SRN4 Hovercraft at Work. Part 3: The Flight Deck

I was invited onto the flight deck for a trip from Calais to Dover. Unfortunately from a filming point of view, we were flying directly into the sun which was not ideal. However, I hope there is something of interest here. It was certainly a very exciting experience. Please like and subscribe if you enjoyed it. Thank you.

[@bassonvolant7097]

Thx ! Makes me remember our family watching Hovercraft at launch Time from Calais on Sunday afternoons... What a noise ! T'was like four helicopters at the same Time 😱

[@cbjones82]

I was allowed up here when I was about 9 or 10. Unaccompanied (you wouldn't hear of that now eh?!) and was actually allowed to press a button. I'm sure it did nothing, but it still brings me joy thinking about it to this day!

[@martyn3211]

Thanks for posting these videos. Always been hovercraft obsessed, never been on one.

[@ggurks]

I always thought the controls of a hovercraft would be like a bridge of a ship but that's more like a cockpit of a plane

[@MD88Pilot]

It sounds exactly like a plane too.

[@Jimbo-gi7xn]

They are more like aircraft than ships, that's why the crossings were referred to as flights

[@jeremyhaines4481]

👍 great stuff x

[@captainsidewinder]

Looks like the old 6 pax commercial turbo prop aircraft cockpit 😍

[@jamesjames3525]

IT LOOKS LIKE IT WAS QUITE A TASK KEEPING THE BEAST IN LINE. THE CREW REALLY EARNED ITS KEEP WITH THIS ONE.IT ALSO SEEMS TO BE A COMPLICATED PIECE OF MACHINERY.

[@j.playstation9163]

Awesome to see

[@jeremyhaines4481]

Their were also the seacats at Dover but they did not last long

[@richardrankin1852]

Yes, that is because they were 'berth blocked' by ferry companies thus rendering them useless. Ferry docks, experiences 'technical issues' cat has to wait, customers complain, ferry company has to compensate - 'where's the fast service I paid for?' multiply that by a few thousand business goes tits up, ferry operators win, back to slowboat to France. That is why I would rather not give my money to a ferry company and use the tunnel or fly.

[@loganbaileysfunwithtrains606]

Very impressive machine, just wish the hover craft made it to the US they would have been useful in traveling over the Great Lakes.

[@renefrijhoff2484]

Not sure what the distance would be, but the top speed of these SRN 4's was about 130 KM/H or approx. 80.8 M/H

[@notapplicable4567]

Taking a while to rotate aren't we now

[@paulb6716]

My dream job!!

[@dav01kar]

Wonder if those pilots were on the same money as the airline pilots.

[@mss4822]

first time I the cockpit of this machine very interesting but I guess this was filmed in the 90's

[@MrPantss]

I would love to know how these were controlled, you had throttle, blade pitch, rudders, 4 independently rotating prop units.... what was linked to where?

[@mattenglish2341]

The rudder bar turned the fore and aft pylons in opposite directions, making the craft turn strongly. The yoke would turn the fore and aft pylons in the same direction, making the craft sideslip. These operations were summed in a computer to give a range of manoeuvring capabilities. Pulling the yoke, like pitching up in an aircraft, reduced the pitch of the propellers. And finally, the pitch of the propellers could be reversed individually; reversing the pitch on one side of the craft, and pushing the rudder bar on the same side as the reversed propellers, allowed a turn on the spot. Hope this answers your question.

[@roesner-stefan]

How fast Drive this Hover?

[@timmanboy1]

50-75 MPH

[@Bodhisattva.]

Watch out for the prince of wales pier. Ohh whoops, bugger. Don’t worry it’ll buff out.

[@flitsertheo]

The underside of the hovercraft is a cushion, that will dampen the blow.

[@alanbstard4]

imagine a new one made today with a glass instrument panel

[@User0000000000000004]

No.

[@WoodAlice-j4i]

Kristofer Club