Hovercraft
Built by Santiago Plicio in April 2021
Storing the dismantled parts from a previous model away I saw a few unusual propellers in my stock, and suddenly thought of building something using them. The idea came to me to build a type of small hovercraft with these propellers, thinking that they could move the vehicle forward only with the wind produced.
I do not have any plans of a hovercraft but I know what they look like, so I began assembly.
The shape was getting good but early on I noticed that it was going to be heavy and perhaps the idea of free movement from its motors and blades might not work at all.
I thought that this vehicle could only carry passengers for short trips, such as to a nearby island, so the seating capacity need not be very big. To reduce parts and weight I fixed two benches to the deck and some railings for standing passengers.
I added a battery-operated motor on top of the front cabin with a three-blade propeller and started to build the main engine at the rear. I was pleased with the result and also decided to add two reactors so it would look more interesting as a type of propulsion.
I added some front lights and search lights, and in its main chassis I fixed four wheels moving freely in axles. The main two railings on the top deck run all the way along the full length of the vehicle; I might fit a gate to one side instead so passengers can disembark or board the craft.
I needed to try and see if this vehicle would move only with the wind produced by the two motors. Upon testing it did not move, so a reduction of weight might do the trick.
I almost dismantled half of the model, and mainly to reduce weight I took off some heavy parts and replaced them with lighter ones. Redoing it all over again but at the same time also improving the overall look, it finished up being even longer and heavier, so I gave up on that idea.
Maybe adding a motor to the wheels underneath will do the trick.