Hovercraft
Home Page   Hovercraft  in progress, Phase I, Phase II, Phase III (coming)

Contact me:  to ask questions, or provide some design tips, suggestions, information, send me an email.                                 Click "Contact Us" above and lets discuss it.

Click on Picture to go to Phase I.   Includes test run videos and construction pictures        Phase I  Float/forward motion

Click on Picture to go to Phase II.  Includes test run videos and construction pictures       Phase II  Steering/brakes
Phase  III There are three different 24 volt DC motors used to determine the motor that
would be equal the 110 volt electric motor that came in the leaf blower
used for phase I and phase II of the project. These motors will be
discussed in the Phase III page. Click here for Phase III.

                                                                                  

 

Click on Picture to go to 1959 Desoto Firedome  pictures.                                            

 
Click on Picture to go to 1965 Chevy Impala pictures.                                                         
 
Notes:
Operating the hovercraft.  The hovercraft in phase I was tested after it had the blower and fan installed.  If you have reviewed the videos for phase I you will see that the craft floated on an "air bearing" and because of the fan and the slop of the driveway the craft achieved forward motion.  In the second video for phase I you can see that poles were used to guide the craft down the driveway.  No braking available except crashing into the bushes. No steering available except for the poles.
2.0 mil. Plastic: The plastic I used first was 6 mil thick and I found it to be to thick.  I changed the plastic to 2 mil thick and that seem to work. Before I changed the 6mil to 2 mil I increased and decreased the 4 hole sizes and found that four holes 1.5 inches in diameter worked best. At this time of writing this statement we have "flown" the craft down the driveway more than 20 times.  The plastic shows very little wear and no damage.
The small wheels used did protect the plumbing and the plastic from damage and the additional weight of the wheels was not an issue.  The wheels also protected the plastic. 
Braking:   To brake the craft the pilot leans back toward the brake wheel and applies the hand brake. The more the pilot leans on the braking wheel the better the brake works. At center or balance the rear wheel is off the surface by 1/2 inch.  To make the craft go straight the brake wheel will need to be in constant contact with the surface. This is possible and the craft still moved forward.
Steering:  The steering works well when the pilot leans towards the steering wheel.  The steering wheel needs to be in contact to the surface just a little.  Not much leaning (weight shift from center) to maintain contact with the surface.  With the surface contact of the steering and the braking wheel, the craft was able to "float" on the air bearing and allowed the craft to go in a straight line and stop. The steering wheel at center or balance is 1 inch off the surface.  The front steering wheel could be more up and down rather than "kicked" out front.  The angle of the front wheel added some difficulty to steering and has a wide steering radius.  The steering radius could be sorter. If I were to apply the brake and allow the front wheel to "float" the craft may turn on its own.  I tested this and found that there is potential but I needed to test more to become familiar with the procedure.  I need more experience with the craft to coordinate such a turn.  After two attempts to make a U-turn by applying the brake and letting the craft "float" to the left or right on its own I found that it started to pivot on the rear wheel and the craft did start to make a short U-turn. A fan with a directional flap would assist in this.  The fan was too weak and there is no directional flap at this time.
Front wheel, Rear wheel:  The wheels are from an 18" bicycle cut into thirds, the front part and the rear part and the center. I used the front wheel and the rear wheel.  The brake lever and rear brake system was available and I had to buy a long brake line.  To take the first ride you would need to keep in mind that 1. find center, 2. apply some off center weight to the front and rear wheels, but not too much, just enough to make contact with the surface.  This is difficult to do but with a little practice about 3 runs and you will be "stable" and be able to fly the hovercraft with ease.  Update:  Since I wrote this statement and after more thought I have realized that the weight distribution would be to lean more towards the front and rear wheels.  This applies pressure on both wheels.  This pressure is OK because you would shift your weight towards the wheels when you are about to stop.  The stopping is best performed when the weight is shifted to the wheels.  At the same time the blower would need to be turned  off.  So where you end up on the craft is relative to the stopping ability. 
Blower: The blower is capable of wind speed of 235mph.  It is strong enough to hold at least up to 225lbs plus the weight of the hovercraft.  The blower has a 3 speed control switch.  This is useful in testing the speed of air flow.  I found that speed one was acceptable but speed three worked best.  With speed three it was powerful enough to lift the craft and perform well with out blowing out the seam of the plastic.  I tested this with small holes in the plastic and it blow too much air in the plastic bag and didn't allow enough air out throw the holes and it loosened the plastic seam (seal) in a small area.
Fan:  The fan in phase I was weak but did provide some forward motion.  The fan was replaced with a 1/8 hp fan of the same size but only added a little more forward motion.  The fan is considered too weak for this application and will be researched and a new fan will be added. The fan will need to be strong enough to at least self propel up the driveway with a pilot.  Currently it is strong enough to "almost" go up the driveway by itself.
Electric Cord:  The cord is 100 feet long and was long enough to be used in the driveway.  The 100 foot cord in phase II was attached to the back of the craft.  The power cord for the blower and the fan was attached to the top right side of the craft.
Phase III,  To be implemented and tested.
Next I will replace the blower with a 4,000 rpm, 24 volt DC motor and 24 volt battery.  I will disassemble the blower and replace the 110 internal electrical parts with the 24 volt motor.  Hope it mounts up with the blower fan and am able to keep part of the blower housing. This change will render the blower dead as we know it.  The test will be to see if the DC motor can be used instead of the blower and if it performs at least as good as the blower I will be able to unplug the 110 power cord.  If this is successful I will use another DC motor to operate a new fan and have NO need for an electric cord.  Following these two test I will need to determine the height of bumps I can travel over.  Cracks in the cement or road causes some air to escape and slows down the craft.  If the fan can be powerful enough then speed can be increased and the cracks be flown over easily.
 
Thank you.   Thank you Josh, Justin, Joey, Rob, Cheryl, Mary, Dave, Davy, Charlotte, and Gary for your assistance in this hovercraft project. Each test flight was useful in determining the functionality of the hovercraft.