Simviation Forum - Hovercraft

Jun 11^th, 2006 at 3:48am

ozzy72 Offline
Global Moderator
Pretty scary huh?
Madsville

Gender:
Posts: 37122

Well on this day in 1959 Christopher Cockerell (later to be knighted) unveiled the worlds first operational hovercraft. A matter of weeks later it crossed the English Channel!
I've been on a few and still think they're fun 8)

There are two types of aeroplane, Spitfires and everything else that wishes it was a Spitfire!

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #1 - Jun 11^th, 2006 at 4:18am

H Offline
Colonel
2003: the year NH couldn't
save face...
NH, USA

Gender:
Posts: 6837

Um, did you try it upside down, headache master? 8)

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #2 - Jun 11^th, 2006 at 5:31am

Woodlouse2002 Offline
Colonel
I like jam.
Cornwall, England

Gender:
Posts: 12574

The same Hovercraft I believe that is now rotting away at Flambards themepark not 10 miles from where I now sit.

Woodlouse2002 PITA and BAR!!!!!!!!&&&&Our Sovereign Lord the King chargeth and commandeth all persons, being assembled, immediately to disperse themselves, and peaceably to depart to their habitations, or to their lawful business, upon the pains contained in the Act made in the first year of King George the First for preventing tumults and riotous assemblies. God Save the King.&&&&Viva la revolution!

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #3 - Jun 11^th, 2006 at 8:51am

expat Offline
Colonel
Deep behind enemy lines!

Gender:
Posts: 8499

Quote:

The same Hovercraft I believe that is now rotting away at Flambards themepark not 10 miles from where I now sit.

Along with the aircraft that sit outside. My last visit almost made me want cry.

Matt

PETA People Eating Tasty Animals.

B1 Boeing 737-800 and Dash8 Q-400

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #4 - Jun 11^th, 2006 at 9:15am

C Offline
Colonel
Earth

Posts: 13144

Quote:

The same Hovercraft I believe that is now rotting away at Flambards themepark not 10 miles from where I now sit.

Quite a lot seems to rot away at Flambards does it not...

Quote:

I've been on a few and still think they're fun

Shame Hoverspeed introduced the Seacat... Roll Eyes

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #5 - Jun 11^th, 2006 at 1:03pm

Woodlouse2002 Offline
Colonel
I like jam.
Cornwall, England

Gender:
Posts: 12574

Quote:

Quite a lot seems to rot away at Flambards does it not...

Aye. A few of the aircraft have now gone though. There was still a Wessex and a couple of others on my last visit though. Plus the wreckage of a few WWII types shot down around Cornwall.

Woodlouse2002 PITA and BAR!!!!!!!!&&&&Our Sovereign Lord the King chargeth and commandeth all persons, being assembled, immediately to disperse themselves, and peaceably to depart to their habitations, or to their lawful business, upon the pains contained in the Act made in the first year of King George the First for preventing tumults and riotous assemblies. God Save the King.&&&&Viva la revolution!

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #6 - Jun 11^th, 2006 at 1:24pm

ozzy72 Offline
Global Moderator
Pretty scary huh?
Madsville

Gender:
Posts: 37122

Any Merlins lying around I could borrow?

There are two types of aeroplane, Spitfires and everything else that wishes it was a Spitfire!

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #7 - Jun 12^th, 2006 at 11:33pm

Mushroom_Farmer Offline
Colonel
To the Sooper-Coop Fred
Indiana, USA

Gender:
Posts: 1976

Remember the Avro Hovercar? Later bought by the U.S. Army. Grin

&&&&"We're just sitting here trying to put our PCjrs in a pile and burn them. And the damn things won't burn. That's the only thing IBM did right with it - they made it flameproof." && Spinnaker Software chairman William Bowman, 1985

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #8 - Jun 13^th, 2006 at 12:39am

SilverFox441 Offline
Colonel
Now What?
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Gender:
Posts: 1467

The AVRO hovercar was later bought buy the US Army...it was designed for them, they were in on it from the beginning.

Steve (Silver Fox) Daly

&&

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #9 - Jun 13^th, 2006 at 10:28am

Hagar Offline
Colonel
My Spitfire Girl
Costa Geriatrica

Posts: 33159

All sources I've seen state that the Avrocar was originally funded by the Canadian government in 1952. The USAF became interested in 1954, followed by the US Army as a "flying jeep" in 1958. The program was terminated in December 1961 after a total of $10 million had been spent.

John Frost, the British engineer responsible for the Avro design, bitterly claimed to have been cheated of credit for the first hovercraft. Although the only prototypes might have proved the hovercraft principle it had always been intended as a proper STOL aircraft & the original concept was for a supersonic fighter. The US Army's requirement was less ambitious, a "flying jeep" capable of 300 mph at altitudes of up to 10,000 feet.

Quote:

The first prototype completed a series of wind tunnel tests at NASA Ames in California and the second vehicle undertook a test flying program based at the Malton, Ontario home of Avro Canada. Between June 9 and October 7,1959, the first vehicle underwent a thirty-two-hour static rig test at Avro in Malton, Ontario. This prototype was then sent to the NASA Ames wind tunnel for full-scale wind tunnel tests commencing in April 1960. A second round of wind tunnel testing commenced in April 1961. Rare film footage exists of the Avrocar project which includes design and construction of both aircraft, wind tunnel tests, and many of the tethered and free flight tests. The first free-flight test, conducted on the second vehicle, occurred on November 12, 1959 with company test pilot "Spud" Potocki at the helm, with additional tests made in January 1960 and in the period July 1960- June 1961 for a total of approximately 75 hours. The final flight test program was completed by USAF Project pilot, Major Walter J. Hodgson; additional flights had been made in March 1960 by NASA Ames test pilot, Fred J. Drinkwater III.

http://www.avrocar.com/avrocarstory.html

Quote:

The Cockerell designed research vessel Saunders Roe Nautical One (SR.N1) appeared in May at East Cowes, Isle of Wight - the first flight taking place on 11th June 1959.

http://www.hovercraft-museum.org/years.html

Founder & Sole Member - Grumpy's Over the Hill Club for Veteran Virtual Aviators
Member of the Fox Four Group

Need help? Try Grumpy's Lair

My photo gallery

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #10 - Jun 13^th, 2006 at 6:13pm

SilverFox441 Offline
Colonel
Now What?
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Gender:
Posts: 1467

Yes, the Canadian Gov. funded the initial research...but it was US involvement that got the protoypes built.

The AVROCAR is a weird "what if". It lack the skirt to make it a hovercraft, or the power to make it a VTOL. Skirting it would ahve stolen the hovercraft title, more power and a stabilization system would have made it fly.

AVROland.ca has a better write up at: http://www.avroland.ca/al-vz9.html

Steve (Silver Fox) Daly

&&

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #11 - Jun 13^th, 2006 at 6:31pm

Hagar Offline
Colonel
My Spitfire Girl
Costa Geriatrica

Posts: 33159

Quote:

AVROland.ca has a better write up at: http://www.avroland.ca/al-vz9.html

I originally posted that link until I realised it seems contradictory. I'm not sure if this is a typo or what. Quote:

Two prototypes rolled out of the factory in May and August of 1959 just months after the Arrow project had been cancelled. The first Avrocar (58-7055) was sent to NASA Ames, Moffett Field in California it first flew there on 17 May 1961 and was used for wind-tunnel testing. The second Avrocar took first tethered flight on 29 September 1959 lasting 12 seconds. The first untethered flight occured on 12 November 1959. Formal Air Force flight evaluations occured at Avro in April 1960 and June 1961 - tests showed that the maximum speed was 35 mph and reseach at NASA showed that the Avrocar was aerodynmically unstable.

Founder & Sole Member - Grumpy's Over the Hill Club for Veteran Virtual Aviators
Member of the Fox Four Group

Need help? Try Grumpy's Lair

My photo gallery

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #12 - Jun 13^th, 2006 at 9:47pm

H Offline
Colonel
2003: the year NH couldn't
save face...
NH, USA

Gender:
Posts: 6837

Quote:

I originally posted that link until I realised it seems contradictory. I'm not sure if this is a typo or what.

My understanding, Hagar, was that the first Avro built was specifically used for aerodynamic testing and wasn't actually flown until after the second one already had been. The information given here actually supports that. I haven't looked into this for a long time, however, and it's possibly the same source info.

8)

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #13 - Jun 13^th, 2006 at 10:58pm

SilverFox441 Offline
Colonel
Now What?
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Gender:
Posts: 1467

It's not uncommon for the second prototype to fly first...quite often the first prototype is tested to destruction.

Look at Orbitor Enterprise...it's never flown a full mission and never will.

Steve (Silver Fox) Daly

&&

Back to top

IP Logged

	Search the archive: