Hovercraft: Books - History, Models, Technology

The Hovercraft - A History

The hovercraft was first created in 1959, when Sir Christopher Cockerell came up with a prototype that crossed the English Channel. The SRN-1, the first ever hovercraft, is now proudly housed by the Science Museum and this very British invention enjoys an active role in many arenas, from travel, leisure cruising and racing to lifesaving and transporting goods.

This detailed book delves into the history of the hovercraft, from the early days of its development through to the commercial and military applications of the craft. It looks into the exciting world of hovercraft leisure, cruising and racing from amateur to Formula 1, and also explores the important role the hovercraft plays in rescues whether on water or delivering aid around the word in places that helicopters can't reach. Finally, it details the types of hovercraft in use today, and what the future holds.

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On a Cushion of Air - The Story of Hoverlloyd and the Cross-Channel Hovercraft (Hard Cover)

This is the story of how private foreign enterprise in the form of Swedish Lloyd and Swedish America Line, who formed a British company called 'Hoverlloyd', galvanised the British Government in to supporting this new concept in transport through the formation of a British Rail subsidiary called 'Seaspeed'.

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Hovercraft - The Story of a Very British Invention

One senses that author Arthur Ord-Hume feels a kindred spirit with Sir Christopher Cockerell, inventor of the hovercraft, when he describes it as a very British invention meaning, as he woefully describes it, that its inventor was largely ignored in his lifetime and his invention as almost forgotten.

The whole story has a familiar ring to it with the product going to be the future of our transport needs to a curiosity used for fun or for such specialised uses they are mainly out of the public eye.

Arthur writes engagingly and tells the stories of the technical development alongside the human ones, but this is a book that mainly looks back at the heyday of the hovercraft and as such should bring back memories for those of a certain age.

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The Hovercraft Story

The hovercraft, Christopher Cockerell's 1950s invention, has found a multitude of uses across numerous arenas, from cross-Channel ferries and leisure cruising to racing at up to 80mph; it has modernised travel and has an impressive safety record, yet despite this little has been written about this, one of the most innovative modes of transport.
This colourful book decisively redresses the balance and comprehensively reveals the history of the hovercraft, through photographs and diagrams, making it an invaluable addition to every enthusiast's library.

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The Hovercraft - Photographs from the Archives of the World's Only Hovercraft Museum

Lee-on-the-Solent is synonymous with planes and seaplanes, but it is also the home of another, slightly more unusual vehicle - the hovercraft.

After the first cross-channel crossing by a hovercraft in 1959, there was a revolution in design and development. Within a decade, the mighty SRN4, capable of carrying 400 passengers and sixty cars across the English Channel in less than forty minutes, had arrived.
As the commercial hovercraft thrived, the military also continued to innovate; the British Interservice Hovercraft (Trials) Unit (IHTU) being established in 1961.

Utilising the archive of the world's only hovercraft museum, based in Lee-on-the Solent and boasting more than seventy historic craft, Jim Gray uses a wealth of rare and unpublished images to explore the importance and impact of the hovercraft, offering a fascinating glimpse into a vehicle that has captivated the imagination of the public for more than fifty years.

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Luftkissenfahrzeuge - Weltweit

As a mixture of aircraft, land vehicle and ship, hovercraft float contactlessly over all surfaces and are therefore very versatile. The first suitable designs were created in the 1950s for passenger transport and are still in use around the world today.
The range extends from small one-man vehicles to the almost 600-ton monsters of the Russian Pomornik class.

The special form of ekranoplanes (ground effect vehicles) is also examined in detail in this book: their largest representatives were giants that could reach speeds of up to 500 km/h and were powered by several jet engines.

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