Design and build of Hovercraft - any experts?

I built one as a schoolboy - basically attached a small glow-plug motor & propellor to a pice of plywood with a hole in it, attached a skirt made from heavy gauge plastic sheet, & started it up. Crude, but it hovered; it also spun on its own axis owing to there being nothing to counteract the reaction from the propellor.

Regards, Tony

That would be the MK1 ??

-- Regards,

John Stevenson Nottingham, England.

The idea is to build one large enough for him to blast around the fields on; torque reaction is probably something he'll need to fix - although it would be very entertaining if he didn't ;-)

Dave S

We built one when I was at school in the late 70's (well we bult 2)

I clearly recall managing to hit the single oak tree in a 90 acre field.

Charles

In message , Charles Ping writes

And they let you up Prescott as well?! :)

Mike

In message , Dave wrote

They have been built on "Scrapheap Challenge" (on Channel 4 TV there are some websites about the programme and the various challenges) in two days by four people only one of whom would know anything about hovercraft.

IIRC the hardest parts were propellors/fans and skirts.

A look or visit here might help

JH

Dave, I bought some plans for a hovercraft from Universal Hovercraft in the states. (Haven't built it, and doubt I will ever get the time!!!)

If you need plans, their website might be some help to you:

Have a look at

They publish a lot of useful handbooks on the subject and will advise on suppliers for all the hard to make/ find parts.

J> My son is considering the design/build of a hovercraft as an A level

My father in law tells me that he once witnessed some engineers who worked at the docks he was employed at near Rainham, Essex, build a hovercraft from scrap.

IIRC, they used two or three motorbike engines to provide lift and thrust, and a body made of wood, with a skirt of some canvas or thick plastic. One or two engines drove fans downward into the plenum, the other one drove it forward with a fan behind the driver - a chair was bolted onto it.

Apparently they took this thing out on the Thames to rescue stuff that had dropped overboard and floated away, that sort of thing. So it is practical!

ABS