Posted by EditorDavid from the home-made-hydroplanes dept.
“The cab was cut from a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee,” writes the New York Times. “The engine once revved up a 1985 Toyota Celica; and 107 hand-sewn rubber segments, courtesy of Mr. Tymofichuk’s wife, help to direct low-pressure air beneath the craft so that it rises eight inches above the ground…” On a cold spring day in a small garage in Alberta, Canada, an engine revved up and an improbable machine — fabricated from auto parts, a hand-sewn rubber skirt and an abandoned fiberglass hull — came to life.
A homemade hovercraft began to rise off the ground with a small crew standing by.
The successful liftoff was the culmination of a lifelong fascination of Robert Tymofichuk, 55, who spent about 1,800 hours over a year working on it [according to this nifty video on YouTube ]. And, to the gratitude of passengers, it comes with heated seats. “If you’re going through all that hassle, you might as well make yourself comfortable,” Mr. Tymofichuk said. He repurposed the seats from a Volkswagen, so the heating coils were already installed.
Achieve speeds around 40 miles per hour (or 64 kmph), “Mr. Tymofichuk’s hovercraft now sails above land and water, a bright red gem coasting over the Saskatchewan River,” according to the article. And it also quotes Mr. Tymofichuk as saying it’s the fulfillment of a childhood dream.
“To actually have something constructed with your own hands be zipping around, and it’s fully functional — it’s like magic.”
“I have just one word for you, my boy…plastics.” – from “The Graduate”
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