Hovercraft's 50th anniversary and a human-powered version

Fifty years ago this summer, Sir Christopher Cockerell publicly demonstrated the hovercraft. The black and white photo at the top shows the curious craft, called the SR-N1, on the Thames at Westminster, UK. Fortean Times celebrates the birth of the "flying saucer" and also its, er, human-powered descendent, the Steam Boat Willy. Watch the video above and give the Steam Boat Willy project an A+ for effort. Here's the project leader Chris Roper quoted in Fortean Times:

“You don’t need to be an athlete to hover it. Everyone who has tried has succeeded in becoming airborne under their own leg power in this craft. It’s still at the prototype stage, and the craft is currently being tested, developed and improved. It weighs in at 56lb [25kg] empty, and has carried a 58lb [26kg] girl as a passenger. Is it a boat, a bike, a plane or an ‘air-car’? It is an Unclassifiable Flying Object.”

"Unclassifiable Flying Objects"

[#1 posted by mdh, August 14, 2009 10:58 AM]

Yeah, that sounds nothing at all like a lawnmower engine.

[#2 posted by Anonymous, August 14, 2009 10:59 AM]

There's some rule that you have to be more than 10 ft off the ground to be considered a plane. Below that and over water, you are considered a boat.

Years ago, some enterprising folks tried to make a "boat" with stubby wings that flew using ground effect. By never going over 10 ft (or some arbitrary number), they didn't have to get FAA approval. Just Coast Guard.

[#3 posted by Manolo the Shoeblogger, August 14, 2009 11:12 AM]

SR-N1?

The Manolo hears they are working on the vaccine for that.

[#4 posted by jzg, August 14, 2009 11:20 AM]

Almost 20 years ago a group of studens from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology built a human-powered hovercraft for a competition sponsored by George Washington University. They built it with parts from a bicycle, a fan from a discarded xerox machine, plastic sheeting, 1 x 2 lumber, a propeller, and cardboard. After demonstrating in one day in the main hall of the Air and Space museum, it was donated to the Smithsonian.

[#5 posted by arkizzle / Moderator, August 14, 2009 11:26 AM]

Anon@2

Here's the russian version: the Ekranoplan

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7635474.stm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSYmSnpQ360
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cuyHLNNJWo

[#6 posted by knyghtryda, August 14, 2009 1:28 PM]

its amazing how little the hovercraft has changed in over 50 years. The modern military hovercraft used for beach landings still look exactly the same as this first prototype, only bigger. The ekranoplan was an interesting idea, but hovercraft still has it beat in terms of capacity and usability.

[#7 posted by Anonymous, August 14, 2009 4:27 PM]

I can imagine one's loins being quite sore after a short trip in that thing O_O ;)

[#8 posted by Anonymous, August 14, 2009 4:47 PM]

if you want to see the first patented flying saucer (1945) go to Discopter.com Ben Winter

[#9 posted by Anonymous, August 14, 2009 6:50 PM]

Great post. I'd love to take a ride in mine, but it's full of eels.

[#10 posted by soupisgoodfood, August 14, 2009 8:26 PM]

How about a link to whatever is in the top photo?

[#11 posted by Simon Bradshaw, August 15, 2009 1:12 AM]

@10

Via a little-known experimental web app called 'Google' I found:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SR-N1

[#12 posted by Anonymous, August 15, 2009 9:56 AM]

Ekranoplans are ground effect vehicles -totally different from hovercraft.

Just about the best thing about the Marines:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landing_Craft_Air_Cushion

Okay, Harriers are cool too.

[#13 posted by mpb, August 15, 2009 12:01 PM]

The Unorganized Borough (Alaska) has the only hovercraft delivered postal service in the USA (delivers food, fuel, washing machines, Pampers, school supplies, and the occasional medevac or Elders ice fishing. Only the last aren't a Post Office contracted service).

Instructions for making tabletop hovercraft--
Girl Scout Hovercrafts

[#14 posted by Anonymous, August 15, 2009 3:38 PM]

@1

I agree completely, not human powered.

[#15 posted by Anonymous, August 16, 2009 3:57 AM]

#1, #14. Well done for spotting the fraud when the Royal Aeronautical Society and the International Human-Powered Vehicle Association failed to do so.

Have a look at the videos on the website for more videos, although there is the sound of an aeroplane in the background of one of them, so perhaps that will convince you there's a jet engine in the hovercraft as well.

[#16 posted by Anonymous, August 16, 2009 8:33 AM]

Firstly, notice the craft lifts slightly and the rotor starts to turn ... THEN the operator starts pedaling.

And, are you all DEAF??!!! Boss, da maotor, da motor!

Or, operator also does sound effects with his mouth that sounds exactly like an internal combustion motor. What talent!

NOT!

FAIL!

[#17 posted by arkizzle / Moderator, August 16, 2009 9:53 AM]

Anonymous@12

Ekranoplans were brought up in response to Anon2's talk of the 'boat with stubby wings' and 'ground effect'.

[#18 posted by Anonymous, August 16, 2009 8:31 PM]

#9,

Do you want -dooo yooo waaaannt to come back to my place? Bouncy bouncy!
:)