Success on a Cushion of Air

To hundreds of spectators on England's Isle of Wight last week, it seemed for a moment as if the entire pier were suddenly roaring off into the water. What they actually witnessed, however, was the beginning of the maiden run of the SR.N4, the world's largest hovercraft. Driven by four 19 1/2-ft. propellers and supported on a cushion of air, the 130-ft.-long, 76-ft.-wide craft moved smoothly into waters whipped into a frenzy by near-gale winds. As the London Times described it, "the huge amphibian lifted her skirts with commendable decorum and tripped into the water correctly in every way."

Skimming over waves ten feet high, the SR.N4 raced ahead at speeds as high as 53 m.p.h., carrying a crew of four and 28 passengers. The ride was surprisingly smooth. Reported Peter Lamb, chief test commander of British Hovercraft Corp.: "This will make seasickness a thing of the past."

7-ft. Maxi-Slcirt. Similar in design to smaller hovercraft already being used commercially in Britain (TIME, June 2), the SR.N4 is four times as big as any of its predecessors. When it goes into regular operation for British Rail between Dover and Boulogne, probably in August, it will carry more than 600 passengers--or 30 cars and 250 passengers. It will take only 30 or 35 minutes to cover the 30-mile cross-Channel route, and will reach speeds as high as 70 m.p.h. in calm seas.

The 165-ton hovercraft owes its good performance in rough seas to a kind of 7-ft.-high, nylon-and-rubber maxiskirt, which confines the cushion of compressed air below the craft but deflects when it strikes wave tops or other obstacles. To further lessen any impact, the skirt is fringed with rubber fingers that are even more flexible than the main body of the skirt. The 19 1/2-ft. propellers, driven by four 3,400-h.p. Rolls-Royce engines, are mounted on pylons and can be swiveled 30DEG, enabling them to be used with two huge air rudders in maneuvering the craft.

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