Remember hovercraft?

[88V8]

Came across this rather good video anent the hovercraft boom of the 60s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnJLT8wFyhY

Alas on our cross-channel outings my parents never ventured... anyone recall flying on them?

V8

[redsturgeon]

Went across the channel once on an SRN 4 car carrying hovercraft and also been on the still running Portsmouth - Ryde passenger hover.

The most impressive bit is watching them just roll straight up the beach.

John

[Lootman]

We used them on one trip to France. Fun and quick. But I didn't like that you were pretty much trapped in your seat, like on a plane. You could not walk around like you can on a ferry. So although the trip was quicker, it did not feel quicker.

As the link demonstrates, services would tend to get cancelled a lot in bad weather.

[richlist]

I took a car across on a hovercraft many years ago......it was my first trip. When the drinks trolley came along my colleague said don't order anything....just watch the guy in front of you try to drink his. Sure enough as the hovercraft bounced up & down as it crossed the waves you could see the guy was seriously struggling not to spill it on his lap.

[AF62]

What I remember about travelling by hovercraft across the channel is that there were only two things you could see; spray and vomit.

[airbus330]

Lucky enough to have flown on the flight deck of the mighty HoverLloyd SRN4 at Pegwell Bay way back in the 70's. Air Cadet jolly. Noise levels were horrific. Passengered on it a few times too. Biggest issue was speed reduction or cancellation due to heavy seas and obviously the massive fuel consumption and maintenance costs. They were very impressive in a dinosaur kind of way to watch climbing up the ramp from the sea.

[redsturgeon]

Really a bit of an innovative method of transport looking for a problem for which it was the solution.

John

[airbus330]

Got some good photos but have been defeated by the upload process!

Yes, not a successful implementation of the tech, especially after the Channel tunnel was built and oil prices skyrocketed. Still has some SAR and Military uses. Even the RNLI have a few.

[airbus330]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/nS8zM4KaAxUjFBCs8

That seems to work for the album

[Breelander]

Got some good photos but have been defeated by the upload process!....

Fixed it for you....



I once took my car across the channel on one of those....