Hover Craft Office

                                                                cited from Oita Hoverferry Pamphlet.

• History of the hovercraft
  • Hanako : The hovercraft is so fast and complex, who invented it ?
  • Dr. Hover : A British electrical engineer, Chistopher Cockerell invented the first hovercraft in 1957. In other to increase the speed, various means to reduce water resistance were tried. Eventually, the idea of lifting the hull over the water led to the development of the first hovercraft SR-N1 in 1959.
    
• Engineering
  • Hanako : Once the hovercraft is lifted above water, it receives little resistance from the water. How is it lifted above the water ?
  • Dr. Hover : The hovercraft is lifted by downward blasts of air that create a cushion of air between the hull and the land or water. And it is driven forward by the power of the propellers like an airplane.
    
• Speed
  • Hanako : The mechanics of the hovercraft, which is lifted and driven forward by the propellers, is very similar to the mechanics of an airplane. How fast can it run ?
  • Dr. Hover : Little resistance from water, the density of which is 1,000 times larger than that of air, allows the hovercraft to attain speeds much greater than normal boats.
    A hovercraft can travel up to 2 or 3 times faster than a hydrofoil, which runs approximately 60 km/h.
    
• Frexible Skirt
  • Hanako : What's that black, rubber looking thing fitted at the bottom of the craft ?
  • Dr. Hover : It's called a flexible skirt which was the key discovery in the development of the first hovercraft. A flexible skirt inflates when a jet of air is blown through nozzles. This air cushion lifts the craft, enabling it to run the short distance above water, mud, or dry land, regardless of the depth of the water.
    
• Safety
  • Hanako : The hovercraft runs very fast, but various safety measures must have been taken. What are they ?
  • Dr. Hover : Yes. Of course. Two variable pitch propellers and air rudders mounted on the tail of the hovercraft, plus sidethrusters, ensure safe navigation and allow high maneuverability. In case of an emergency, the craft can stop in about 10 seconds, and the passenger cabin is placed over the main buoyancy tank, therefore the hull can float, even if the engine stops. In addition, radar and life-saving apparatus such as life-rafts are standard equipment.
  • Hanako : It is obvious that the hovercraft was carefully designed to ensure a safe and comfortable ride.

  

  Stopping Motion of MV-PP15

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