pic: Hovercraft
 

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That looks really good. Just make sure you have good gaurds around any props/fans. It would be all too easy to lose a finger/hand/etc.

Re: pic: Hovercraft
 

All of those fans and pneumatic gizmo's run on a single 12-volt battery? You must be craz..ahh..err..incredibly intelligent with conserving! :)

Looks good so far, except you will make the hovercraft out of something other than wood? Wood seems a bit...unreliable for this situation... :p

Re: pic: Hovercraft
 

The battery is only for starting the engine, nothing else. There are no pneumatics. Also, the final craft will be made entirely of wood. What do you mean by it being unreliable?

Re: pic: Hovercraft
 

Thats awesome! Is the engine powered by fuel or stored energy?

I've must have mistaken a part of the craft a a pneumatic component, I thought I have seen an air pump near the front fan, but It must have been another part of the engine.

From my past experiences with wood, I've always have had trouble with reliability ,with pieces constantly breaking off, weathering, mites, and heavy friction which may result a fire hazard. But those were just my experiences. I deeply apologize for my misunderstanding.
Since the aircraft is entirely made of wood, would be some water proof enamel-type finish?

Once again, I apologize for my ignorance, and applaud your progress on making a piloted hovercraft. So far, your project looks amazing! :)

Re: pic: Hovercraft
 

Really nice model But seeing how big it is, do you guys have any concerns about it's weight yet? Particularly on the deck, maybe you could use a thinner sheet of plywood in some places and reinforce some of the more used spots. But make sure you keep it balanced, its never pretty when something like that gets flipped over.

Re: pic: Hovercraft
 

sweet model!! wood..hmmm alright choice but yeah... doen't look as sweet as metal does... but great job!! if it's built and works that'll be sweet...we can always dream big but having it work that's a different story...lol

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Yea it is easy in your head.

How are you going to steer it?

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where does the stereo go?

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I suggest (not that I would have anything to say here...Sorry) an emergency shut off switch, with a really long connection (so you are far enough away) :ahh:

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It seems to me that a home project like this appeared in Popular Science or Popular Mechanics at some point in time. In the 70's I think. Balance of weight is essential though, to keep the curtain full inflated. Remember there is no brakes other than shutting off the lift fan. You have to turn it 180 degrees to reverse the thrust to stop in normal operation.

Re: pic: Hovercraft
 

Please post continued discussion here
so that everything is in the same place