The early days of the hovercraft | Nostalgia

The hovercraft began life in 1955 when inventor Sir Christopher Cockerell tested his idea for a hybrid vessel craft by putting a cat food tin inside a coffee tin and blowing air between them with a hairdryer.
SRN2 breaks through the ice at Wooton Creek, Isle of Wight, in January 1963. Picture: Courtesy of Amberley booksSRN2 breaks through the ice at Wooton Creek, Isle of Wight, in January 1963. Picture: Courtesy of Amberley books
SRN2 breaks through the ice at Wooton Creek, Isle of Wight, in January 1963. Picture: Courtesy of Amberley books

The fast water-transport vehicle was not quite a boat nor quite a plane but a combination of both.

The Southsea to the Isle of Wight hovercraft is the world’s only year-round passenger hovercraft service.

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An SRN5 on excercise at Browndown, Gosport, with 200 Hovercraft Squadron RCT. Picture: Courtesy Amberley BooksAn SRN5 on excercise at Browndown, Gosport, with 200 Hovercraft Squadron RCT. Picture: Courtesy Amberley Books
An SRN5 on excercise at Browndown, Gosport, with 200 Hovercraft Squadron RCT. Picture: Courtesy Amberley Books
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