(photos: Universal Hovercraft) The Flying Hovercraft | US$190,000.00 | www.hovercraft.com
lets be honest: cutting through your local lake in a speedboat is monotonous at its best. we cannot fathom what’s so thrilling about sliding corners and creating wakes or towing somebody behind. to us, a real thrill is the ability to get to almost anywhere, even if it means beating through swamping area or getting over stray stumps. for that, you will need a vehicle like the Flying Hovercraft aka the UH 19RW Hoverwing. as the name implies, it is a hovercraft with wings that allow it to take flight. the Flying Hovercraft is equipped with a turbo-charged twin-cylinder, liquid cooled petrol engine that puts out 130-hp that drives its 60″ wood/carbon composite thrust propeller and a 1,100 rpm 34″ lift fan gives it the lift essential for hovering above ground. with a low center of gravity and a combination of composite fiberglass/PVC hull, it can easily hop over 20 feet obstacles, operate in winds up to 25 mph (40 km/h) and waves up to 6 feet while in flight. other highlights include ability to transverse up to 30% incline over just about any type of terrains, joystick controls, Kevlar composite landing skids, vinyl-coated skirt, 600 lbs payload (272 kg), a range of 160 miles (257 km/h) on two nine-gallon petrol tanks and a full suite of instrumentation including tachometer, air speed indicator, water temp, oil pressure et cetera. the The Flying Hovercraft will set you back at a cool $190,000 and is available now through Hammacher Schlemmer. a few more look and a video of the Flying Hovercraft in action after the break.
