A Hovercraft Made in a Garage

New Zealander (he’s half Australian) Rudy Heeman has, over 11 years, transformed his hovercraft into a wing-in-ground-effect vehicle. Heeman says he’s found the ideal flight altitude under the vehicle’s 7-meter wingspan to be about 1.5 meters, over flat water or land, where he reached a top speed of about 60 mph in a test. Theoretically, the pilot plus one vehicle can cruise at about 55 mph for roughly 140 miles. The project includes parts from six different cars, including what was originally a 1.8-liter Subaru engine, and a gas bottle from an old barbeque.

[chicken]

Ground-effect aircraft are fascinating! With a range of over 200 km, they sound incredibly efficient.

[chrisarmstrong]

Not a hovercraft but a ground-effect aircraft.

[BojanDoroslovac]

Range of over 200 km? Is that for real?