Categories
Stumble it!
1960 Hovercraft Lineup
When I was in 5th grade, I saw an ad in the back of Boy’s Life magazine for a set of plans that promised show you how to build a personal hovercraft using simple hand tools and old vacuum cleaner motor. Needless to say, I knew that this was going to be the best $2 I had ever spent.
I was going to be pulling up at school, stepping out of my own personal Jetson’s-mobile, while the other kids were busy chaining up their Bicentennial Sears Free-Spirits, and hand-me-down Sting-Rays. I guess I knew that there was going to be an electrical cord issue with the vacuum cleaner motor, but that I could probably figure something out with a lawnmower engine or something.
The plans turned out to be a little disapointing. I would have settled for any of the fine vehicles pictured in this June, 1960 Popular Mechanics spread.
Anyone have more info on number 2?
Yup. Number 2 is the 1959 Curtiss-Wright model 2500 “Bee”, (AKA “Air-Car”) prototype.
http://www.aerofiles.com/ writes:
Experimental 2p passenger air-cushion hover-car, built in test form (lower photo), anticipated market in ag application and as swamp buggy; 85hp Continental with 6′ two-blade prop (projected multi-blade props with two 180hp Lycomings) width: 8′0″ length: 28′0″. Michael Cutler et al. Total “flight” time in mid-July 1959 was about 25 hours, albeit only inches AGL; top speed: 35. Displayed at Fort Eustis Transportation Museum, Colonial Williamsburg VA.
C-W experimented in the field of hovercraft with high hopes that the new technology would save their moribund company, and these hopes caused them to issue news releases and drawings of the new product long before the engineering department was ready. I have seen footage of some of the test ‘flights.’ First, the cars looked nothing like the drawing — that sweetheart was a marketing department dream, not reality. What they actually tested was bigger than a Ford Excursion, but still only seated two. It was a big plenum chamber with controllable shutters all along the perimeter for thrust, braking, and control. What the footage shows, however, is that the car was just barely controllable, even over smooth pavement in good weather. The noise was truly awesome, as well. To complete the dismal picture, hover height was only inches, and there was no flexible skirt — it had less off-road capability than an average sedan of the period. It was a wonderful dream, but to have spent millions on it was typical of a management team that took Curtiss from the biggest in the industry to bankruptcy.”
#3 is the hovercraft pimpmobile!
My personal favorite of functional ACVs is the Aeromobile 200-2 of 1962, shown here in Japan
The first one looks like something from the ACME catalog.
Here in the UK, The Gadget show made one for a small challenge using four leaf blowers
here’s a link http://www.jasonbradbury.com/jason_bradbury/2005/10/diy_hoverboard.html
We built one similar to that of the Gadget Show - ours was a circular board with a leaf blower mounted toward the front. It gave the rider something to hold on to.
Mind you, the rider was typically a youth weighing not more than about 50lbs (22.7 kilo). The supervising adult would swing the craft around using the electrical extension cord making it a wild - but fun - ride!
We were there. Building hovercrafts in the late 50’s and the 60’s.
We had a three passenger flying hovercraft that was featured in the garage of the house of the future at the 1961 Seattle worlds fair. It was on the cover of Science & Mechanics - Sept - 1961.
What really made me feel old was finding a mint condition example of the magazine at an antigue fair.
We’ve been out of the spotlight for many years, but we have some new designs and we seek partners to build. See some info and designs at:
Keep on hoverin….