I'm old enough to be able to remember the first SR-N1, and "Airfix" made a model also! I hate the waiting for a ferry, or a similar - train, so in my home Denmark we have only built real bridges or tunnels and we are now building a proper Tunnel for trains and cars to ride for themselves during the 19 km below to Germany! As now 77 I may not be able to experience it, but I still hope to be able to drive under Fehmarnbelt! Finn. Denmark
I lived in Dover, my main recollection was their noise which filled the town. I also saw the landing of an early experimental saucer design hovercraft close to the Prince of Wales pier on a Sunday. Quite a crowd gathered. Later when it took off it turned round and its backdraft lifted a huge murmer of Sunday hats into the air wafting them onto the waters of the wet dock behind.
They were marvellous. Rode only once on a cross channel hovercraft in 1984. Physically - like sitting on a washing machine. Personally - amazing, such a change from the 75 minute Townsend Thoresen /Sealink shopping and booze "experience" 😊
Happened to be on a Townsend Thoresen ferry to Bolougne exactly a week after the Zeebrugge disaster... there was a ceremony just before we arrived, with the captain giving toots on the horn to signal 'farewell'. Me and the other kids were pissing ourselves laughing 🤣 (Didn't see anyone gliding around on rollerskates, either)
When my sister lived in northern France I frequently used the Dover Calais service. On one occasion we left Calais, hit a squall a couple of km out and bounced around for around 90 minutes with everyione except the stewardesses (who seemed to be made of sterner stuff) throwing up. After all that we ended up back in Calais and had to get the ferry. The Dover Oostende jetfoli service was great though they frequently cancelled it for 'operational reasons' which I suspect meant not enough passengers.
I travelled several times from England to France aboard these large hovercraft as a teenager in the 1970's. There were two routes - Hoverspeed (owned by British Rail and SNCF - French Railways) from Dover and Hoverlloyd (a private company) from Ramsgate. The services were operated as 'flights' with flight numbers and airline style tickets. Seating on board was similar to economy class aircraft seating (but without seat belts) with two seating areas one on each side of the hovercraft with the cars in the middle. The average crossing time was around 30 minutes. I liked the hovercraft but, unlike the ferry which took around one and a quarter hours on the shortest crossing (Dover to Calais), you had to remain seated on the hovercraft like on an aircraft with no walking around or sitting outside on the deck, no bars or restaurants or duty free shops to wander around. If you take away the thrill and excitement of travelling on a hovercraft, I think I have a preference for the ferry.
Brilliant as ever mate! I come from East Kent, between Pegwell bay and Dover, we saw it as a noisy bus, that you couldn't see out the windows, but meant you could get yer duty free quickly!
I went on the hovercraft a few times in the 80s and early 90s Someone in the comments described the experience as "traveling on a washing machine" which is a pretty good description However my last trip on it in i think 92 was a day trip from a special offer in a newspaper (cant remember which) It was midweek late winter/early spring. Misty day and flat calm. It was probably the best trip i had on it
Travel on one with a car from France to Dover in the mid 80s. Have to say the ride was a bit bumpy. But it was memorable because when waiting with my car to board, a squadron of Black Watch who were also waiting in their coaches (supposedly returning from Germany back home) got off their transport and performed a impromptu bagpipes Tattoo for the waiting car passengers. Relisg.
Excellent Ruairidh! We used to sit front right going to France if there was a slight swell, it was fun. We also used to travel on a Boeing hydrofoil to Belgium which was also a 'flight'. That was was when there were choices...
I recall crossing from Pegwell Bay on a school trip in the mid 1970s. Somewhat choppy on the way out the vibration & sea state induced considerable nausea - the only saving grace being that the flight was over quickly! The Hoverlloyd' stewardesses were very attentive to the passengers afflicted.
I'm from Northern France and I rode on the big Seaspeed beasts 3 separate times when I was a kid. 2 of the crossings were on smooth water, but the 3rd was a little rougher and, wow, it was a rollercoaster ride! I miss those giant awesome loud beasts.
I spent two summer holidays in southern England with my parents and sister, over 40 years ago. The first time was with the giant SR.N4 hovercraft. What a smooth ride! Or flight, or whatever. The second year was with a ship, a normal ferry. A bit of a bumpy ride and I got sick.
Was on these just about every month during the time I lived in the U.K. Noisy, not very comfortable and the spray made the windows to be all "milky" from the salt water and almost impossible to see out. But fast. And "landing" on the beach was always interesting.
Yes. But as a 12 year old I loved it and after a helicopter flight to the Scilly isles I only had Concorde and the Space Shuttle left on my bucket list. Sadly I never managed either, but 1984 was different time with more optimism.
I regret not taking the hovercraft. I took the ferry instead because that was cheaper and I wasn't in a hurry. I assumed the hovercraft would always be an option 😕
I used to deliver hover speeds duty free to them to there little buildind next to the pad on right side Aldders international. in 80s and 90s in Dover and watchmaking these craft fly bit like concorde was always amazing to watch. U could only drive across the pad with the traffic lights.
I remember travelling in 1968 from Dover to Calais with my late parents and the sea was so rough that it took off on a big wave and thumped back down in the trough, causing mum to be violently sick 🤮
I've never found a picture of a coach actually being on the hovercraft. However, I worked with a guy that said he used to put them on there. This would probably have been for National Holidays and he said that, due to the size restriction, they could only use the smaller Bova Europa. Whilst he had many photos of his long career, he he didn't have one of the coach on there.
Cockerell did his early development work on hovercraft in Suffolk. The village of Somerleyton has the "hovercraft column" that's a tribute to Cockerell. A top the column is a sculpture in 1:1 scale of Cockerell's prototype test model. Somerleyyon has been called the birthplace of the hovercraft (I grew up in one of the next-door villages). By the way, the plural of hovercraft is hovercraft, the same as the plural for aircraft and sheep, i.e. no "s" on the end.
Awesome machines. The obsession with profits always kills these amazing ventures. When man learns to see beyond money and pursues dreams and fantastic ideas for the joy and satisfaction of pursuing them then we will get somewhere without the hindrance of profit or loss. Your quoting of monetarist figures is such a bore in the face of the joy and delight these incredible craft invoked in travellers. Some great footage. 👍
Milton J Friedman built the gruesome idol of Shareholders First economic model. It was beta tested in the U.K. before its final development as Reaganomics. Both of which were made into permanent conditions and resulting in terminality for the U.S. and U.K. The obsession with profits is driven exclusively by paying the sacred shareholders first and foremost. Further elaboration is not possible on yeau touhbe and for reasons that one should know by now.
@@neiloflongbeck5705 The neoliberal economic model that determines price vs value is badly flawed. Much of the spending is for parrrassitic drains, like interest and counterproductive regulations. Both take capital away from modernization and improvement.
I was fortunate to ride on one the cross channel hover craft even though the ride was making passengers uncomfortable and sick due to rough weather. Very different to the rock steady hydrofoil I rode on when visiting Sydney one time albeit in finer weather.
For transportation fans, they sold cheap day trip tickets, just cross and immediately back, weren't allowed to pass customs. Did this as a kid! I think bumpiness depended a bit on where you would sit.
I think it would help to explain that the purpose of such trips was duty free shopping and the savings made on tobacco and alcohol purchases would more than cover the cost of the trip.
Always wanted to travel on one of these, too late now though😂been told they were very noisy & made you sea/air sick though! Another very interesting video, thank you 😊
As far as I'm aware, Westland only got involved in hovercraft when it merged with Saunders-Roe as part of the consolidation of the UK aviation industry in the 1960s. The hovercraft interests of Saunders-Roe hovercraft division of Westland and those of Vickers Supermarine were merged into the British Hovercraft Corporation in 1966.
We did crossings on both companies hovercraft back in the 70s, my photos of Hoverlloyd craft are getting very brown and in need of restoration. Amazing stuff though, if a bit vibratey :)
Spot on. The windows were coated with dried salt and the spray meant you couldn't see anything. On the plus side were the novelty value and a decent gin & tonic.
Good video BUT you missed out the SRN2 (?), which I understood to be the world's first commercial, passenger carrying, hovercraft service. It operated around the wirral in the early 60's. I travelled on this in my early teens. They gave a certificate to (younger) passengers which I have regrettably lost. I tried to check this on Wikipedia but, while the SRN2 is mentioned there is no reference to the Wirral service. I don't believe it ran for long. All seats faced rearward and I recall a rather bumpy ride.
Good work. Fabulous ships, these. Coolest way to get to England ever. Even if you should have had an Aston Martin rather than a Mini (me) to use it. All else is British as usual. Due to fail on all sorts of grounds and reasons. As if nobody knew, well ahead of time, that these buckets would use a biblical amount of jet fuel. Duh.
Largest propellers in the World at 5.8 meters and a fuel burn of only 1000 gallon an hour that not much for four Proteus turboprops. Amazing machines. But fuel prices in 1970's were all over the show. Saunders Roe made some ground breaking kit like the Princess flying boat with 8 coupled propellers on 4 Proteus turboshaft engines and another two Proteus Turboprops for luck. Check out Farnborough air show
1:11 that’s why all scientific and technological advances must always be debunked and those trying to make any such suggestions must always be dismissed and silenced as much as possible, in all cases
Any one in the Southampton area the hovercraft museum is well worth a visit with the only srn4 still there along with many others they are even looking to have to move the srn4 in the near future due to part of there site being redeveloped and some new buildings coming to the site
The UK is an island nation and that has an effect on national psychology. The UK is part of Europe, but they see themselves as an entity unto themselves. This is not a good thing or a bad thing. It is just the psychology of a nation.
Hovercraft were never going to work. The Soviet ekranoplanes failed as well because of the same reason: the ocean is no flat surface. The waves out there are way too big, wild and rough.
@@alanhutchinson7741operating where? In a lake? Through a strait that's less than 10 kms wide? Like the Solent strait in between Portsmouth and Isle of Wight? Yeah. I thought there was a hovercraft traversing the English Channel, but there's not even that (there WAS one though, but I guess the Eurotunnel rendered it impractical). Let alone a transatlantic line. 🤡 When I said "the ocean", I didn't mean some piddly 8 kms wide strait. I MEANT THE OCEAN.
Ruairidh is a real person. He does get the odd thing wrong with his documentaries. He's definitely not AI. I had an interest in hovercraft whilst doing my aerospace engineering degree in the 1990s, so I know that he's got quite a lot correct in this video.
Another brilliant video with no ads or promotions, thank you Ruairidh.
Never kiss another man's underpinnings.
@@GuyGibsonsDogNothing wrong with showing appreciation, honi soit qui mal y pense.
Although I have a strong desire to ride the Hoverspeed to France again 😅
@@anderspedersen7488gratitude is essential for true happiness 😊
Except for the annoying voice.
I'm old enough to be able to remember the first SR-N1, and "Airfix" made a model also! I hate the waiting for a ferry, or a similar - train, so in my home Denmark we have only built real bridges or tunnels and we are now building a proper Tunnel for trains and cars to ride for themselves during the 19 km below to Germany! As now 77 I may not be able to experience it, but I still hope to be able to drive under Fehmarnbelt! Finn. Denmark
I lived in Dover, my main recollection was their noise which filled the town. I also saw the landing of an early experimental saucer design hovercraft close to the Prince of Wales pier on a Sunday. Quite a crowd gathered. Later when it took off it turned round and its backdraft lifted a huge murmer of Sunday hats into the air wafting them onto the waters of the wet dock behind.
Got to ride the hovercraft before they were decommissioned on the service to Calais. It was an amazing trip. So glad I experienced it.
I loved going on those, it was like flying on an airplane through a rainstorm.
They were marvellous. Rode only once on a cross channel hovercraft in 1984. Physically - like sitting on a washing machine.
Personally - amazing, such a change from the 75 minute Townsend Thoresen /Sealink shopping and booze "experience" 😊
Happened to be on a Townsend Thoresen ferry to Bolougne exactly a week after the Zeebrugge disaster... there was a ceremony just before we arrived, with the captain giving toots on the horn to signal 'farewell'. Me and the other kids were pissing ourselves laughing 🤣 (Didn't see anyone gliding around on rollerskates, either)
The Hovercraft Museum at Lee On Solent is well worth a visit. The volunteers are fantastic too.
Thanks for the tip, fella.
On my things to do list when I get the time.
When my sister lived in northern France I frequently used the Dover Calais service. On one occasion we left Calais, hit a squall a couple of km out and bounced around for around 90 minutes with everyione except the stewardesses (who seemed to be made of sterner stuff) throwing up. After all that we ended up back in Calais and had to get the ferry.
The Dover Oostende jetfoli service was great though they frequently cancelled it for 'operational reasons' which I suspect meant not enough passengers.
Love myself some hovercraft. Never traveled on one though although I just might visit the Isle of Wight just for that
That's probably the only reason to visit the IOW 😂
@@-DC- IOW, like the rest of Britain, was great in the Eighties until the invaders came.
I traveled to France and back to the UK in 1981 , it was described as a flight, and was extremely smooth and speedy, such a shame they no longer exist
I travelled several times from England to France aboard these large hovercraft as a teenager in the 1970's. There were two routes - Hoverspeed (owned by British Rail and SNCF - French Railways) from Dover and Hoverlloyd (a private company) from Ramsgate. The services were operated as 'flights' with flight numbers and airline style tickets. Seating on board was similar to economy class aircraft seating (but without seat belts) with two seating areas one on each side of the hovercraft with the cars in the middle. The average crossing time was around 30 minutes.
I liked the hovercraft but, unlike the ferry which took around one and a quarter hours on the shortest crossing (Dover to Calais), you had to remain seated on the hovercraft like on an aircraft with no walking around or sitting outside on the deck, no bars or restaurants or duty free shops to wander around. If you take away the thrill and excitement of travelling on a hovercraft, I think I have a preference for the ferry.
Brilliant as ever mate! I come from East Kent, between Pegwell bay and Dover, we saw it as a noisy bus, that you couldn't see out the windows, but meant you could get yer duty free quickly!
Oh how I wish I'd had the chance to travel on these. They're just so awesome
I went on the hovercraft a few times in the 80s and early 90s
Someone in the comments described the experience as "traveling on a washing machine" which is a pretty good description
However my last trip on it in i think 92 was a day trip from a special offer in a newspaper (cant remember which)
It was midweek late winter/early spring. Misty day and flat calm. It was probably the best trip i had on it
Only seen the remains of the hover speed hovercraft at the museum at lee on solent before they dismantled them in 2014. It was a sad sight.
I saw these when on holiday in Ostend in 1981 and 1982, quite the dramatic entrance to a young me at the time.
I don't believe there was ever a hovercraft service to Ostend.
Travel on one with a car from France to Dover in the mid 80s. Have to say the ride was a bit bumpy. But it was memorable because when waiting with my car to board, a squadron of Black Watch who were also waiting in their coaches (supposedly returning from Germany back home) got off their transport and performed a impromptu bagpipes Tattoo for the waiting car passengers. Relisg.
Excellent Ruairidh! We used to sit front right going to France if there was a slight swell, it was fun. We also used to travel on a Boeing hydrofoil to Belgium which was also a 'flight'. That was was when there were choices...
The idea continued to be‘floated’! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I caught that too. Quite the pun
But its slowly sinking
I was sinking the same thing!
I recall crossing from Pegwell Bay on a school trip in the mid 1970s. Somewhat choppy on the way out the vibration & sea state induced considerable nausea - the only saving grace being that the flight was over quickly! The Hoverlloyd' stewardesses were very attentive to the passengers afflicted.
I'm from Northern France and I rode on the big Seaspeed beasts 3 separate times when I was a kid. 2 of the crossings were on smooth water, but the 3rd was a little rougher and, wow, it was a rollercoaster ride!
I miss those giant awesome loud beasts.
Very awesome and informative video as always ❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉
I spent two summer holidays in southern England with my parents and sister, over 40 years ago. The first time was with the giant SR.N4 hovercraft. What a smooth ride! Or flight, or whatever. The second year was with a ship, a normal ferry. A bit of a bumpy ride and I got sick.
Was on these just about every month during the time I lived in the U.K. Noisy, not very comfortable and the spray made the windows to be all "milky" from the salt water and almost impossible to see out. But fast. And "landing" on the beach was always interesting.
Yes. But as a 12 year old I loved it and after a helicopter flight to the Scilly isles I only had Concorde and the Space Shuttle left on my bucket list. Sadly I never managed either, but 1984 was different time with more optimism.
I regret not taking the hovercraft. I took the ferry instead because that was cheaper and I wasn't in a hurry. I assumed the hovercraft would always be an option 😕
I used to deliver hover speeds duty free to them to there little buildind next to the pad on right side Aldders international. in 80s and 90s in Dover and watchmaking these craft fly bit like concorde was always amazing to watch. U could only drive across the pad with the traffic lights.
I went on this in the 1980s it was amazing extremely quick fast
I seem to remember a pleasure hovercraft operating out of Aberystwyth for a while.
Took this when was 10. Loved it
1:10 well played sir!
I remember travelling in 1968 from Dover to Calais with my late parents and the sea was so rough that it took off on a big wave and thumped back down in the trough, causing mum to be violently sick 🤮
I've never found a picture of a coach actually being on the hovercraft. However, I worked with a guy that said he used to put them on there. This would probably have been for National Holidays and he said that, due to the size restriction, they could only use the smaller Bova Europa. Whilst he had many photos of his long career, he he didn't have one of the coach on there.
Cockerell did his early development work on hovercraft in Suffolk. The village of Somerleyton has the "hovercraft column" that's a tribute to Cockerell. A top the column is a sculpture in 1:1 scale of Cockerell's prototype test model. Somerleyyon has been called the birthplace of the hovercraft (I grew up in one of the next-door villages).
By the way, the plural of hovercraft is hovercraft, the same as the plural for aircraft and sheep, i.e. no "s" on the end.
Awesome machines. The obsession with profits always kills these amazing ventures. When man learns to see beyond money and pursues dreams and fantastic ideas for the joy and satisfaction of pursuing them then we will get somewhere without the hindrance of profit or loss. Your quoting of monetarist figures is such a bore in the face of the joy and delight these incredible craft invoked in travellers. Some great footage. 👍
When you are spending more than you earn, you either go broke or you cut the loss-making parts of your business.
They were amazing yes, but don't really compare to the channel tunnel to get to France. A bit like comparing The Mallard to a Pendolino!
Milton J Friedman built the gruesome idol of Shareholders First economic model. It was beta tested in the U.K. before its final development as Reaganomics. Both of which were made into permanent conditions and resulting in terminality for the U.S. and U.K. The obsession with profits is driven exclusively by paying the sacred shareholders first and foremost. Further elaboration is not possible on yeau touhbe and for reasons that one should know by now.
@@neiloflongbeck5705 The neoliberal economic model that determines price vs value is badly flawed. Much of the spending is for parrrassitic drains, like interest and counterproductive regulations. Both take capital away from modernization and improvement.
@BlackPill-pu4vi except that's not what I'm talking about. The value to society of an activity is irrelevant to a business carrying out that activity.
I was fortunate to ride on one the cross channel hover craft even though the ride was making passengers uncomfortable and sick due to rough weather. Very different to the rock steady hydrofoil I rode on when visiting Sydney one time albeit in finer weather.
For transportation fans, they sold cheap day trip tickets, just cross and immediately back, weren't allowed to pass customs. Did this as a kid! I think bumpiness depended a bit on where you would sit.
I think it would help to explain that the purpose of such trips was duty free shopping and the savings made on tobacco and alcohol purchases would more than cover the cost of the trip.
Always wanted to travel on one of these, too late now though😂been told they were very noisy & made you sea/air sick though! Another very interesting video, thank you 😊
There is still one you can go on.
Excellent video - thanks!
If it's good enough for James Bond...
Superb as usual 🎉
Nice one!
Very interesting. Thanks
Great footage.
There are certain nation states that use hovercraft for military purposes, some as large as these. 🏴
As far as I'm aware, Westland only got involved in hovercraft when it merged with Saunders-Roe as part of the consolidation of the UK aviation industry in the 1960s. The hovercraft interests of Saunders-Roe hovercraft division of Westland and those of Vickers Supermarine were merged into the British Hovercraft Corporation in 1966.
How many of us would love to have a HoverCraft race track?
8:38 the Hoverlloyd Ramsgate terminal was at Pegwell Bay. Shame it wasn't mentioned in the commentary at that point Ruairidh.
Superb, thank you.
We did crossings on both companies hovercraft back in the 70s, my photos of Hoverlloyd craft are getting very brown and in need of restoration. Amazing stuff though, if a bit vibratey :)
Please do a video on the history of the Class 24/25 Diesel locomotives!
Why is the Narrator saying Huverlloyd, Huvercraft and Huverport ?. I thought I was hearing incorrectly at first !!!.
Very noisy, but smashing fun at the age of 12!
They were amazing, but technology in the form of cats was always going to defeat them. And those profit margins were incredibly low.
2:02 Was there a market for Scalextric hovercraft?
Great video, once again.
There are still many inflatable craft crossing the channel these days
I thought Brexit would solve that completely?
@@SolarWebsiteno borders in Europe and Merkel sending a big invite didn't help.
Took this in 1986
speed certainly but comfort?
They were noisy, quite bumpy at times and confined spaces
Spot on. The windows were coated with dried salt and the spray meant you couldn't see anything. On the plus side were the novelty value and a decent gin & tonic.
'My, hovercrafts, is full..of eels, do you waant to come back to my place? bouncy bouncy!
Good video BUT you missed out the SRN2 (?), which I understood to be the world's first commercial, passenger carrying, hovercraft service. It operated around the wirral in the early 60's. I travelled on this in my early teens. They gave a certificate to (younger) passengers which I have regrettably lost. I tried to check this on Wikipedia but, while the SRN2 is mentioned there is no reference to the Wirral service. I don't believe it ran for long. All seats faced rearward and I recall a rather bumpy ride.
I remember an abortive attempt at a hovercraft service between Blackpool/St. Anne's from Squires Gate to Southport. Would have been early 70s.. ?
Halfway through was that Kevin Mccloud going to the isle of Wight
Good work. Fabulous ships, these. Coolest way to get to England ever. Even if you should have had an Aston Martin rather than a Mini (me) to use it. All else is British as usual. Due to fail on all sorts of grounds and reasons. As if nobody knew, well ahead of time, that these buckets would use a biblical amount of jet fuel. Duh.
At it again
Largest propellers in the World at 5.8 meters and a fuel burn of only 1000 gallon an hour that not much for four Proteus turboprops. Amazing machines. But fuel prices in 1970's were all over the show. Saunders Roe made some ground breaking kit like the Princess flying boat with 8 coupled propellers on 4 Proteus turboshaft engines and another two Proteus Turboprops for luck. Check out Farnborough air show
People who could not invent the wheel, didn't invent the hovercraft either.
1:11 that’s why all scientific and technological advances must always be debunked and those trying to make any such suggestions must always be dismissed and silenced as much as possible, in all cases
They had their problems, but at least they weren't full of eels.
A légpárnás hajóm tele van angolnákkal
😂😂😂😂😂 I’m hungarian
Monty Python!
The SRN 4s were stretched to increase capacity.
Shout out to the Isle of Wight
Ginormous, innum!
in rough weather the crossing was much longer and very uncomfortable !!!
The only real problem with hovercraft is they are very noisy vehicles 🕴️
Any one in the Southampton area the hovercraft museum is well worth a visit with the only srn4 still there along with many others they are even looking to have to move the srn4 in the near future due to part of there site being redeveloped and some new buildings coming to the site
If you are traveling by sea just take the Ferry lol Amazing these lasted as long as they did given the ludicrous noise and fuel consumption.
I went on a hovercraft once.
The Dublin Swift fast ferry is very similar to this, but the ride is very rough, even on calm seas and it’s more likely to cancellations
Wasn't the jetfoil faster (they did Dover - Ostend)
😊😊👍👍❤❤
They were not good in storms...!
The word is Hover not Huvver!
Why do people cut the UK off from Europe geographically? The islands of Great Britain and Ireland are parts of Europe.
The UK is an island nation and that has an effect on national psychology. The UK is part of Europe, but they see themselves as an entity unto themselves. This is not a good thing or a bad thing. It is just the psychology of a nation.
Because we've been at war with everyone of them.
Because we’re sick to death of rescuing / fighting them all the time. We’re quite alright on our own.
@ZephyrKnight76 I did say geographically, not politically.
@@Ad-skip it's either that or lazy writing.
Dagabot who? Ideas floated lol😅😅
I didn’t do well on this. Threw up twice! 🤮🤮
Hovercraft were never going to work. The Soviet ekranoplanes failed as well because of the same reason: the ocean is no flat surface. The waves out there are way too big, wild and rough.
They worked ok until the fuel costs went up and an alternative came along.
35 years of operation is pretty good going for something that was "never going to work" 😂
A 'never going to work' Hovercraft service still operates to the Isle Of Wight to this day. 🤡
So Hovercraft are like Daleks as they don’t do stairs
@@alanhutchinson7741operating where? In a lake? Through a strait that's less than 10 kms wide? Like the Solent strait in between Portsmouth and Isle of Wight? Yeah.
I thought there was a hovercraft traversing the English Channel, but there's not even that (there WAS one though, but I guess the Eurotunnel rendered it impractical).
Let alone a transatlantic line. 🤡
When I said "the ocean", I didn't mean some piddly 8 kms wide strait. I MEANT THE OCEAN.
Can you lose the computer voice and read the documentaries yourself?
This is AI crap! Take this garbage out!
It's actually not.
@ I bet you have been fooled. Ask how I know.
Ruairidh is a real person. He does get the odd thing wrong with his documentaries. He's definitely not AI.
I had an interest in hovercraft whilst doing my aerospace engineering degree in the 1990s, so I know that he's got quite a lot correct in this video.
So, the inability to contact firms is not a new concept… 🥸🏴