March 2012 by 'Sarah Gill

HOVERCRAFT Light

March 2012

The official magazine of the

Hovercraft Club of Great Britain www.hovercraft.org.uk

March12 inside

Well its all change on the bus…. Well hovercraft….

Our outgoing Editor said his final farewells after three years and some 37 issues Mr Nick Drew decided to hang up his editors hat. I think everyone will agree Nick has done a fantastic job in making a good read for all aspects of these marvellous things that float on air, that we all love. Well-done mate!!! Sadly for us boys and girls in Formula 503, it will give Nick more time to prepare his craft in the defence of his crown…. Sadly I can’t find it in my heart to wish you all the best with that pursuit! Only joking!!! So to your new editors…. As Nick had 200% more applications than he thought would arrive, a decision was made for a joint venture, as was the case prior to Nick when Anne and Tony where at the helm.

order… as its only polite, ladies first, Sarah Gill, eldest daughter of John Scriven and sister to Stevie. Sarah is a more than capable driver of her Dads own designed and built, 503 powered Razor craft. Sarah finished on the podium at Rother Valley, and a very credible 7th overall in the National Series in 2011.

As for me, I’m Darren Clarke, one of the (every growing) Team Nationwide Fire Hovercraft Racing Team drivers. Last season I had the pleasure of racing under the guidance and tuition of Lee Willars, having the opportunity to race Lees 503 Eagle craft, built for the 2010 World Championships at Towcester, finishing the 2011 National Series in a very satisfying 5th overall. 2010 was a memorable season, being crowned F1x British Champion, in a team alongside my wife.

background is the racing side of our wonderful sport, but we want to open the magazine to all forms of hovercraft: - racing, cruising, the model side, the museum, the histrionics of our sport, stories from past and present and future developments. We want to continue the work of those before us, but we need your help, you the club members make the magazine what it is by sending in your insightful, interesting and thoughtful articles, so please keep them coming. One final point on a more personal note: - I’m certain you will all join me in congratulating Tristan Rhodes and Laura Parnham on the birth of their second child, Lucas, brother to Keris. Congratulations to you both!!! Now enjoy our first offering! Darren

So introducing us in no particular

So that’s your new Editorial team in a nutshell…. As you can see our

04 Diary

08 Popham Hoverin

17 Challenge to youth

05 Chairman’s Desk

10 Nick Drew

20 Hover news

What went on

It’s a date

The latest update from our chairman

A little something from fellow

members

06 World hovercraft federation

12 America

07 North West Highland Cruise

13 Courtesy of the Cruisers

Letter from Tony Drake

Alan Wilkins

Jim Waddell

Brian J. Russell

Letters from across the pond Ian Brooks reports

The Hov Pod is a 3-seat factory assembled personal leisure cruising hovercraft No kits available, sorry. Commercial craft available.

For further details Web-site www.hovpod.com Email sales@hovpod.com LightHovercraft 02

Cover Pic: Jakes place 2011, Nick Drew. Photo: Rebecca Taylor LightHovercraft 03

Diary 2011/12 JANUARY 28

Council meeting www.hovercraft.org.uk

FEBRUARY 12

Popham HoverIn www.hovercraft.org.uk

MARCH 10-11

AGM Northamton www.hovercraft.org.uk

APRIL 21

Cullompton College Hovergo Day www.hovercraft.org.uk

APRIL 21-22

Possible race meeting TBA www.hovercraft.org.uk

MAY 5-7

National race meeting Magnolls Farm, Lancs. www.hovercraft.org.uk

MAY 19-20

The Chairman’s Desk Chapter Ten, Generosity

JUNE 2-4

JULY 27-28

JUNE 5-8

JULY 26-6 AUGUST

JUNE 9-10

AUGUST 11

JUNE 23-24

AUGUST 25-27

JULY 7-8

SEPTEMBER 12-16

National/International race meeting “The Big Lake” - Nottinghamshire www.hovercraft.org.uk Hoverfest at ‘The Big Lake’ and environs, Nottinghamshire www.hovercraft.org.uk EHF Race meeting - ‘The Big Lake’ Nottinghamshire, UK www.hovercraft.org.uk National race meeting Hackett Lakes, Notts www.hovercraft.org.uk National race meeting Claydon, Aylesbury www.hovercraft.org.uk

JULY 21-22

National race meeting Towcester www.hovercraft.org.uk

EHF Race meeting - Prudhomet, France www.hovercraft.org.uk The Irish International Hovercraft Event 2012 www.hovercraft.org.uk Asda Charity Day, Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome www.hovercraft.org.uk National race meeting Gang Warily, Southampton www.hovercraft.org.uk World Championships Saalburb, Germany www.hovercraft.org.uk

SEPTEMBER 29-30

Possible race meeting TBA www.hovercraft.org.uk

National race meeting Rother Valley, Sheffield www.hovercraft.org.uk

Whilst every attempt is made to keep calender items up to date, some calender items may alter after print or the Editor is not made aware of changes--please check relevant UK or European websites for most up to date calenders. If you know of any changes or updates, or wish an event to be listed, then please contact the Editor at magazine@hovercraft.org.uk

LightHovercraft Published by The hovercraft Club of Great Britain Ltd www.hovercraft.org.uk Editors Darren Clarke Sarah Gill Distribution Roger Allman Tel: 07765 303755 Contributions Last date for contributions is the 20th of a month. LightHovercraft 04

Printed by ADH printing 2 Boyne Rise Kingsworthy Winchester Hants SO23 7RE Advertising Rates Issues 1 3 Size 1/4 pg £9 £26 1/2 pg £17 £49 Full pg £33 £95

12 £95 £184 £357

Contact the Editor for details at magazine@hovercraft.org.uk

Small adverts are free to HCGB members and run for three issues unless reqested otherwise. The opinions expressed in any item or article in this magazine are those of the contributor. They do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or policies of the Hovercraft Club of Great Britain Ltd. The entire contents of Light Hovercraft are copyright and permission to reproduce any part must be sought from the Editor. While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, we do not accept any responsibility for any inaccuracy.

Amazing is a description of the attitude of some members of this club when it comes to helping others. I could embarrass one or two members here who have gone out of their way, in time, effort and money, to help other people as well as members of this club enjoy hovercraft. Thank you for creating an atmosphere that includes such a vast range of people. The changes in the Editorship of the magazine will take effect on this issue. Sarah and Darren welcome constructive suggestions and would love to receive items from all areas of hovercraft involvement. I know they have been in touch with the Americans, Australians and the Europeans for their input. Closer to home, the commercial, the museum, the model and the industrial aspects are a great source of articles. Recreational and competitive use is always an area that can supply interest. Whilst the editors cannot promise immediate publication of material, please let them know if it is time sensitive or will it have the same impact later. The PDF version of the Challenge to Youth leaflet is freely available on the website and I sent it out to most of my email contact box. I was amazed at the connections people have with groups who would become involved. A local government officer was ex-RAF and passed the leaflet to the cadet troop. Please circulate the leaflet. The AGM plans are in final stage. Reports so far indicate even more people will attend this year. Jo and the Meercats have done a cracking job and it should be a great social weekend. The business end of it will be the last under the guidance of Granville after, I believe, temporarily taking the post a very long time ago. Thank you. Bob Beech organised a Hover-in at Popham Airfield recently and eight hovercraft with about thirty people attended a great cold day. The field was partially covered in snow and terrific to hover on. Rob Trussler had the little cadet craft with 10 horsepower successfully flying around with the weight of both him and his son. Bob taught a number of novices. Charles had a close look at a hedge which he admitted was pilot error. We even had Kevin’s neighbour bring along a Yamaha RD350 powered Kestrel craft which had a few flights before melting a piston. Roger Allman brought along a catering size barbeque and supplied everyone with hot burgers and sausages. We had a terrific fun day. The next Hover-in is being organised by Jim Waddell at Collompton on April 21st so please contact him if you are attending. He would like to have an estimate of the numbers before the event to ensure suitable facilities. See you at the AGM. If you wish to discuss anything, my contact details are at the back of the magazine. Chris

Spring clean

So, it’s that time of year again when some(!) people start to panic about the fast approaching new season! Whilst rummaging through the garage doing some much needed tinkering, you may find something you don’t need any more that could be of use to someone else, a craft to sell or you may be in need of something yourself. I am organising a board at the AGM to advertise your bits and bobs so get in touch with details of anything you need shifting, by PM or email: tamsin.lucas@hotmail.co.uk Happy hunting! LightHovercraft 05

North West Highland Hovercraft Cruise The North West Highland Hovercraft Cruise took place from the 23rd to the 30th July. This was the first time this event had ever took place. Three hovercraft attended the event this year. There was a Sevtec Surveyor owned and built by myself and local to Lochcarron. A Sevtec Prospector owned and built by John Robertson from Melrose. The other craft was a Sevtec Vanguard owned and built by Steve Holland from Aberdeen. There was also an enthusiast that drove up from Perth on the first Saturday of the event for a few hours. He came out for a fly in my hovercraft for a couple of hours before returning home. All three hovercraft are of a GRP foam core construction and are built from plans available from Amphibious Marine in the USA. All the hovercraft owners adhere to a cruising code of conduct set out by the Hoverclub. More details can be found on the Hoverclub website at www.hoverclub.org.uk

Bulletin Number 29

December 2011

2 2 12 01 20 2 2 12 01 20 2 2 12 01 20 2 2 12 01 20 2 2 12 01 20 I hope that you had a most enjoyable Christmas and may I take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very Happy and Prosperous New Year. And what a new year it will be! As well as the many national events that will be held around the world we have the Hovercraft Club of Great Britain’s week long “Hovercraft Extravaganza” in June followed by the World Hovercraft Championships 2012 BGS Sport Event in Germany in September. We have also agreed new WHF Construction Regulations for Racing Hovercraft (WHF 002) which will come into force in 2012 which will be a major step forward in making our sport even safer. (Further details of these and the above events are given in the following pages). It will certainly be a very busy and interesting year and I hope to meet you at one if not all of our events.

Hovercraft are probably the most environmentally friendly power craft that can be used on water. They float on a cushion of air, so there is no rotating propeller in the water, which means that they do not create a wake in the water disturbing the sea bed or damaging the wild life. There is no fuel or oil coming into contact with the water so they do not pollute the water. The biggest concern with hovercraft is noise, which is being addressed and modern hovercraft are much quieter than they were twenty years ago. Hovercraft are unique in that they are able to reach places no other type of vehicle can. A question always asked wherever we go is, “Do hovercraft float if the engine stops?” The answer is “yes” they do as they have ample buoyancy built in. I regularly use mine as a fishing platform as it is very stable when floating. The weather for most of the week was blue skies and sunshine, the only downside for some of the days being the strong gusty northerly winds. The hovercraft were out exploring every day. On Saturday 23rd July was only a short trip to the bottom of Loch Carron, as it was late afternoon before the first of the visiting hovercraft arrived. On Sunday the three craft went out of Loch Carron and around the corner to Reraig and Loch Kishorn then flew around the point to Kyle and over to Loch Na Beiste on the Isle of Skye. The wind was very strong and gusting to over 30mph; at one point we encountered waves of five foot plus high which all the hovercraft managed to negotiate safely. On Monday the winds were still quite strong, John and Steve flew to Plockton. On Tuesday we started off by trying to sort my craft out as it was not hovering as well as it should. We discovered the problem, so I spent the day sorting out my craft while Steve and John went exploring the area around Loch Kishorn. On Wednesday the gusting wind had abated so we set off to explore Loch Alsh and Loch Long. John and Steve flew their hovercraft around to Kyle of Lochalsh, but I decided to trailer mine to Kyle after the fright I had on the Sunday with the big waves going around the point. This time I took my son with me while Steve and John took Dawn and Anne. We flew to Eilean Donan Castle then under the bridge into Loch Long. The route up through Loch Long is stunning. We stopped on the Nonach salt marsh at the top of Loch long for our lunch. From there we headed back to Loch Alsh and out to Glas Eilean. Brandon & I decide to head back to Kyle, while the others flew on to Glenelg bay. On Thursday it was overcast and the northerly wind had picked up again. Anne & Dawn wanted to visit the West Highland Dairy shop at Achmore. We landed on the beach below Achmore while Anne & Dawn walked to the dairy shop. On their return we started to fly around to a quiet bay behind Plockton. I turned back just before going around the point as the sea waves were getting beyond my comfort zone again. The others continued on into the bay.

Kind regards,

Tony M Drake JP. President of the World Hovercraft Federation. P.S. As usual this Bulletin will be circulated to as many people as possible but please pass it on to anyone who you think may be interested.

On Friday the weather started off overcast, but very light winds. Today was to be a hundred mile sea trip for John and Steve as they flew their hovercraft from Lochcarron around the coast to Loch Torridon. I decided I was not experienced enough to undertake the whole trip in my craft all the way around the exposed west coast to Torridon. We landed on a small island above the Crowlin Islands and to the west of Toscaig. We parted company here and John and Steve headed north to Loch Torridon while I followed the coastline back to Lochcarron. I still managed a respectful 46 mile cruise along the rugged but beautiful coastline. All in all it was a successful week and a good time was had by all. We were made to feel welcome pretty much everywhere we went, although a gentleman in Lochcarron had a moan at Steve, which I felt was disrespectful and uncalled for! I am hoping to host the event again next year where it is hoped more hovercraft will attend. Photos and videos of the week can be seen on my website, as can other information regarding hovercraft at www. highlandhovercraft.co.uk

(Page 1 of 5)

LightHovercraft 06

Alan Wilkins (Lochcarron) LightHovercraft 07

Southern Branch - Winter Hoverin - Popham Airfield Back in November last year, which was one of the warmest Novembers on record, it seemed a good idea to suggest that the Southern Branch had a Winter Hoverin.

Fast forward to February 12th this year and Popham Airfield (between Winchester and Basingstoke) and the day had started with fog that was thick enough to stop the aircraft operating. By 10.00, the fog had lifted but the temperature was still below freezing point and the ground had a covering of snow. Definitely not shorts weather, although someone forgot to tell Roger Allman that. Perhaps he was partly counting on the BBQ that he had brought along helping to keep him warm. The BBQ certainly got a lot of attention at lunch time from everyone so, thanks very much Roger for that. People arrived in a steady stream until there were about 40 present with 8 hovercraft. Any worries about grass length were instantly forgotten with the snow and I for one got out the Scat quickly to try snow driving for the first time. Being the organiser I had to ensure that the area was fine for everyone so examined all parts including the “off road” area of a steep bank, both going up and down. Well, someone had to do it. Those who might have been concerned about the grass length were Marie and Rob Trussler as they brought along their cadet craft for their youngsters to use. No problem though as it performed very well. LightHovercraft 08

Zoe and Andy Deacon had Zoe’s craft and this was seen to be driven by a number of people during the day. Charles Bullen from Winchester had a BBV3, which he had only relatively recently acquired, a previous one having been an Osprey, and he took the opportunity to get as much experience as he could. Unfortunately, a minor argument with some brambles left him with a gash on his face. This looked quite serious although Charles assured me that it was not as bad as it looked. Hope you have recovered from this now Charles and thank you for allowing Zoe to use your craft to give some rides. Two Flying Fish were brought along by Jenny and Chris Campbell and after lunch, Kevin Foster arrived with Sarah’s craft in tow. Transport problems had delayed Kevin’s departure. Sarah’s craft rapidly gathered a crowd, possibly because it was the most powerful at the meeting and for the rest of the day it was kept working hard

Zoe studying the snowy scene

with a variety of drivers.

The other craft present was that of Alan Scrase and his family from West Wellow, which is close to where Kevin lives and Kevin has been trying to help Alan get his “classic” hovercraft working. Alan and several of our members worked on the craft for most of the day and I was pleased to see it hovering about. However, I hope that further work will help improve the performance from the air cooled RD350 Yamaha engine. John Cotton from Kings Langley had hoped to bring his craft along but, that was not to be. Nevertheless, the Scat gave him his first experience of driving which suggested to me that he should not have too

many difficulties with novice racing if he can get some practice in with his own craft first. Just after lunch I wondered whether our event would be cut short with the arrival of a police car with two police officers. However, although present on official business I was quickly reassured that we were not that business. One of the officers showed great interest in the hovercraft and, for the first time I have ever known a policeman on duty doing it, within a short time he had accepted the invitation and was being given driving tuition in the Scat. He was quite a natural driver possibly helped by having driven the 1200cc police bikes. He spent about 20 minutes in all in the craft and got out feeling very pleased with

himself. But, he had driven it quite sedately so I invited him to come as a passenger to me. After several high speed (for the Scat) runs with multiple 360s and going up and down the off road bank, he finally got out with an enormous grin on his face. I think he wanted to stay longer but his colleague felt that they ought to be moving on. I am not sure what story he would have told when he got back to base as, with the snow melting and a lot of slush about his previously lovely clean yellow high visibility jacket and his face were both very noticeably spotted with mud. Anyway, I think everyone enjoyed themselves with most having taken the precaution of wearing many layers of clothes to protect from the cold. And, in conclusion, I think it might be

Policeman having fun

amiss of me if I did not record that we had Tony Drake visit us for the day. Welcome Tony. Sorry you didn’t take me up on the offer of a drive Tony. From a personal point of view, one of my first memories of a fast hovercraft was seeing Tony at Popham in his F1 craft bombing along parallel to the A303 and overtaking the traffic.

LightHovercraft 09

What to say about Nick – he took over the editorship of the magazine from me and has done the job for about the same amount of time as i did, that’s 3 1/2 years ! doesn’t seem like yesterday when i was either over-run with stories and articles and a full magazine or flapping and panic-ing with a day to go before sending it to the printers, i’m sure Nick has shared the same delights. He instantly refreshed the magazine with a new look and style of his own, he picked it up straight away and eventually got the electronic version of the magazine going too. At race meetings he’s cool and collected (most of the time) but behind that is a determination to do the best he can and if it brings a reward it’s a bonus. Winning the 2011 Formula 503 Championship was the icing on the cake for Nick and deservedly so. He spent a couple of years of development, pondering and head scratching with his craft and bit by bit found the best set-up, on top of that he’s an awesome driver too, as is his brother Jimmy, i’ve never known two brothers get on so well, i’m sure they must fight at some time but we never see any bruises. Nick also likes to make his mum and dad proud which i’m sure they are. Well done mate, you kept the magazine flag flying high, now you’ll have a little more time in the week for tinkering and hopefully more success in the future.

Team Drew So, that Nick Drew, he has quite a lot to answer for – outgoing Editor, reigning 503 Champ and Rear of the Year 2010... he has been around a while and seen quite a lot of action. I have a photo somewhere of his dad Roger at Stanford hall in the late 70’s.....but it’s since Nicks return to hover action in the 00ies that he’s made quite a big impact on the club, not least because of his notable entourage. Let’s see who they are:

Tony Broad

The early years

In his 20s but still not to old to have a hovercraft birthday cake

The first meeting that Nick attended was at Stamford Hall. Unfortunately he wasn’t very keen on the noise and spent the whole afternoon in the car; he was only six months old. By the time he was two I was racing on an off and he started to show a little interest. Over the next few years he learnt more about mending than racing as I was operating on a shoe string. I had promised him that I would build a junior craft for when he was twelve, (the starting age then). However by that time I was spending every spare second building an extension to the house and had put hovercrafting on hold. Nick got impatient and sent off for a set of Simple Cyclone plans, mugged me for some plywood and glue and disappeared into my newly built garage with his brother. I had anticipated them using my old RD250 bike engine but I was so impressed with the job they did on the hull and the amount of serious buttering I had been on the receiving end of, that I ordered a new Rotax 253. That engine performed perfectly for the two of them for the next seven seasons. To be honest we never did full seasons as GCSEs, ‘A’ levels and Uni rather got in the way. Nick’s ‘O’ level Technology Project was to design the trailer which we are still using, and his A Level Project was to convert my old craft to shaft drive for which he was awarded an ‘A’ pass. There followed three seasons trying to develop an Eagle craft with an RGV 250 engine, but this proved troublesome. F503 beckoned, firstly with the Eagle hull and then Venom hulls and the rest is history. Roger Drew

Trying to look cool as a teenager!

Roger Drew (Nicks dad) Commentator & Pit Crew

Avril Drew (Nicks mum) Lap Scorer & very bad spectator!

Jimmy Drew (Nicks bro’) Team Drew racing team mate & occasional Marshal when required

Hermione Clulow (Nicks other half) Grid Marshal

Eleanor Petch Pit Crew

Sam Keates (Prickle) Deputy Chief Marshal & resident DJ

Claire Keates Lap Scorer & Pit Crew

Chris Barr HCGB Webmaster & Driver

Jack Hornby (Hobo) Driver

Roger Morton HCGB Council Secretary

among others.....

Team Beale feel proud to count all of these guys amongst our friends!

Thanks Guys! LightHovercraft 11

Letters from across the pond....

So I’ve just recently returned from our “Devil’s Lake” Ice hover-in up in Michigan, and found out that all the other scheduled winter hover-ins have been cancelled for lack of ice!! In contrast to the deep freeze going on in most of Europe, here in the mid-west of the USA, we’re having the mildest winter I can ever remember. The ice in Michigan was super smooth and made for fantastic hovering. That coupled with the warm sunny weather and good friends to hang out with made for a really great weekend. Having not hovered at all since last October, I really needed this. Three straight days of ice hovering was just what the doctor ordered. A number of people decided not to come because the snowmobile races and other winter activities had been cancelled due to no snow. So it was just 6 of us with 3 craft. It’s really a shame because it’s not about the event so much as it is about the people. For me, the camaraderie with my hovercraft friends is more important, and the hover activity is just a bonus. Having thought about my past hovering experiences, I realize that relatively few people in the hovercraft community ever get to experience ice hovering. Some people just hate the cold and can’t stand the thought of flying around on a block of ice at 50mph, but most simply don’t live in this winter wonderland near the Great Lakes. And so they never experience a truly unique aspect of our sport. The thing I like about it, is that no matter how many times you head out to a large frozen lake with your craft in tow, it’s always going to be a unique experience, because as the winter progresses, the personality of the lake keeps changing. It goes from thin black smooth ice, to thicker whitish ice, to powdery snow covered, to heaping piles of snow drifted by the wind (make for great jumps), then rain melts it all, and it re-freezes and the cycle starts all over again. And any kind of hovercraft is suitable for ice. Race craft are especially suited to this form of hovering due to their light weight and high power which increases the fun coefficient! You rarely have to worry about running out of fuel because you never really go very far on a frozen lake. (Rivers are useless in the winter because the ice jams make safe navigation near impossible). Some of my hover buddies with cruising craft have gone to great lengths to install cabin heaters and cockpit enclosures to protect from the cold, and as nice as that must be, I prefer to just put on a full face helmet and ignore the cold. It’s like the difference between riding on a motorcycle and riding in a car. Well, as thoughts turn from ice hovering to more spring-like activities, I would normally be planning for my annual trip to Florida and the Suwannee River cruise. This usually gives us a nice 5 day break from the harsh winter weather up here. After 4 years of cruising the Suwannee, we pretty much cruised it out, so the organizers have From left to right: Scott Hull (Club President), Dave Reyburn, Steve Wilkins, Mike McFarland decided on a new location near Orlando, in an area of lakes and swamps that are very “Air boat friendly”. It sounds like an awesome time, but this year I’m going to have to pass it up so I can save up my pennies for a trip to Nottingham and the “Big Lake Extravaganza”. Plus I’m bringing my wife and 3 kids who can’t wait to come to England for a visit. Travis and I were at Towcester for the Worlds, but the others stayed home on that trip. I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to be doing, but I know that I’ll be surrounded by hovercraft activity and a large group of people that are even nuttier about hovercraft than I am!! I know - Hard to imagine. More next month. Cheers, Dave Reyburn aka “HoverTrekker” LightHovercraft 12

Its not all about the race ... 1 INTRODUCTION

Plough-in is a problem that has affected hovercraft since they were first fitted with flexible skirts. It was responsible for the first fatalities in scheduled hovercraft services. This is the second article in the series – the first article “Anatomy of the plough-in” described what happens when a craft ploughs. This article describes one method, which has been developed to resolve the plough-in problem for cruising hovercraft. This is applicable to many traditional UK style craft with finger skirts. If you are not interested in the theory, skip straight to section 3. 2 HOW DOES IS WORK? First a quick recap as to what happens in Plough-in, which occurs in distinct phases: 1. Normal Flight 2. Craft bow falls slightly & front skirts touches water surface 3. Front skirt tucks under craft 4. Hard structure touches water surface 5. Hard structure partially submarines & control is lost. This method of solving ploughin is designed to break the plough-in process at the earliest opportunity – Phase 2 – by increasing the cushion pressure at the bow of the craft and therefore preventing phase 3, tuck under, from occurring. Plough-in occurs like this:

• Figure 1 shows normal flight, everything is balanced and there is a nice even air gap all round, or as in many cases a larger airgap at the bow compared to the stern with a bow-up attitude. • Figure 2 shows Phase 2 of plough-in. Here the bow has fallen and is just touching the surface of the water, the stern has risen and you will notice that any water in the craft has run to the front, plus you may be feeling the bow skirt “nibbling”. • In Phase 3 (Figure 3) the skirt is tucked under and the plough-in has already gone beyond recovery. • Phase 4 (Figure 4) occurs shortly after when the hard hull touches the water, and the final phase, submarining and pilot ejection may occur shortly after depending on how well the hull is designed, ie whether it is capable of planning or not. Now we can look to see how the anti-plough flap works. • The anti-plough flap is placed as shown in Figure 5. It divides the cushion at about the 1/3 point into a large rear compartment and small front compartment, both of which are fed as usual from the plenum. Under normal circumstances the pressure in the front and rear are the same, and the craft behaves exactly as it did without the flap. But, when we get a plough in at Phase 2, the situation changes dramatically.

• The plenum is at a higher pressure than the cushion. Once the craft drops its nose to phase 2, notice that the front compartment is all but sealed to the outside world, and this means that its pressure will rise until it is the same as the plenum. Now we have a much higher pressure in the front compartment, and this will lift the bow back out of the plough-in, restoring normal flight.

Figure 5 Normal flight with anti plough flap

Figure 6 Anti-plough flap in phase 2 of plough-in 3 WHAT SORT OF CRAFT CAN IT FIT? The anti-plough flap was developed for traditional segment skirt craft with a plenum, and can be used with lift engine or integrated type craft. It doesn’t matter whether the plenum is filled from the front or the back. LightHovercraft 13

We fitted the flap to an Osprey 1, and it is believed that the same design will fit derivative craft such as the Flying Fish, HovR, Firefly, Freedom 1 etc. 4 HOW TO FIT AN ANTIPLOUGH FLAP 4.1 STEP 1 – PREPARATION

The flap is made from 2mm thick PVC or PU conveyor belt material. This is quite stiff, which good as it helps the flap to retain its proper shape.

You will need to be able to lift the craft nose high enough to work comfortable underneath it. ENSURE THE CRAFT IS SAFELY LIFTED AND SECURED SO THAT IT CANNOT FALL ONTO YOU.

Note the safety rope, which ensures that the craft will not fall even if some clumsy oaf kicks the prop out! 4.2 STEP 2 – SKID REMOVAL

First mark the skids about 18” – 20” back from the beginning of the floor pan, and again LightHovercraft 14

The flap cut out ready for the eyelets to be put in, and the hinge to be bent.

9” back from this point. Read through the full text before cutting, as the exact position of the cuts will depend on the hinge line, which is covered later on.

Next, remove the 9” section of skid that you marked off. The rear part should be chamfered and properly secured to stop the water getting under it and ripping it off. The hull is now prepared to receive the flap. Its likely that your craft will have different types of skid fitted, so you will have to work out the best way to achieve this step on your type of craft.

Measuring the exact hull angle

4.3 STEP 3 – MAKING AND INSTALLING THE FLAP You will need to measure the hull angle and width, and modify the design shown below to suit your craft. The easiest way to do this might be to make a cardboard template first, but the dimensions shown should suit an Osprey 1. Proceed as per the instructions in the table below.

Making a hole with the punch for the eyelet.

Marking out using the dimensions as above and the hull angle as measured. This is probably best done on a piece of cardboard first to check the dimensions fit your hull. It does not need to be a perfect fit.

Fitting the eyelet using the punch. The eyelets can be got from camping shops or ebay, and usually come complete with the punch for fitting them. You need them to be large enough to pass a good bungee chord through – about 3/8” should be OK. The exact position of the eyelets isn’t critical, make them about 2” apart.

Both eyelets fitted. Do both sides, obviously!

Next job is to bend the hinge. It doesn’t really matter which way you bend it – in this case it was rough side down. Set it up clamped firmly as shown, so that you will be able to bend the flap downwards. Heat the flap evenly with a heat gun or blowlamp. Do this in the open air as the fumes can be a bit nasty. DO NOT BREATH THE FUMES.

The flap must be caking hot – it should all have gone quite floppy. With a second piece of wood, previously cut to the right length, bend the flap down and hold it for about 5 minutes until it is nice and cool.

When the pressure is released, it should retain a 90 degree bend.

The finished article, modelled here by Bryan, the designer, who offers to license the design in return for a bucket of lager.

The flap needs to be placed so that the sides come up between two segments as shown here. Also note that the end anchor points will be about 1” in front of the hinge line. This is very important! So determine the proper position and mark the hinge line before riveting on.

The flap is riveted to the hull. In this case we’ve used LightHovercraft 15

penny washers under the rivets, an alternative would be 1” aluminium strip. In either case, make sure the heads of the rivets or screws are well protected, ie countersunk. In this case, they are behind the skids so should be OK.

Now that it’s in place, you can cut the flap to the final dimension. It wants to be about 1” shorter than the main skirt, so in most cases you will cut about 2” off the length. Check first by laying a straight edge across the skirt points.

Mark the position of the attachment points, remembering that they must be 1” in front of the hingeline

Next attach the U clips as shown. Note the arrowed mark, made earlier, showing the final position of the end of the flap once it is pulled tight by the bungee.

Take a good quality 24” bungee (not the cheapo ones from the local filling station!) and cut it in half. Pass one half through the U clip as shown and knot it off so that it has just a little tension. Repeat on the other side. This is the “relaxed” storage position.

When you want to use the craft, place the bungee in the “tensioned” position as shown.

Replace the skirts and you now have the finished flap in LightHovercraft 16

place. 5 USING THE CRAFT In use, the bungees are put into the tensioned position. This makes the flap want to stand upright as it is shown, and in conjunction with the support from the two adjacent segments, makes it nice and stiff, but able to fold flap against the hull when landing. In storage, release the bungee tension to allow the flap to fold up without creasing. Apart from tensioning the bungees, the craft is operated exactly as it was before. Any rocks or whatever will simply make the flap fold up against the hull, and the material is pretty robust in cruising use. In fact, all that you will notice is that the craft will now fly downwind without ploughing. It is advisable to add the flap to your pre-flight checklist, as you will become used to having it and forget about plough-in. Should it be damaged, obviously the craft will be susceptible to plough again. 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks to Bryan White for the design & development of the anti-plough flap, and Ron White for allowing us to use his Osprey to collect the photographs © Ian Brooks May 2011 Courtesy of the Cruising Hovercraft Club

HCGB Challenge To Youth -- Why You Should Get Involved Having spent sixteen very rewarding years building and racing hovercraft with an after school youth group from Cullompton Community College (and as we approach the launch this spring of the HCGB`s all new Challenge to Youth project), I thought it might be timely, appropriate and of interest to anyone considering taking on this challenge or concerned with youth development within the club, if I were to share a few of my experiences, impressions and hopes for this vitally important aspect of the club`s provision. I am also going to take this unique opportunity to unashamedly appeal for volunteers who would like to show off, give rides or even provide some tuition in their craft at our very own event: the Cullompton “Hovergo” day on 21st of April, a day which itself is intended to be about inspiring young people…. We have run an after school technology club here at Cullompton Community College for the last sixteen years. Hovercraft are just one of a large variety of engineering based activities we have got involved with and our objectives have always been quite simple (even though the projects never are!) To offer to students at the college the opportunity of working in teams that take on really substantial design and build challenges that are just not possible in ordinary Technology lessons. By creating such opportunities these help to inspire, or at least hint at, the exciting careers that construction and engineering design may offer. Affiliated to the national Young Engineers network since 2000, I initially started the club five years earlier in response to a group of students who were especially keen to build race karts. This motor sport proved impossibly expensive despite the group having collected nearly a thousand pounds and so the relatively cheap alternative of hovercraft racing was investigated. In 1995 BP were still sponsoring a “Challenge to Youth” type project through the HCGB and there was a quite distinct event aimed specifically at schools and youth groups. The glossy flyers caught our attention and fired our imaginations. Were we really being invited to construct our very own wooden flying machine? Awesome! However flyers are not enough and it was probably Ewan Blacks` extensive practical support as a very energetic youth officer that really steered us into success and initial membership. Our group was massively naïve and inexperienced; there wasn`t a mechanic in sight and without such a helpful mentor we may well have lost our way and given up. I remember Ewan tactfully pointing out that the very

LightHovercraft 17

handsome bespoke six foot exhausts on our first craft mayjust clip the power on our engine … because it was a two stroke! He then provided us with some free RD race exhausts so our craft not only still looked pretty but it worked as well. Similarly, at those heady debut youth events in Weston Park, where we neither understood nor cared much for the actual racing, it was people like Dave Palfrey who, despite their own racing commitments, would spend hours snagging on behalf of this clueless bunch of kids and their equally vacant teacher . Unbalanced carbs, faulty earths, incorrect blade pitches, we watched and we learnt until we were finally able to parade our very own “creation” .With an immense sense of achievement and pride we were presented with the “silverware” and other goodies as winners of the 1998 “Challenge to Youth” award ( I still have my plastic Kohler key fob which I occasionally fumble with fondness). At last our apprenticeship served we were now part of the hallowed fraternity of hovercraft constructors! I do however remember wondering why we were the only school to be taking part; didn`t other kids want to build crazy machines that could fly across land and water in their schools? Were their teachers unwilling, unable or simply uninterested? Was it the increasing irrelevance of making anything in this country anymore, health and safety concerns of head teachers or just plain poor publicity? We will probably never know, the fact was the BP Challenge to Youth had fizzled out and gone for good. However the fraternity and generous spirit of club members remained and whilst there was no longer any formal induction or encouragement of youth groups there was always the informal support to the small number of youth groups that soldered on in those “quiet years”. Occasional “hoverins” were squeezed into tight racing calenders. These relaxed events proved to be a real oasis for inexperienced kids and confuzzled youth leaders alike; no pressure to race, no punitive insurance fees, just time and space to ask questions, learn ,try out craft network and have fun. Since 2003 with the advice and support of the Blacks, the Whites the Palfreys the Coles the Beeches and the Gooseys to name but a few, we have undertaken the construction and maintenance of a further four hovercraft by a long succession of students and the occasional dad. During several weekends for so many summers now, the craft have been hauled to meetings all over the country, expertly organized by the HCGB where young people are able to experience the absolutely unique challenge of maintaining and racing their home made machines in competitive and basic surroundings but within a very safe and supportive atmosphere. The effect locally has been dramatic; four families now that have become hooked long term on hovercraft, a list as long as your arm of adult helpers over the years, over sixty percent of past club members now in technical occupations as adults and a local community that has contributed many tens of thousands in support of Club activities. LightHovercraft 18

I wish that the educational establishment acknowledged far more the immeasurable benefits to young people of team based technical activities like hovercraft building, but unfortunately in schools at the moment, individual performance is the measure of everything and “you have to be able to measure it in order to manage it”. Fortunately here at Cullompton a few people do observe long enough to realize that something quite special happens as a result of our involvement with the HCGB and the college has been largely supportive over the years. However I would say to anyone thinking of taking up the new Challenge to Youth project and possibly Formula Junior Racing, that you will need a lot of passion, a lot of energy, and plenty of time and money. You`ll meet with indifference and bureaucracy from management and sometimes you`ll ask yourself “ what on Earth am I doing all this for ?” If you are determined, you will find support both from within the HCGB and your local community thereby spreading the load. At this point you can relax and reflect on the fact that it doesn`t get much better than helping young people develop and that you do these things “because they are worth it!”……Enjoy!

And “old hands”, reminder; Don`t forget April 21st , get your craft down to Cullompton and make some kids` day!

DONT FORGET!!!

FULL RACING LICENCE For Qualified Racing Drivers aged 16+ only. £20.00 NOVICE RACING LICENCE For Novice Racing Drivers aged 16+ only. £15.00

ADDITIONAL RACING NUMBER For drivers or teams needing additional racing numbers on top of the one per driver included with the licence prices. £10.00

Racing number ranges: F1 = 1-30 F2 & F503 = 31-130 F3 = 131-199 F35 = 201-230 Junior = 1-230 (can match parents F1, F2 or F3 number!)

JUNIOR RACING LICENCE For juniors aged 11-15 years £5.00

http://www.ekmpowershop12.com/ekmps/shops/hovercraft/racing-licences-12-c.asp

job vacancies

HOVER NEWS by Brian J. Russell B Sc (Hon) MRINA THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF EDITING FAST FERRY INTERNATIONAL This was the title of the talk given by Alan Blunden to the Hovercraft Society when he returned atthe Duke of Wellington Public House in Bugle Street, Southampton. The occasion was prompted by Fast Ferry International – a much appreciated marine sector magazine – ceasing publication. Alan started by describing the origins of the magazine, which was first published in October 1961 as hovering Craft and Hydrofoils. At the time the term hovercraft had been registered as a name by the National Research and Development Council and they did not want it to be seen on a magazine. At this time the publishers were Kalerghi/McCleavey Publications and there were four issues and eight supplements a year, later becoming more or less monthly. It was suggested this was a strange time to launch such a magazine, as the World wide fleet of vessels was less than seventy and most of these were Russian hydrofoils. Also, it was around the time when the only hovercraft was the SRN 1. The first commercial hovercraft was two years away. The magazine had the remit of vessels that could carry more than fifty passengers and the annual subscription was five guineas. In 1964 the co-publisher Roy McCleavey left to edit Jane’s Surface Skimmers. Air Cushion Vehicles – started in 1964 and Hovercraft World – started in 1967, along with Hovering Craft and Hydrofoils were the only three journals in the field. In May 1974 an International Exhibition and Conference was held in Brighton, Sussex. October 1978 was the first issue in the “modern” style. A further change in 1979 saw the title change to High Speed Surface Craft (HSSC), covering hovercraft, hydrofoils and monohulls. A further conference and exhibition was held at Brighton in 1980, but in September 1980, publication ceased.

REVISION TEAM FOR THE CLUB’S MAIN PUBLICATION The Club Book “Hovercraft: Constructor’s Guide” first produced by Jeremy Kemp in 1987 has been reprinted regularly and revised twice in 1994 and 2002 is now badly out of date. The Hovercraft Club seeks a “Revision Team” to look at the book and bring it in line with the current state of the art of Hovercraft design and build. It is envisaged that there will be a series of editions dealing with the different aspects of hovercraft design, e.g Hulls, First Principles; Available Engines, Tuning and Adaption; Engine Frame Construction; Skirt Design and Build; Controls; etc. We are seeking one editor and the expertise of members to deal with the various sub-divisions of Hovercraft Construction and Design. Ideally this revision would be completed within the year and available as downloads or printable copies if needed.

The Original Magazine Style Resurrection However, in 1981, HSSC arose like a phoenix, when Hugh Langmead took an interest and the publishers became Kalerghi/ Langmead Publications. However, sometime later it was sold to Noel Docherty and Capstan Publications. In January 1983 it was intended to publish six issues, with Combat Craft in the intervening months. Alan took over as Editor in May 1983, at the first day of a conference being run in London, with his first issue published in August 1983. A further change took place in 1985, when Alan was joined by David Woodgate in forming HSSC Publishing Associates. In 1988 the magazine, now known as Fast Ferry International, was 40 pages in each issue, all in full colour and in January 1989 issues were increased from six to ten a year. Finally, in November 2000, the magazine function became Fast Ferry Information Ltd., splitting from the exhibition and conference organisation. The magazine was once again re-styled and there were around 750 subscribers in fifty countries. A survey suggested that each issue was seen by eight readers.

local branches most of the local branches meet regularly, normally in a pub, to sit around and chat hovercraft or organise an upcoming meeting or event. feel free to contact them and they will be more than happy to welcome you along to the meetings.

Delights Alan then went on to describe the delights encountered and experienced during his time publishing the magazine. Production became much easier in 1992 with the move to desktop publishing, as opposed to type setting and photo blocks, although still time consuming – even using offset printing. Digital photos were a big advantage, although waiting for the printers to complete tasks was difficult to contend with. During the last ten years, production was more straight forward, taking one week from disc to printed magazine. Ability to set own work schedule, working from home. The biggest delight was visiting different parts of the World, meeting interesting people and experiencing different cultures. Tribulations By way of contrast, tribulations were outlined. Meeting deadlines Typos – some seemed to always escape proof reading. The huge number of photographs required for each issue and the difficulty in taking many of them. Difficulties included inclement weather and other marine vessels encroaching into the shot. Although Hong Kong was a good place for fast ferries, some were travelling at 25 knots, disregarding the speed limit of 12 knots. The internet. The ease with which information can be obtained for free, making it difficult for magazines and newspapers, with readers not being prepared to pay and content to use websites. The Last Issue Hovercraft Appropriately, Alan finished his presentation by referring to hovercraft built in Southampton – HM 218s (31 were used in Hong Kong) with four HM 527s. The penultimate HM 218 saw service in Istanbul. Alan’s talk was extremely interesting, enlightening and well received by the audience. ***************************************** FORTHCOMING EVENT Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th April Open Days at the Hovercraft Museum – usual attractions and all welcome to help keep this very worthwhile project alive.