HOVER/NG CRAFT & HYDROFOIL THE INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF AIR CUSHION VEHICLES AND HYDROFOILS KALERGHI PUBLICATIONS e're on ops no WITH THE WORLD'S FIRST FULL Y-OPERATIONAL HOVERCRAFT SQUADRON BHC hovercraft have now BHC hovercraft lead the world. BHC hovercraft are the only joined the forces - as regulars Incorporating systems and hovercraft that have been used on enlisted for active service, at components proven in over 20,000 military operations - both by British home and abroad, with the hours of operation all over the Defence Forces and by the U.S. Royal Corps of Transport world, the 'I 0-ton SR.N6 carries 30 Navy. They have proved themselves Hovercraft Squadron. This fully-equipped troops or over 3 in extremes of climatic conditions, tons of freight, and is able to from tropical jungles and deserts vital decision by the British mount the latest weapons systems. to the frozen arctic - from Sweden Government to purchase BHC It cruises at 56 knots and is to Sarawak, from Thailand to the SR.NG1s for the world's first unrestricted by reefs, sandbanks, far north of Canada. fully-operational hovercraft underwater defences, ice, tide BHC strength is further emphasised squadron, marks the full state or shallows, giving military by the recent Government decision establishment of hovercraft as forces a freedom and speed of to order the larger 40-ton BH.7 in front-line vehicles with a vital movement by day or night far in both the patrol boat version and role in military operations and advance of anything feasible for the logistics support version. will undoubtedly influence conventional craft. The 10-ton SR.N6 is in full defence planning throughout production with the 40-ton BW.7 to follow shortly. the world. BRITISH HOVERCRAFT-WORLD LEADERS IN THE HOVER TRANSPORT REVOL UTION corporation limited FEI~I~UAIIY1967 Editor : JUANITA I<ALERGEII HOVERING CRAFT AND HYDROFOIL is produced by Kulergl~i I'ublicui~ons, 50-52 B/c;i~dfor~lStreet, Londoii, IPV1. Telephone WELbeck 8678. Prinferl iir (ireat Britain hy Villiers P~~hlicafions,Loirdoi~, NCV5. Ant?ual subscrip- tion: Five Glrivreas UK and equivalerlt overseas. USA and Canada $15. There are twelve issues annually. Contents of this issue are the copyright of Kalergki HOVERING CRAFT Publications. Pernzissio~z to reprodrrce pictures and text can be granted only under written agreement. Extracts & HYDROFOIL or comnrerrts may be made with due acknowledgenrent to Hoveping Craft and Hydrofoil. FOUNDED OCTOBER 1961 ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE L. Temple Rosswick Ltd, 3 Queens Court, Queensway, Loridon, Telephone BAYstvater 5812 First Hovering Craft & Hydrufoil Monthly in the World WZ. ain's Youn HE news that a few of the latest emigrants bound for the no mergers, a surfeit of projects and lull order books. Not all T United States are from the hovercraft industry comes as the leavers went abroad. Then, as now, many stayed in this no surprise. What does surprise is the fact that such news has country to enter more general industry. only just started to attract the attention of Parliament and the The ladies and gentlemen of the Press and the Society of national Press. As is usual in cases of industrially important British Aerospace Constructors who have been concerning matters, the Press is a long way behind on the story and has themselves with the problcm of late, shoulcl note that it is one presented an incomplete picture of the true situation to the of over twenty years' standing. Only the degree has changed public. and this has now reached the stage where practically every The journalistic term "brain drain" which has been devised major industry in the country is beginning to feel the effect. for the situation is insufficient and misleading. "Talent wast- It would be nice to know what measures the self-appointed ag,e" would be better. The westward trek of manpower may be experts on the problem envisage. How anything short of a sa~dto involve three classes. One comprises the academicians, complete reorganisation of the structure and status of technical or "way-out" men who think ten or twenty years ahead. Then staffs and pruning amongst senior executives will sufice, is there are the engineers, designers and design draughtsmen- hard to see. The operation is long overdue. Most certainly the real industrial talent and know-how is invested in this category, use of semi- or complete nationalisation to impose Civil Service and they represent the most immediately serious loss. Thirdly, status upon technical staffs will not work towards the national there is the important group of men who work with their hands, interest. Men who think and venture ahead seldom enjoy work- and of whom a considerable number have gone into Europe. ing in a lettered environment. Using the bait of higher salaries and supervisory posts, it has There are, of course, some who take solace in nationalistic been possible to entice home a few disillusioned and possibly pride. For their benefit we would point out that the work of homesick migrants. But it is only a very few, and the majority some of the earlier emigrants lrom this country appears in remain. current British hovercraft and aerospace products. We refer, of Obviously the task is to find the reason for the rot and stop course, to the American General Electric T.58 gas turbine pro- it. In this direction the politically obsessed newspapers can duced over here as the "Gnome", the various constant-speed always find a scapegoat in this or that government policy - or alternator drives that can go with this and other engines, and the lack of it. In this case they are wrong. also fuel tank and hull sealants. In addition, there are all the The first murmurings of discontent arise in a man who is major electrical and electro-mechanical components on the dissatisfied with the management under which he works, the VC-10 and BAC One-Eleven airliners, as well as the complete promotion schemes or absence of them. Poor management, lack APU of the latter. To these must be added the American pro- of quality leadership, square pegs in round holes - these are pellers that are available through British licensees for future the real instigators. To this must be added the alacrity with hovercraft. which some firms will take up licence production of a foreign It is our solemn belief that (under the leadership and guid- component rather than develop their own design. ance of Mr Wedgwood Benn) Britain's youngest Government It was largely for these reasons that thousands left the British Department, the Ministry of Technology, which may well have aircraft industry during the pinnacle years 1948 to 1958. Whilst to face conflict and opposition from older-established depart- trained men, many with apprenticeships behind them, left, ments, will nevertheless succeed in banishing the stultifying others came in from milk rounds, garages, tailoring and many effects of "talent wastage" by reshaping the long-term develop- other walks of life. These were the days of full employment, ment of British industry along productively eficient lines. IN THIS ISSUE People and Projects 4 Hover-Air's Hoverbat 12 A Theory Concerning the From Ferry Boats to Hovercraft - Dynamics of Hovercraft Lift 8 Some Aspects of Economics and Operation 14 Letters to the Editor 10 Hovercraft in the USSR 18 The History of Hydrofoils 19 COVER PICTUHE : A hoverterminal night scene. An SR.N6 hovercraft makes a smooth transition from water to land Hovercrc~ftttriul held in u j~luyground. The boy^ of Barnstaple Secondary Modern < School, Devonshire, give a pus17 off to their hovercraft buill by them us part of the School's applied scieizce and technology activities. Barrlstaple Scl~oolis one of 60 involved rn an applied science and techizology project intended to develop the nctive ability aid initiative in pupils which many educa- riorzalists feel i~ stifled by the acudernic strait-jacket of existing curricula. Mo.<t of the boys in the scheme are at public, grammur or tecl~nicul schools 6resundsbolagen have ordered another hydrofo~lfrom Can- Societe Bertin of 28 rue la Boetie, Paris, builders of the liere Navale 1,eopoldo Rodriyuez, Mess~iia.The craft will be Aerotrain. havc developed a ~lcwhybrid vehicle for which they a PT 20s type and will catly 110 passengerb Next summer expect to find wide application in civil engineering jobs. 6;esundsbolagen wlll operate s~xoC these hydrofo~lsbetween Caterpillar tracks ale combioed w~than alr cush~onsystem Malmo and Copenhagen. In a veh~cleIntended for farm~nguse It is sad to have excel- lent sleellng character~strc.;and to be designed to prevent soil 9( 9( -h eroslon itom the all blast Mr Frank A. Dobson of Califoril~ahas patented an all cal The Invention 15 the subject of Btrhsh Patent No 1,053,394, -a small vchrcle w~tha fan [hat 11lts ~t sllghtly dbove land, published on December 30th, 1966 wate~,snow or Ice on the "giound effect" prlnc~ple HIS corn- pany, Dobson P~oducts,will sell the complete plans and opel- atlng instruct~onslo1 $25 The cost oP mater~alsis est~matedat Mr Basil Hurle-Hobbs, a former tcst pilot, has stated that $200, exclus~veof the engtne Thc mot01 can be a un~tof l'rom his company will build a special pneumatic hydrocraft for an 7 to 15 hp such as used in mtn~aturecar.; attempt on Donald Campbell's world water speed record ol The company will also supply a cotnplele srngle-seatei w~th 276.3 i~iph.Thc craft uses a system oE air lubrication to redt~ce englne for $1,500, and can Purn~shthe Can and other parts Poi friction and drag, those who build theri own veh~cle The all car has a l~ghtwocden, plaslrc-covered frame, with the fan set In the front end at about 45" and a iudder at the <tern The slant of the fan piovldes both lift and piopulston Two engineers from I-Iovercraft Ilevelopment Ltd, Mr The p~lotcontrols the alr cat wtth a st~ck.