NOVER/NG GRAFT & HYDROFOIL THE INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF AIR CUSHION VEHICLES AND HYDROFOILS "Hovercraft first costs are high "Dozens of working GEMS compared with ferry boats and (ground effect machines) have series production aircraft in been built in everything from terms of work capacity, payload ness experimental laboratories. thing we know. We still have carried well over 100,000 pas- a design from which a number of substantially similar craft may be built; however, at the mo- Carl Weiland "Mr Desmond Norman, of Britten Norman, Isle of Wight, has stated that lack of finance is holding up the introduction "The introduction of of a regular hovercraft and hydrofoils on the Nor- passenger ferry service across the solent to the Isle of Wight. wegian coast became an "Mr Norman stressed that immediate success." hydrofoils which have been sold to eleven different coun- Erling Aanensen tries. Our first hydrofoil, the Det Stavangerske 72-seat PT20 Freccia del Sole, Dampskibsselskab, which started operating in 1956 on the Mess~na-Reggio Cala- bina-Messina line, has now travelled more than 430,000 tribution as an investment in the world expenditure will have reached nine to ten million Christopher Cockerell nt compared with foil in certain specific fields of value of the con- application. The development and building costs are high, which to judge results. The con- solidated results of your com- military use, They include land and amphibious sports machines, in some measure the endless flying-pallet riding toys, am- struggle to operate these craft phibious commuter vehicles, and as economic units at th$r sub-sonic transit trains capable present level of development. D. R. Robertson Hovertravel Ltd CROSS CHANNEL MOTORWAY Come summer, the new SR.N4 hovercraft will have established virtually a motorway across the English Channel. These 165-ton craft, the world's fastest sea transport, will skim between Calais/Ramsgate for Hoverlloyd and Boulogne/Dover for British Rail in record time at motorway speeds. Carrying 254 passengers and 30 cars, the SR.N4 will be capable of operating in almost anyweather in the same way as conventional ferries. The SR.N4 is the world's largest hovercraft and is in quantity production at Cowes, Isle of Wight. Hoverlloyd and British Rail are the first ferry operators to exploit the vast potential of open-water hovercraft. The 'bus ride' to Europe is but the first step. BRITISH HOVERCRAFT - WORLD LEADERS IN THE HOVER TRANSPORT REVOLUTJON ;;k;a BRITISH HOVERCRAFT CORPORATION LIMITED IS ASUBSIDIARYOF @ WESTLAND AIRCRAFT ",.*~".*-, ,-,- british hovercraft corporation LIMITED -"..,..-~-,- .- EAST COWES . ISLE OF WIGHT ENGLAND Editor : JUANITA ICALERGHI HOVERING CRAFT AND HYDIIOFOII, is produced by Kalerghi I'ublicatiort.~, 50-52 Blartdford Street, Londor?, WI. Telephone WEL,beclc 8678. Printed in Great Rritarrr hy Villiers Publications, London, NW5. Anwlral subscrip- liofz: Seven guinecrs UK, US Dollars 17 Cancrdiurl Doll~rs18. There are twelve issurs annrrally. Contents of lhis issrre are the copyright of Knlerghi HQVER/NG CRAFT l'rrblications. Pernlission to rrprodrrce pictures and text can he granted only under written agreenzent. Extructs or connnents may he nlade with due oclcnowleclgemen~ & HYDROFOIL to Hovering Craft and Hydrofoil. FOUNDED OCTOBER 1961 ADVERTISING REPRESENTA'TXVE L Trrriplr Rosswlck Ltrl, 3 Qrreens Court, Qtreerisway, Idondon, W2 Telephone RAYswater 5812. First Hovering Craft & Hydrofoil Monthly in the World Produce Abundan HE Central London Productivity Association comlnerc~al sense wlll come into play in maklng T deserve warm thanks for thelr initlat~veIn spon- individual assessnlents. They will want to feel sure sorlng the conference on business aspects of hover- that there will be some profit short-term -enough craft and hydrofoils In London on May 15th The to whet their appetite to wait for the long-term suc- conference wrll brlng leaders of the hovercraft and cess commensurate wlth the rl\ks they take at the hydrofoil Industries to meet those whose Interest is start. in ~nvestmentIn new developments To these formal Men who back sea ventures have always been ready thanks is added the appreciation of this journal which to take a chance; were this not so they would remain IS able to give In advance the papers that are to be commercial landlubbers content to invest in bricks presented and mortar ! The call of the sea penetrates even Into In the past there have been symposia and confer- the most unlikely velns All, however, need to be ences to glve information on the technical problems Informed of the risks as well as the potential - to be be~ngexper~enced and the techniques employed to glven reliable forecasts of the likely progress of these overcome these problems Often listeners gave votce new tools of the sea trade, based on facts and figures to their doubts of the vlabillty of the projects- produced by past experience some remained frankly sceptical of the outcome Th~s1s why the conference IS being held- "Busi- Some with the courage to enter the operating field ness Aspects of Hovercraft and Hydrofoils" - ln gamed mer~tand experience. but lost money. Some the cinema theatre of Br~tannicHouse kindly lent who overstated their case in speaklng of their prod~~ct by the British Petroleum Company, to whom both should have red faces remembe~ingtheir words of the hovercraft and hydrofoil ~ndustrlesowe a great yeateryear 1 debt of grat~tudeior its early support Now, rn the spring of 1968, is the time to take a This journal welcomes the opportunity to take up cool hard look at the busmess aspects of hovercraft another aspect with readers overseas who have not and hydrofoils Th~sjournal belleves that both sys- the opportunlty to attend the conference, ask per- tems - and the hovertram - are here to stay. If this tinent questions of the speakers, and buttonhole those belief 15 correct, then there are y~~est~onsto be asked III the audience with speclalised knowledge Wlll they and answered frankly and accurately. please contribute papers for publication in the journal, Can the production ellglneer rapidly and markedly telling of what they are doing, and what problems reduce capital costs? Wlll the "runs" in the yards be they are facing? adequate to make full use of modern techniques? Are Some may feel that th~sopen dlplomdcy will not the insurance rates too high? Has a promotion ladder pay, for profit is their motive Is this really so in these fol employees been planned? Do the industries offer technically sophlstlcated t~mes?In international fast seculity for men who worlc on the production llnes travel, barriers are being broken down, and by co- so that the best men are attracted? Can the operator operation and mutual understanding the pace of get a good return for the capltal employed? development 1s speeded and profits to lndiv~duals Thls conference will give Investors and potentlal enhanced. The speakers at the conference will surely operators the opportunlty to meet designers, bullders give the 1le to any "cards close to the chest" legend and existing operators, face to face, and personal TI~EEDITOR P 6. WANSBROUGM WHITE ARAeS, AIM Director Business Operations Research Ltd HE Editor has invited me to write an lntroduction to Mr C; Walzsbrough-White entered civil aviation irz 1936 T this Special Edition of Hovering Craft & Hydrofoil, served on East African routes and in the Royal Air Force presumably in my capacity as Chairman of the Management from 1939 to 1946. He became duector of a sh~pp~ngand Sciences Committee of the Central London Productivity tran;lpott company in East Africa until 1952, then emigrated Association -the sponsors of the Conference. to the UK to join the Bristol Aeroplane Co. He spent s' years in the Britmnnia Design Orgcmisutiorz and then two yeu However, having risen on my cushion, I feel that I should zn the newly furrned 0 and M Depattfnefzt. Itz 1960 lie joine do more than just make a small platitudinous journey to Metal Industries Lrd Group Marzugement Services Unit, and say what splendid things hovercraft and hydrofoils are, in 1964 he joined Buriness O~jerationResearch Ltd to form Hovering Craft & Hydrofoil is, and the Conference will be. tlie [Systems] Comparzy us Manuging Director. He is currerztly I intend to make a slightly longer trip. Director of Business Planning of the BOR Group Still very The Central London Productivity Association is inter- interested in aviation and transport in general, he ir a Member ested in productivity, which is another way of saying of Counc~lof thc Royal Aeronautical Society urzd retains a improved profitability, which implies a viable business prlot'r l~ceizce.He i~ a member of the British Computer Society, tlie British Institute of Management, the Operational Research running at an optimum level of efficiency. So the interest, Society, and helped to found the Munugemerzt Studies Croup and the purpose, is to view hovercraft and hydrofoils as of the Royul Aeronautical Society. An itinerant aviation the sales products of a healthy business able to create and Izrstorian and writer, he once owned the oldest floating vessel serve a new transport market. And as pioneers of hover- in Brrtaiiz and rtill ptefer~to live OII CI boat craft, to meet world competition-for I must not forget that we are part of the British Productivity Council. After a depressing Budget and in a disillusioned era this may well sound as so much pious claptrap, but however it sounds the hard fact remains that this is a young, promising Experience in business, shipping, transport, aviation and industry that is going to meet, if it has not already met, in management consultancy leads to one inevitable and daunting problems which could well cripple some enter- simple conclusion : that a successful business is supported prises.