Look! Down on the lake … is it a boat, a plane … it's neither. It’s the “hoverwing”, a hovercraft that flies. New Zealand mechanic Rudy Heeman spent more than 11 years of his spare time (and tens of thousands of dollars) building the hoverwing, a wing-in-ground-effect vehicle that flies on a cushion of pressurized air created between the wing and the water's surface. Hoverwing can reach an optimum height is 1.5m (4-5ft) above the water and has a current top speed of 98kmh (61mph).
Heeman told the The Nelson Mail that the "hoverwing", which is almost complete, has drawn local residents from their houses and cars to watch test flights over the Haven in the town of Nelson, at the northern tip of New Zealand’s south island.
Heeman is no stranger to hovercraft – he’s built and sold them for some time. But the hoverwing is his most ambitious project. So ambitious that an early test flight resulted in a crash landing. But it wasn't enough to deter him from completing the project.
The hoverwing is powered by a modified Subaru car engine while the body comprises most fibreglass.
Heeman says he’s not planning on selling his machine, but had learned so much from the building process that he was keen to build another model.
Via The Nelson Mail
http://www.gizmag.com/go/3335/
As I recall - it was another New Zealander who first developed the high-speed jet-boat used in the white-water tourist trade.
Kinda reminds me of the Soviet \'Caspian Sea Monster\', \'ekranoplan\' - a \'ground-effect\' flying-boat/plane designed for various missions such as to resupply submarines far out to sea, launch missiles and serve as a rescue vessel (much like the American military \'Catalina PBY\'. Unlike the PBY, however, the Sea Monster\'s maximum altitude (like Mr Heeman\'s craft) is limited by the surface area of its wings.
See -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_effect_vehicle - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PBY_Catalina -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_boat
Ekranoplan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSYmSnpQ360
Just a couple of points:
1. The Nelson Mail article you\'re quoting was \"Last updated 00:00 20/10/2007\"(!) so \"Christmas last year\" would have been 2006. The vehicle was completed some time ago..
2. This vehicle is currently for sale on \"Trademe\" (NZ\'s answer to Ebay): http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=274622678 as a result of this it has also recently appeared on the TV news here. Videos are now on Youtube too. See links in the comments of the auction.
Cheers.
Ford must be mad in his grave.
Heck, why stop there. Boeing should be ashamed to the Wright Brothers.
Looks like i hit a raw nerve there aye Mike Shagga? i\'m Aussie and proud!
and yes i have seen the Ekranoplan on fox apart from ground effect the similarities end there.