What’s the Greatest Ever Amphibian…The Hovercraft?

COCKERELL’S HOVERCRAFT (1959)
The idea of the modern hovercraft is most often associated with British mechanical engineer Sir Christopher Cockerell. Cockerell's group was the first to develop the use of an annular ring of air for maintaining the cushion, the first to develop a successful skirt, and the first to demonstrate a practical vehicle in continued use.

Cockerell built several models of his hovercraft design in the early 1950s, featuring an engine mounted to blow from the front of the craft into a space below it, combining both lift and propulsion. He demonstrated the model flying over many Whitehall carpets in front of various government experts and ministers, and the design was subsequently put on the secret list. In spite of tireless efforts to arrange funding, no branch of the military was interested, as he later joked, "the navy said it was a plane not a boat; the air force said it was a boat not a plane; and the army was 'plain not interested.'"

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT… The Hovercraft’s popularity has spread throughout the world and can now be seen used as a lifeboat, a military vehicle, a passenger transport and many more.

THE EXPERTS… Read more on the history of the hovercraft: http://inventors.about.com/library/in...

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