ll say that as Minister of Transport he is, concerned only with vehicles that travel on land or in water, and as Minister of Civil Aviation he cannot be held responsible for anything that does not, in a true sense, fly. He’ll say that in any case we cannot and must not pledge posterity’s credit by a rash precipitancy, however well intentioned. As the future unfolds before us, stage by stage- MR. GOOCH: ...so that a cushion of air is trapped within the outer, or annular jet curtain and exerts an omni-directional p r e ssu r e wh i ch , i n f av o ur ab le circumstances, may he as high P4. THE MAYOR OF WESTPORT: Talking of stages, they say that the Stage 2 hovercraft will weigh about forty tons and carry eighty passengers, that Stage 3 will weigh a hundred tons, and that by the time Stage 5 is reached the thing will be 600 feet long and 350 feet wide. Won’t that cause a devil of a lot of spray? THE CHAIRMAN: We must take one point at a time. Would someone give us a start by proposing that “the object of the League is to promote in every possible way the interests of travel by hovercraft “? MR. HARDCASTLE: I object to the name “hovercraft.” Hovering is static, as with kestrels. What about calling it the Cockerell, after its inventor? The name rather happily suggests an inability to fly coupled with the power to rise a short distance above the ground in a welter of dust and feathers. A VOICE: I like “blower” myself. It’s graphic. ANOTHER VOICE: That’s it. Then, when the time comes to advertise for passengers, we can use the slogan “You‘re wanted on the blower.”

THE CHAIRMAN: Gentlemen, please! These are most valuable suggestions and will be carefully noted for discussion at a later date. But for the present we must make haste slowly. We must define our objectives. We are face to face with what will undoubtedly be an extremely rapid development of the hovercraft principle and its very varied application to civil and military life. We must not forget that in addition to Mr. Cockerell’s great work, Mr. Carl Weiland has been experimenting in Switzerland and already speaks of giant hover vessels weighing upwards of 350,000 tons and capable of crossing the oceans at a height of eight feet, while at the other end of the scale the Ford Motor Company has demonstrated an air-cushioned scooter which travels a fraction of an inch off the ground. In a very few years, perhaps ten, perhaps five, travel at a height of eighteen inches above ground, or water, will be a commonplace. Hovercars, hoveryachts, hoverbuses, hovertaxis, hovertractors- MR. HARDCASTLE: Hovermowing-machines? THE CHAIRMAN: The possibilities are endless. But these things cannot operate on our present road system. Quite apart from low bridges and such unknown hazards as the side effects of hovering over sewer gratings, there is the safety factor. At speeds approaching- MISS HANKEY: I wanted to ask somebody about that. What ‘s it like being run over by a hovercraft? As long as you lie down in time, is it any worse than an ordinary hair-do? MR. HARDCASTLE: They’ll be having these damned rallies before we know where we are. When I think of the Vintage Hovercraft run to Brighton in another ten years’ time... MR. GOOCH: ...at what is known as “hump speed.” The hole in the water generated beneath the hovercraft when at rest is left behind once hump speed is exceeded and follows in the wake of the vessel at an increasing distance. SIR EDWIN SNAP, O.B.E.: May I draw the attention of the Chair to the fact that Mr. Gooch is still speaking? Could not this hole

From the Archives - An Introduction to the Hovercraft Age


to which he refers be filled in some way with luggage, which would arrive later at reduced rates? THE EDITOR OF “HOVERCRAFT”: I have been thinking about parking problems. If the smaller land going vehicles were to be designed with flat tops they could perhaps be parked one above the other with their engines running, in a kind of pagoda. That is only a suggestion, of course. MR. GEORGE BLAND: Speaking as a nursery gardener, what about my cloches? I’ve had enough trouble with supersonic bangs breaking my greenhouses, without having a pack of flying saucers blowing a lot of hot air all over my smaller stuff. These things have got to be kept off private property or we’ll none of us know where we are. If they want to make holes in the sea and stir up clouds of dust in desert country, good luck to ‘em; but don’t let me catch anyone exerting a force F on my glass or I’ll very soon- THE CHAIRMAN: Exactly, That is why it is so vital that immediate steps be taken to provide adequate hovercraft facilities up and down the country. We must have the goodwill of the public, not their opposition. I move that we send a resolution to the Government demanding the allocation of an initial sum of one hundred million pounds for the early construction of hover-throughways connecting London with all important cities and seaports. THE MAYOR OF WESTPORT: I second that. MISS HANKEY: I move to add that soft drinks only be available at hoverstations on such main routes. The menace of the drunken hovercraft driver must be taken in hand at once. MR. EDWARD STRING, A.M.I.MECH.E.: Another thing. The inspection of all hovercraft over ten years of age should be made compulsory by Act of Parliament. Otherwise we shall have worn-out annular jets blowing out air at all angles, with consequent loss of control and risk of grounding, not to ment ion the embarrassment of women pedestrians. Five years would be better, in the early stages.

THE CHAIRMAN: We are going ahead too fast. Nothing will be gained- A BABEL OF VOICES: Our whole purpose is to go ahead fast... Exactly. There is not a moment to lose… …bumbledom and obstructionism. I beg to move… …together with properly trained air-cushioned police at intersections. If Britain is to have the first nuclear-powered hovercraft… …and some kind of draught-proof mounting-block for the convenience of passengers.

THE CHAIRMAN: Order! Order! Mr. Gooch, I think you had something to add about the ratio of cushion diameter to operational height? MR. GOOCH: A number of factors have to

be borne in mind when assessing or, as I would rather say, evaluating… MR. RONALD BUSH, A.R.I.B.A. I don’t know whether the application of the hovercraft principle to static constructions has been passed under review by the Committee. Air-cushioned houses would be, in many ways, a big step forward. Quite apart from a considerable saving on foundations, the re-shaping of precincts, city centres, and even in due course a whole conurbation, to suit changing traffic requirements, would be greatly facilitated. Of course the cost of producing the cushion-possibly by piping to domestic residences from a central powerhouse would have to be borne in mind. MR. HARDCASTLE: What about cellarage? THE CHAIRMAN: Mr. Bush has made a most interesting suggestion, which we must certainly examine at the right time. Fully mobile property may well be the answer to the problems of an overcrowded island. However- MR. GEORGE BLAND: Well, for goodness’ sake! Am I going to have the whole of Stepney next-pubs and all - traipsing about over my horticultural land looking for somewhere to settle? You‘ll get no subscription from me, if that’s the size of it. MISS HANKEY: The League must beware of becoming too visionary. No doubt there will be hovercaravans for holidaymakers, when the time is ripe; but further than that into the future I for one do not at present care to peer. MR. GOOCH: ...so that economy in operation depends, as I say, very largely on keeping M to a minimum, while raising the value of R, as an asymptote of P, to the highest practicable level. A VOICE: I second that. (After further discussion a resolution was passed calling upon the proper authorities to take all necessary steps in good time. The meeting then closed with a vote of thanks to Mr. Gooch, Mr. Hardcastle dissenting.)


(from European Ferry Scene) The Hovercraft Museum Trust (HMT) staged Hovershow 2001 over the May Day Bank Holiday Weekend on 4th-7th May. As before the venue was the Hovercraft Museum's secure site on the coastal side of HMS Daedalus at Lee-on-Solent near Gosport, Hampshire. The 2001 event was the third Hovershow by the HMT being made possible courtesy of the Defence Land Agency / MoD. The other Hovershows were held in 1995 and 1999, with industry-orientated events having taken place in 1966, 1976 and 1978 at Browndown and the old Gosport Army Base. The 2001 show was the most successful ever with ticket sales able to cover the Museum's land rent of £18,000 per annum for the next year, plus some of the day-to-day running costs. The land agents also take a proportion of the proceeds as per contract. The writer attended the Members' and Media Day on Friday 4th May, which acted as a dress rehearsal for the public shows on the following two days. HMS Daedalus was of course once home to the former Military Hovercraft Trials Unit, which operated between 1961 and 1981, complete with slipway into the Solent. The base has played host to the SR.N1, the vehicle carrying military SR.N3, SR.N5s and latterly the Mine Counter Measures / Mine-hunting BHC BH.7 and SR.N6 hovercraft. The last military hovercraft to be based here were the current Royal Marines' Griffon 2000 TDX hovercraft. Visitors to the show would find the main hangars still in situ which now house some of the Hovercraft Museum Trust's collection of small hovercraft, a film theatre and an impressive selection of models and components, including the lift fan from the world's first passenger hovercraft, the 1960 built Vickers VA-3. This craft operated across the Dee from Rhyl to Wallasey for British United Airlines. Other complete craft on display included an AV Tiger 12 GH-2126, a trio of Hoverhawks plus numerous small craft including an Osprey and various "home-made" hovers. A healthy variety of hovercraft-related merchandise was also available as well as stands by Hovertravel, the Association of Search and Rescue Hovercraft (ASRH), Hoveraid, Storm and others. Taking centre stage were the magnif icent sleeping giants, namely the SR.N4s The Princess Margaret and The Princess Anne, the latter being to the left of the entrance whilst the 'Margaret' faces

out to sea, towards her East Cowes birthplace just across the Solent. Both are loaded with spares and still the property of Sea Containers, on sale for £4.5 million. The sisters arrived here for s torage in December 2000 from Dover, the end of an e r a . N u m e r o u s r u m o u r s h a v e circulated concerning their sale but only time will tell. The Princess Margaret was opened up to the public each day. It was strange to walk around on board knowing that no departure was imminent and without the Hoverspeed cabin crew on duty. Both craft were ideally situated for photos, except for a caravan in front of the port bow of "TPM!" Hoverspeed engineers are still servicing the two sisters weekly. To the left of the 'Margaret,' and facing the SR.N4 Mklll, was resident SR.N4 Swift, an original unstretched version which has been on the site since retirement in 1991, being donated by Hoverspeed shortly afterwards. The Swift could carry 37 cars and 285 passengers and made 11,000 cross-Channel flights. The 'Anne' and 'Margaret' are 58 ft longer and carried over 50 million passengers and 11 million cars across the Channel. The 'Margaret' holds the record for the most used hovercraft in the world. Tours of the Swift were available daily and the craft, devoid of engines, propellers and pylons, was hovered each day using 6-ton air blowers, which are on loan from Nuttall Ltd. To watch the craft hover was an eerie sight and sound as all that could be heard was the air blowers and the hiss of air escaping under the skirt, there were no Rolls

Royce Proteus engines in full cry nor propellers slicing through the air. The Swift is soon to be completely repainted and tidied up. The roof was recently re-tarred to seal the many leaks that are prevalent on all SR.N4s (including the Mk Ills). The Hovercraft Museum Trust is also refurbishing the cabins bit by bit. This will be a long-term refurbishment, which will progress as money allows, repairing the many small problems that are evident on board. Ultimately though, there is a need to get her under cover to allow a start on a major rebuilding and restoration programme which would bring the craft up to Museum display standard (non- operational) as the central exhibit in the future Hovercraft Museum. It is also hoped to restore the pylons and propellers to their positions on the roof, all these items being in storage whilst awaiting reinstallation. At the western end of the site could be found the Museum's BH.7 which has been externally restored, but devoid of her propeller. The ex-military craft was opened up daily to visitors. The BH.7 and Swift were moved to their present locations to make way for the move of the SR.N4s from Dover last year. Behind the BH.7 was the Griffon

1500D Florence Gertrude, which had been loaned to the Museum. The craft was moved from Fishbourne on the Island via the car ferry service to Portsmouth, on a low-Ioader. The craft was used on the Panama Canal during 1987 and later used by Hoverlink in the north of England from where the name was acquired! Other Griffon craft on display were the 3000 TDX Mkll demonstrator and the smaller Griffon 450TD currently being used by the RNLI on evaluation trials for estuary, mud flat and inshore rescues, based at the Poole HQ. The Association of Search and R e s c u e H o v e r c r a f t a n d Hovertravel ran rides at the show using a Griffon 2000TDX Mkll (which had recently returned from

Andrew Cooke Visits Hovershow 2001


service in Burma) and one of the three Ryde-based AP1-88/100 craft, the Freedom 90. The latter operated just prior to the afternoon return flight to Ryde from the show. The Hovertravel craft departed Ryde at 10.45 each day, returning with passengers at 15.00. In between flights the Freedom 90 returned to Ryde so as to comply with regulations governing the crew working hours. Watching the hovercraft manoeuvre on the slipway at Lee was as impressive as always and evoked memories of the two SR.N4s when they stormed, and indeed roared, up the beach in December 2000. A vintage bus service and helicopter rides from Port Solent also ran in connection with the event. Hovershow 2001 was a most interesting event and quite unique in the world today. Due to the need for funding, it may be necessary for the Trust to host some smaller open weekends later in the year to try to boost funds, as there is some major expenditure ahead, including the movement of the SR.N6 from Fishbourne on 31st May 2001 and the hoisting of the HM2 out of the water at Wicor which will require a very large crane. The Trust cannot approach the Lottery for funding as it would need to own the site and the land agents are not prepared to sell at present. The Welldeck SR.N6 (a converted SR.N5), donated by Hoverwork in 1991, is in the final stages of being prepared for the move to HMS Daedalus; the skirt has been reinstalled (using a stretched SR.N6 skirt) with trial hovers being made in May using a 6-ton air blower. The 9-ton craft will be towed and hovered across to Lee-on-Solent. (all now done—Ed). The HM2 sidewall craft is stored on a mud mooring at Wicor, and recently suffered at the hands of vandals who managed to break all the windows and get on board. The craft is still complete, and can be repaired, but must be lifted from the water and placed into a

f e n c e d - o f f s t o r a g e compound so that she is safe from this sort of treatment. (again now done—Ed). The Hovercraft Museum Trust's counterpart, the H o v e r c r a f t Society, actively promotes the m o d e r n h o v e r c r a f t industry, which is far from dead. Companies such as Griffon and S l i n g s b y

continue to build hovercraft in the UK for customers worldwide whilst others are still being built in the former Soviet Union and USA for both civilian and military purposes. Recently the Hellenic Navy in Greece took delivery of four Project 1232/Pormornik Class hovercraft, which have assumed the names: L180 Kefallinia, L181 Zakynthos, L182 Kerkyra, & L183 Ithaki. The modern day hovercraft also plays a very important search & rescue role. For example the Coastguard in Vancouver, Canada, have used an SRN6 for 30 years, saving more lives than any other such operation, plus the RNLI, ASRH and Hoveraid employ small craft. The HMT is working to preserve a vital chapter in the book of maritime history and deserves to prosper. The hovercraft industry lives on with order books currently full, and although not a huge industry it is still an area of British-led know how with customers worldwide. Nowhere else in the world can one see such an impressive and diverse collection of hovercraft than that displayed by the Hovercraft Museum Trust. Food for thought, the collection was started by the acquisition of the last existing SR.N5 and now the surviving trio of world famous SR.N4s sit together whilst the future of at least one SR.N4 Mklll is decided. Big oaks from little acorns grow! Grateful thanks are extended to Chris Potter & Lyndon Ford of the Hovercraft Museum Trust for all their help & information supplied.

(by Lyndon Ford)

Greetings all, I’m back with more snippets of news from the museum and the SR.N4s. Since my last update, half of 07’s car deck has been repainted. Hoverspeed engineers including myself carried this out. It was a long a tiring job.

Don’t forget that 07 (Anne) would have been due for an overhaul last year so there was much scrapping of paint to be done. After the etch has dried, the primer can be painted on. This normally takes around 5-6 hours to dry, after which the topcoat can be added.

Each week different problems present themselves. Two fuel booster pumps failed. Each pump is wired for 3-phase and has a contactor. As this happened, the two contact relays controlling each pump also went – not the easiest of jobs to replace when there are no markings on them!

I’m glad to say that both craft have a full complement of lights on the car deck. The four emergency spots are replaced immediately when one fails. The other 28v emergency lights, are also fully working. There is one ballast inverter unit left for the 200v lights, I have had to remove a few fittings in the cabins for safety reasons. Unfortunately, the Galley on 07 has no lights at the present time, this being due to a wiring fault, which is proving hard to find.

The radar on each craft, I try to fire up at least 3 times a month. The inverters need to be run all the time to keep them in a fully working order, but this is not possible due to the limited access to the craft. The larger scanner requires a 240v supply, this is fed from the inverter situated in the port forward cabin. It runs on a 110v supply and will produce a smooth 240v at 20-30 amps.

Dry Cycles were completed a few weeks ago. After each dry cycle, the engines are sprayed with steelguard to protect them from the salt air. It was amazing how much salt we discovered after removing the engine cowlings. A hydraulic leak was discovered on the port fin on 06. The oil is seeping out one of the jacks; this will be replaced very shortly.

The Hoverspeed team consists of Tony Rowing and myself. If bigger jobs need doing, then either Tony Wilkinson or Kevin Pearce join us. It is hoped that the level of maintenance will increase, as more jobs need doing.

There are no planned engine starts at the moment; this is mainly due to do the safety factor. Skirt hinges are sprayed once a month with steelguard; this lubricates and protects the hinge from the salt air. It is hoped that the painting of the roof will commence shortly, the same system for the car deck will be implemented on the roof – it will take a few weeks.

That’s all for now, if you would like to find out more about the SR.N4’s at the museum and the work which takes place, please ring me at the office on 023 9255 2090 and I will try to answer your questions.

More News from the SR.N4s


(By Eric Shackle)

A bid to set a new world speed record for hovercraft is planned to be held on Lake Burley Griffin, in Australia's capital city, Canberra, in 2004, as the highlight of the World Hovercraft Championships.

The events, which are sure to attract global media coverage, will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the world's first hovercraft race, held on March 14, 1964, on the then partially-filled lake

The attempt to break the world speed record was suggested by Chris Fitzgerald, Australian-born president of one of the world's leading hovercraft manufacturers, Neoteric Hovercraft Inc., of Terre Haute, Indiana. His company, then known as Australian Air Cushion Vehicle Development (AACVD), competed in the 1964 event.

Today, its American offshoot has customers in 50 countries, including Disney World, local and national rescue departments, dive teams, gold mines, environmental and fishery research departments at universities, oil-spill clean-up, the US Army Corps of Engineers and people exploring remote areas that cannot be reached by other means.

"A little over one year ago the president of the World Hovercraft Federation, Owen Ellis, who lives in Melbourne, asked me about staging a 40th anniversary carnival in Canberra to commemorate the first race and to make it the 2004 World Championship," Fitzgerald said yesterday.

"I'd like to expand this event into a Hovershow involving not only racing but other activities such as a world speed record attempt for hovercraft, meetings of hovercraft-related technical societies, and manufacturers' displays.

"I contacted various officials in Canberra and after writing to Prime Minister John Howard things started to happen. We are now seeking approval from the National Capital Authority."

The present world speed record is controversial. In an email from Russell, Ontario, Canada, the secretary of the World Hovercraft Federation, Bob Rennick, said Bell Aerosystems recorded 105.8 mph with a 78ft SES-100B water jet propelled sidewall vehicle in January 1980, but some experts had claimed that its rigid sidewalls prevented it being classified as a hovercraft as it was not an amphibious vehicle.

"I've spoken to a former Hoverspeed pilot who claims to have had an unladen SR.N4 [hovercraft engaged in a regular passenger service crossing the English Channel] up over 100 knots during testing after a refit," said Rennick.

"The only real recorded attempt at a speed record that I'm aware of was after the World Hovercraft Championships on the Rio Douro in Peso da Regua,

Portugal, in September 1995. I was one of the officials for that event.

"Each vehicle had to cover a measured kilometre, first in one direction and then return. Their average time for the two runs was used for the speed record.

"Unfortunately, there was a huge bend in the river before the start, so there was no straight run-up, and a 60-foot dam at the end, so competitors let up on the throttle well before they completed their runs.

"Highest speed was 137.40 km/hr (85.376 mph) recorded on September 20, 1995 by American Bob Windt in a V-6 auto engine powered UH19P. Later in the week I climbed aboard together with a Portuguese official and two other American racers, with Bob driving, and we went for a blast down the river to a waiting riverside luncheon.

"British car drivers who were going to the luncheon on a road parallel to the river told me later that they could not keep up with us - and their speedometers were reading over 100 mph. Our onboard air speed indicator was 'pegged' to the maximum of 100 knots.

"I firmly believe that that was the fastest any hovercraft has gone - and I was privileged to be aboard. It was unfortunate that we didn't take a GPS [global positioning system] with us to record the speed."

Rennick said the possibility that the 2004 world hovercraft championships would be held in Canberra was "not a sure thing," as three other countries had also wanted to host the 2004 race "but, out of respect of the 40th anniversary, have thus far withheld their proposals to the World Hovercraft Federation." The WHF had not yet received an official presentation from Australia.

Whine Goes with Wine

The whine of a hovercraft's engines can be heard in picturesque wine-producing areas in both Douro (Portugal) and Canberra (Australia).

Just as the Molonglo river, running through Canberra, was dammed to form Lake Burley Griffin, a dam in Portugal's Rio (River) Douro provided a suitable expanse of water for the 1995 wor ld hovercraf t championships.

Back in 1809, British troops, led by the Duke of Wellington, crossed the Douro River, engaged the French forces in heavy fighting, captured Oporto, and pursued the French , who were retreating over the mountains into Spain.

Molonglo's military connection is less dramatic: in 1918, towards he end of the first World War, the Australian Government opened Molonglo Internment Camp . A few years later the camp became barracks for workmen building Parliament House and other buildings for the birth of a new city, on land where sheep had been grazing peacefully. Today, the site of the barracks is part of the industrial suburb of Fyshwick.

(from the Tampa Tribune) As night falls across Tampa Bay, you leave your luxurious room at St. Petersburg's Renaissance Vinoy Resort behind and step aboard a sleek 100-foot ferry. Riding on a cushion of air, the craft rockets smoothly across Tampa Bay at 50 knots. You ease into a sofa in the VIP lounge, margarita in hand. Fifteen minutes later, you dock at Tampa's cruise terminal and head out to savor Ybor City's night life. At 4 a.m., you slip aboard the last ferry back to St. Petersburg, sipping an espresso until you dock back at the hotel. That hedonist's dream soon will be reality, says K.Y. Rogers of Fast Cats Ferry Service, which plans to open a Tampa-St. Petersburg-Bradenton service early next year. “It will be like entering the first-class section of a very luxurious airliner for a 15-minute trip,'' Rogers said of the ferry ride. “Full bar and margaritas - like a condensed Jimmy Buffett special.'' Fast Cats' first vessel, the “PurrSeaverance,'' will run between Bradenton and Key West. In operation by mid-August, it will make two round trips a day, seven days a week. By January 2002, a sister ship will leave the cruise terminal in Tampa, docking at the Vinoy or The Pier in St. Petersburg, continuing to Bradenton, stopping at St. Petersburg again and then returning to Tampa. A first-class ticket for the Bradenton - Key West trip will cost $59 one way, or $94 one way for a VIP ticket, Rogers said. Round trip is double the cost. A round trip between Tampa and St. Petersburg is tentatively set at $39.95. The boats are constructed of space - age Kevlar and carbon fibre. Each carries 150 people. The boats will provide ramps to board customers in wheelchairs. A huge fan forces air below the boat, where the sides of the hull seal it in. The cushion of air lifts the boat, lessening the drag through the water. “It's a cross between a catamaran and a Hovercraft,'' said Mark Antos, president of the ferry company. Passengers will sit in air-conditioned comfort on reclining, aircraft-style seats and be offered deli-style meals, sodas and a full bar. The VIP lounge will offer full meals, an exclusive wine list and espresso and cappuccino drinks. “The upper deck will be like going into a very plush yacht,'' Rogers said, with leather lounge-style seats, a bar, sofas and tables. “This will be a fabulous ride.''

Hovercraft World Speed Record Attempt Planned for Canberra Ferry to be Fast, Lush


THE BOOK OF THE SOLENT Edited by Maldwin Drummond & Robin

Mclnnes This colourful hardback book was published on 24 July 2001—just in time for the busy regatta weeks in August when The Solent area is continually in the news and bustling with visitors. A wide spread of specialist authors has been bought together by the editors, who are themselves well known as historians specialising in the Isle of Wight and its adjacent Hampshire shores. This gives the book a wide scope, exploring The Solent's long and fascinating history through to its present day role so well known to seamen and yachtsmen. The Book of The Solent IMPRINT: Cross Publications and Thomas Reed Publications TITLE: The Book of The Solent Editors: Maldwin Drummond & Robin Mclnnes PUBLISHING DATE: July 2001 BINDING: Hardback with Dustcover FORMAT: 273mm x 213mm Portrait EXTENT: 206 pages ILLUSTRATIONS: 106 Colour, 100 Black & White ISBN: 0 901281 301 PRICE: £26.00 DESCRIPTION The Solent is one of the most famous sailing areas in the world. It lies between the shores of Hampshire to the North and the Isle of Wight to the South – a little under 30 miles. This book tells of the creation of The Solent, its natural environment and development as a waterway; its naval and military development, its enchanted shores, havens and harbours, its yachting history and photography, and The Solent as it is today. THE AUTHORS Edited by Robin Mclnnes and Maldwin Drummond, the following experts have been

called on: Its creation (Dr David Tomalin), the natural environment Andrew Butler), the development of The Solent as a waterway (Dr David Tomalin and John Bingeman), The Solent as a naval and military waterway and the development of the flying boat (Nicola Horsey and Peter Sedgley), the enchanted shores and the Isle of Wight coastal voyage (mainland - Maldwin and Gilly Drummond, Isle of Wight - Robin Mclnnes), yachts and yachtsmen (Maldwin Drummond), yacht photography (Keith and Kenneth Beken) and The Solent today (Kate Ansell). (Note that Nicola Horsey, mentioned above, is the Hovercraft Museum’s Hampshire Museums Coordinator). Orders can be placed direct with the publishers -Thomas Reed Publications on 01224 868821. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE

HOVERCRAFT? By John Lefeaux

(review by John Hobbs of the Hovermail

Collectors Club) This is the title of a new book written by John Lefeaux who, as a retired Commander R.N. joined British Rail Hovercraft (BRHL) as its Chief Engineer (and later became a pilot) on the creation of the company which traded as 'Seaspeed', and retired as its Managing Director in October 1981 when the businesses of Seaspeed and Hoverlloyd merged as Hoverspeed. My collection of covers provides most of the basic facts about hovercraft movements of significance within BRHL, but not all, I was to discover when reading this fascinating little book. In 1966, and by way of an opportunity to meet people in both Dover and France who were preparing for the cross-Channel service, a group of BRHL officials took an SR.N6 up the Channel to Dover and Ramsgate via Newhaven and then across to Calais and Boulogne. From the latter port they flew to Le Touquet, then Newhaven, and after an overnight stop there, returned to Cowes the following day. The book is fascinating because it tells us, in very readable form, so much about the people who pioneered the two cross-Solent services—SR.N6 first and then HM2—their relationships with The British Rail Board, some members of which appeared to be less than enthusiastic about vehicles that often did their best to go where they wanted in those early days, than they were about trains which were one-track-minded. We are also told much about all aspects of the cross-Channel services -interesting stuff. The author's prime ally was C.A. (Tony) Brindle who was the company's first general manager and pilot, and creator of the first official hovermail between the Isle of Wight and the mainland. If I hadn't made a casual

visit to the terminal at Southampton one Sunday in those very early days, and bought a cover, I doubt that I would be writing this now! Other events and names well-known to us figure in this book, and because it tells me so much more than I already knew, I found this compelling. But then I always find the social and human history of any of my pursuits of great interest. Our slipstreams must have crossed from time to time, for Mr. Lefeaux recounts his visit to the Pool of London—I was there and have 'mail' to prove it—and the first flight of the stretched N4 when I was on the Solent in an N6. At the time of writing, I can't remember which, although I'm reasonably certain that the answer will be found in in one of my 'I was there tales' in 'Slipstream'. What I can remember is that the N6 was left behind by a speedy N4! I thoroughly recommend this well written and easily read book to all Members. It's price is £11.95 and it is published by Pentland Books in Bishop Auckland. The ISB Number is 1-85821-850. (You can obtain a copy of 'Whatever Happened To The Hovercraft?' by post from; The Association of Search & Rescue Hovercraft, Gosport Appeal, 24, Jellicoe Avenue, Alverstoke, Gosport, PO12 2PE simply by adding £1.50 to cover post and packing. The profits from the book sale via ASRH will add to their coffers).

And finally...if you are lucky enough to have one (or more) hold on to your Airfix SR.N4 model kits. One recently sold on eBay internet auctions for the equivalent of £200 ! Of course they are only worth this sort of money in original boxed (un-built) condition, but they are now extremely hard to find.

Latest Books of Interest

The Latest Zubr class hovercraft No. 702, as seen at the A

lmaz yard in St Petersburg before its delivery to G

reece in August (Ian M

aw)

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