It is just getting warm enough to get the Hovercraft out onto the ice in Anchorage. Two of the three Hovercraft that were stored at the Hoverport over the winter have made it out of the shop. If you live in Anchorage, keep your eye out for us starting work in the Port area. Classes are coming up next month, basic hovercraft training and hovercraft pilot training are available in early spring.
General informtion about lodging, directions and tides have been added to the HOVERCAMP 2008 webpage. It is a MSWORD document that can be printed out and used to help you navigate to the USHovercraft Hoverport in Anchorage, Alaska. We appreciate people posting the event on their websites and passing the word around. We are looking for a good turnout of Hovercraft, good food and good weather. Check back often for more information as the snow melts and we get the HoverPort open for the season. Thanks, USHovercraft.
A weekend of Hovercraft, camping and fun in late June 2008. EMail to RSVP your spot with or without a Hovercraft. Click here for more information, and check back often for updates about HOVERCAMP 2008
H101, Basic Hovercraft Training, and H202 Hands on Hovercraft Training is available this spring. Learn how a hovercraft works, what they can do, and where they cant go. Sign up for training by calling USHovercraft at 907-783-2350 or send an email to info@ushovercraft.com
Here is a good picture to help you understand skirt shift. On some hovercraft, this one is of the Arctic Hawk in Alaska, the skirt system is integrated with a hydraulic ram that pulls the connection in the center of the cables. By moving the center of the cables, it moves the skirt connection closer to the hull of the hovercraft. This causes a shortening of the skirt on that side of the hovercraft .This causes drag and unilateral skirt dynamics, allowing for another control input.
This 40' Griffon Hovercraft works on the North Slope of Alaska transporting passengers and freight. It has been working for a few years with a good track record in a harsh environment. It is named the Arctic Hawk. Click on this picture for more photos of this Hovercraft.
If you have not had a chance, check out the HoverMED pictures from Africa, click on this photo and it will open the web gallery. The HoverMed Team delivered Medical Supplies to an Orphanage in Ehtiopia and to multiple clinics in Southern Sudan. Chuck Manley, onwer of USHovercraft, evaluated the possibility of using hovercraft on the Nile River for logistal supply of medicine, medical personnel and food.
Here is a short hovercraft video of one of the Hovercraft used by Hovertravel in the United Kingdom. This was filmed by Chuck Manley of US Hovercraft, during his visit to the UK to see the Hovercraft Museum. This is the oldest hovercraft charter operation in the world.
This is the inside of a Griffon Hovercraft at their factory in the U.K. Many hovercraft have different corntol systems: steering wheels, control sticks, skirt shift, variable pitch propellers, etc. This spring, if you want to get your first try at operating a hovercraft at USHovercraft, you need to make it to one of the H101 Basic Hovercraft Training Courses in Fairbanks or Anchorage, Alaska. More hovercraft class information can be found in our training section. The Fairbanks class is April 19th, 2008 and the Anchorage class is April 12, 2008.
The shorter version of the SR.N6 is shown here in a vintage hovercraft photograph. See more pictures of older hovercraft in our photo area. Just click on this picture.
There are two examples of this hovercraft design at the museum. This drive system consists of one engine and two large fans. The fans provide both lift and thrust via ports in the back of the hovercraft. There are also ports on the top facing forward that allow for the hovercraft to go in reverse when the rear ports are closed and the top ports are open. This is truely a unique design and shows that hovercraft can be made with many different design concepts. Although not operational at the museum, someone said it was one of the most stealthy hovercraft ever made because it was really quiet.
The oldest operational hovercraft in the world, the SR.N6 at the Hovercraft Museum. Here is a short video of the turbine spooling up, the twin drive system, and the cushion height. This hovercraft is started on mondays to keep everything in working order.
I was told by the people at the museum that this is the oldest running hovercraft in the world. Built in 1965, the SR.N6 is turbine powered, with a single lift fan and twin variable pitch props. The crew started the hovercraft which has a significanlty higher hover height than most hovercraft made now. It was easy to see why this is still one of the best hovercraft ever made.
Terry and Warwick, two guys at the Hovercraft Museum in the United Kingdom, were great hosts while Chuck Manley of USHovercraft visited the largest collection of hovercraft in the world. The designs were varied, and the experience is unpassable for anyone in the hovercraft industry or any hovercraft enthusiast. Small to large, the hovercraft museum was incredible. Check out our photo gallery for more pictures of the hovercraft museum.
-785133.jpg)
-785167.jpg)
