The Hovercraft: Where did it come from? | Stuff of Genius
Tune in to learn how the purchase of a marina inspired this engineer to build something that's not quite a boat, and not quite a plane -- but certainly the Stuff of Genius.
Stuff of Genius tells the story behind everyday inventions. From the bikini to super wheat and everything in between. Viewers will learn the stories of unsung inventor heroes and their trials, tribulations and successes.
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Behold…the hovercraft. But where did it come from?
Meet Christopher Cockerell, born in England in 1910.
Christopher came from a family of geniuses.
His father had served as a museum director and knew several prominent English writers.
However, Christopher had a different calling, and he traveled to Cambridge to study Engineering.
After his studies, Christopher eventually went to work on radar systems for the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company.
In 1950 Cockerell left Marconi to manage a marina in Norfolk, and his focus shifted: He noticed that the friction slowed boats down, and began looking for ways to build heavy craft that could skim the water’s surface, reducing the friction.
Eventually it occurred to him: What better way to reduce friction than to have a vehicle ride on air?
Using a hair dryer, tin cans and other odds and ends, Christopher tested his hypothesis.
He placed a small can inside a large one and blew air into them.
The resulting ring of high-pressure airflow made a barrier to the air on either side of its path—he called this phenomenon the ‘momentum curtain.’
Christopher wasn’t the first to think of this idea – Emanuel Swedenborg proposed the concept in 1716, and earlier inventors had built similar vehicles.
However, Christopher’s invention, which he patented in 1956, is often considered the first modern hovercraft.
Here’s how it works: Christopher’s hovercraft used a skirt to trap high pressure air under the vehicle, cushioning over the surface.
In his original designs the same engine that provided lift also providing propulsion.
This used much less energy than a boat, because there was less friction to fight against.
In 1959 England’s National Research and Development Corporation introduced the SN.N1, which Christopher designed.
Later researchers made numerous improvements to the hovercraft, and today it is used for everything from tourism to military service and research.