Hovercraft

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Talon

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Has anyone here ever piloted a full size hovercraft? By full size I mean, not a single seater jobby.

I would love to have a go in the Southsea to Ryde one, I bet they are quite difficult.

Also, do you need a pilots licence, or are they normal commercial boat quals to be able to do that for a living?

I think somewhere around the coast they still have those huge hovercrafts that used to go to France. It would be interesting to see them.

<hr width=100% size=1>Alex

boat2.jpg

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.mad-als.com>http://www.mad-als.com</A>
 
Whilst having never Piloted one I have been a visitor to the "Cabin"of them .

After you climb a ladder up some 20 feet from the car deck and into the "cabin", the first thing you notice is the great all round visibility, When looking behind its rather like driving a football pitch around, whilst sitting in a greenhouse in the goal mouth at one end. The four corner flags are of course substituted by directional propellor towers. What a great piece of Kit! I think they ran with syrius jet turbines. not sure, The truly amazing thing about them is the small amount of actual lift power needed which made it possible (so I am told, although not advisable) to actually pass over a person without too much damage (other than to hearing and a good duffing up by the skirts) A Brilliant piece of machinery but uneconomical to run. with the same problems as Aeroplanes (maintenence ,flying hours etc etc). well done to Hoverspeed for managing to keep them going for as long as they did.

Rob

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.rejuvanu.com>RejuVanu</A>
 
So did you actually sit up there under way? I bet that is a sight with those huge fans going full tilt!

I am going to make the effort this year to find out where they are and have a look, I heard from someone ages ago that they are somewhere in Portsmouth and have a load of small hovercrafts inside them, sort of museum set up...?



<hr width=100% size=1>Alex

boat2.jpg

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.mad-als.com>http://www.mad-als.com</A>
 
The Hovercrafts you are talking about are based in Lee on solent. Just next to HM coastguard. You can see them through the gates have been there years.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
I seem to remember being told that you need a pilot's license for the bigger ones. I'm emphatically not an expert on this but I'd have thought it's likely, given their configuration and handling. Also, when I went on one (admittedly years ago now) the pilot was wearing a peaked cap and a jacket with lots of scrambled egg on the sleeves. That must have meant he was qualified, mustn't it? /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>Je suis Marxiste - tendance Groucho
 
Re: Lee-on-Solent Hovercraft

Last I heard they'd removed their propellors last year. That would make it a bit difficult to get them going again, sadly.

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Mark,

Thanks for the site url.

So much information on there.

Not only have the props gone, so have the engines! So I guess they are there to stay!

<hr width=100% size=1>Alex

boat2.jpg

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.mad-als.com>http://www.mad-als.com</A>
 
There is no official requirement for a licence to drive a hover craft regardless of the size; I think the hoverclubGB issue permits of some kind for the small craft, but I think that's mainly for insurance purposes. The same applies to the big 'uns, there's no recognised standard, but you'll probably find insurance is impossible without training from one of the established companys like <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.hoverwork.com>Hoverwork</A>.

Back in the sixties a lot/most of the operators used ex-airline and ex-RAF pilots as HMG took until about 1970 to decide that a hovercraft was mostly a boat and not mostly a plane. They used experienced pilots so no-one could accuse them of a lack of diligence. Once the Hovercraft/dynamically supported craft regulations appeared everything was a bit simpler, and almost anyone could then aspire to drive one after suitable instruction.

Yes, I am a hovercraft anorak, but in my defence I found most of that out while researching the possibility of using one as a fast ferry on the Clyde, but unfortunately it wasn't really an economic proposition without a hefty subsidy, which wasn't likely to be forthcoming, as SPTE had just promised all their pennies to Scotrail. Yah boo sucks.

cheers,
david

<hr width=100% size=1>Why'd he call me shortie?
Because you're small,...small,...S, M, all.
 
Interesting fact for me at least is that Sir Christpher Cockerel lived in Hythe.

I have never seen his house but understand that it is in local guides etc so must go walking next time we are down there and not taking boat out.

I too find hovercrafts fascinating and remember taking the car ferry one as a kid to France......a very bumpy trip which I still recall clearly.

Nick

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://arweb.co.uk/argallery/Nick2>http://arweb.co.uk/argallery/Nick2</A>
 
I think they are amazing pieces of kit. Very intimidating when they hover up the beach towards you. Awesome.

I would love to sit at the helm of one, just to see what it is like!

I went on the big one to France, like you say, very bumpy! Also I was at the front, so I mainly watched spray hitting the window, no chance of seeing more than that really. /forums/images/icons/frown.gif

Once crossing on the one to Ryde, we were going up the beach at a right rate of knots, the tide was a long way out, I was thinking, huuuum, surly at this speed we will end up on the main road!! Anyway, BONK! he deflated very quickly to stop us and you could hear the rest pads bang, bang as they settled down. I thought, that was an interesting landing. So we got off, and started to walk over the bridge into Ryde and the hovercraft had settled on the wooden fence! It was completely flattened! OOOPS!

I hope they keep that one from Southsea to Ryde running, it would be a shame to see the hovercraft disapear completely....

Penfold, nothing wrong with being an Anorak, if you love something that much, why not show interest. I can tell you I will definitely be going to that Hovercraft museum, I wonder if they let you go up into the bridge of the SRN4??

<hr width=100% size=1>Alex

boat2.jpg

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.mad-als.com>http://www.mad-als.com</A>
 
Just out of interest, are there any folk out there in YBW land who live on Bute, Arran, or Cowal? or even Kintyre? And would you like a direct fast ferry link with the centre of Glasgow? PM me if you're feeling shy. Far too many of the folks that I spoke to about raising finance, like Scottish Enterprise, didn't seem to grasp what it was that I was on about. They couldn't understand why anyone on Arran would want to be able to get to Glasgow in less than 2.5 hours(and that's on a good day).

Cheers,
David

<hr width=100% size=1>Why'd he call me shortie?
Because you're small,...small,...S, M, all.
 
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