Flying Saucer hovercraft demonstration, Cowes

Jun. 06, 1959 - Britain's Flying Saucer Makes First Public Flight: Britain's Flying Saucer, the SRNI Hovercraft, today made its first public flight at the Saunders Roe works at East Cowes, Isle of Wight, and later today made a flight over the sea. The SRNI can ride over land and sea at a height of up to 15 inches on a cushion of compressed air. It has an ovoid shape, and is virtually a buoyancy tank with a number of inward pointing jets around its perimeter underneath. On top of its flat surface: the control cabin, the funnel containing the engine and the horizontal fan through which air is sucked and then ejected beneath to form the cushion of air. Photo shows Mr. C.S. Cockerell, the inventor (R) helps to manoeuvre the Hovercraft as it left the ground and hovered about 15 inches during the demonstration at Cowes today

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Buoyancy Cockerell Compressed Containing Cowes Cushion Ejected Funnel Helps Hovercraft Hovered Inches Inward Jets Manoeuvre Ovoid Perimeter Saucer Saunders Sucked Underneath Virtually Wight

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