This video of the UH-18SPW Hoverwing™ has really got me going:

http://www.hovercraft.com/content/me...erwing_wmv.wmv

Has anyone here had any experience with something like this? Do they
get licensed as a boat, aircraft, or not at all? What is the
difficulty of learning how to operate it? What are the major safety
issues? What kind of seas can you negotiate?

On May 13, 5:35*pm, Wayne.B wrote:
This video of the UH-18SPW Hoverwing™ has really got me going:

http://www.hovercraft.com/content/me...erwing_wmv.wmv

Has anyone here had any experience with something like this? *Do they
get licensed as a boat, aircraft, or not at all? *What is the
difficulty of learning how to operate it? *What are the major safety
issues? *What kind of seas can you negotiate?

Let me rummage around, I've seen an article or two about the
hoverwing.

It isn't commonly known that the Coasdt Guard tested
a couple of hovercraft on San Francisco Bay in the
early 1970s:

http://groups.sims.berkeley.edu/waypoint/images/41.jpg

http://groups.sims.berkeley.edu/waypoint/images/42.jpg



Geoff

--
"That which has always been accepted by everyone, everywhere
is almost certain to be false. - Paul Valery

On May 14, 3:05*pm, (Geoff Miller) wrote:
It isn't commonly known that the Coasdt Guard tested
a couple of hovercraft on San Francisco Bay in the
early 1970s:

http://groups.sims.berkeley.edu/waypoint/images/41.jpg

http://groups.sims.berkeley.edu/waypoint/images/42.jpg

Geoff

--
"That which has always been accepted by everyone, everywhere
*is almost certain to be false. *- Paul Valery * * *

This is a different concept, it has wings and will actuall fly a few
feet off of the surface!

On Wed, 14 May 2008 12:17:25 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On May 14, 3:05*pm, (Geoff Miller) wrote:
It isn't commonly known that the Coasdt Guard tested
a couple of hovercraft on San Francisco Bay in the
early 1970s:

http://groups.sims.berkeley.edu/waypoint/images/41.jpg

http://groups.sims.berkeley.edu/waypoint/images/42.jpg

Geoff

--
"That which has always been accepted by everyone, everywhere
*is almost certain to be false. *- Paul Valery * * *

This is a different concept, it has wings and will actuall fly a few
feet off of the surface!

Hey Loogy, I told Wayne B, over in Chuck's place, that you were the local
hovercraft expert. He's interested in the '18' model.
--
John *H*

On May 14, 3:38*pm, John H. wrote:
On Wed, 14 May 2008 12:17:25 -0700 (PDT), wrote:
On May 14, 3:05*pm, (Geoff *Miller) wrote:
It isn't commonly known that the Coasdt Guard tested
a couple of hovercraft on San Francisco Bay in the
early 1970s:

http://groups.sims.berkeley.edu/waypoint/images/41.jpg

http://groups.sims.berkeley.edu/waypoint/images/42.jpg

Geoff

--
"That which has always been accepted by everyone, everywhere
*is almost certain to be false. *- Paul Valery * * *

This is a different concept, it has wings and will actuall fly a few
feet off of the surface!

Hey Loogy, I told Wayne B, over in Chuck's place, that you were the local
hovercraft expert. He's interested in the '18' model.
--
John *H*- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Not an expert, but I built one, ran it a few years, etc. I did belong
to a local homebuilt type hovercraft club and learned alot from those
guys. I'm going to try to remember to rummage around in my scrap books
and find some pictures. I'll certainly try to help!

On Wed, 14 May 2008 13:01:55 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

Not an expert, but I built one, ran it a few years, etc. I did belong
to a local homebuilt type hovercraft club and learned alot from those
guys. I'm going to try to remember to rummage around in my scrap books
and find some pictures. I'll certainly try to help!

The one with the wings and limited flight capability is particularly
appealing for reasons that are difficult to define. Perhaps it is the
prospect of leap frogging a Florida Fish and Wildlife boat that is
trying to determine if you are speeding through a slow speed zone in a
boat as opposed to flying through it a few feet off the water. We
have a lot of really shallow water around here and quite a few
ridiculous (boat) speed limits.

:-)