Our comments and observations collected

Hovernorth · Site Admin

1/8/2006

We have found, in Alaska, that hovercraft can play a huge role in search and rescue as well as fill some important transportation needs. We will attempt to sum up our findings without being too bias. Our observations indicate there is a large demand today for personal-use hovercraft in Alaska.
We have had several requests for industrial-size hovercraft since we started this hovercraft information center in November of 1998. There has been much talk about the use of commercial hovercraft in Alaska. There is a hovercraft venture that has been ongoing for years now and is still operating against the Jones Act.
The State of Alaska will soon have its own newly built version (cargo/passenger) of the Griffon AP-188 operating on the Alaska Peninsula in the Cold Bay region. Currently this is the only true real commercial operation we know of in the U.S.A. and it will begin operating on the Alaska Peninsula in early 2006.
There is a large demand for hovercraft owner/operators today in Alaska by private lodge owners around the State. Due to the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) increasing the number of FAR's and STC's, plus increased insurance rates, tie down fees, and other costs concerning their personal aircraft, these lodge owners are desperately looking for alternatives in transportation for their charter businesses.
The size of craft in relationship to the graphical area in question can be costly. A hovercraft capable of carrying six passengers can be extremely expensive. Considering the situations we are seeing, our goal is to find a way to work out this problem. The hovercraft industry is working on this also, and the expense of retooling can be great. Following all the regulations and fighting the red tape becomes overwhelming. Someone needs to “stand up to the plate!” The value of the hovercraft needs to be put into perspective sooner than later. Now is the time when the economic and environmental issues are at hand and hovercraft could fill some important slots.
The rest of the world that uses hovercraft has dealt with these problems and has come up with answers. They now have a wonderful tourist industry involving the versatile craft, and a cleaner eco system as a result of it. The situation was addressed by the right people those who could do something about it!
Another thought comes to mind, before we move on: There is an arrogance that surfaces around a hovercraft; its owner thinks they have a better craft than the other guy! Often the “buck stops there” and other ideas and possibilities are blocked. In this business, this attitude is detrimental. We must keep an open mind and good understanding that each hovercraft is different and has its place in the scheme of things. The type of terrain in a geographical area where a hovercraft is needed will determine the particular craft that is best for the job. This information must be clearly communicated to the persons who can produce the proper type of craft.
We should document our experiences with specific geographical areas and diverse terrains and publish the findings. We have a setup in our Forum where we can analyze, dispute and comment on these findings at hover_ak@hovercraftalaska.com

Following are Hovercraft experiences in Alaska only. These are our findings and conclusions to consider! We will add to them as they come in!

1. Most commercial hovercraft manufactured are underpowered and can get you into trouble without a good deal of experience.
2. Most commercial built hovercraft are heavy due to the horsepower to weight ratio.
3. Some rescue hovercraft are at gross weight before an operator gets in!
4. We need multiple small hovercrafts, rather than a few large ones, to have a positive affect on rescue operations for a crashed commercial airliner in Cook Inlet.
5. A hovercraft can perform in extreme poor visibility on the water, ice pack, or land with the proper GPS and other global systems available.
6. A full bag, or loop/segmented hovercraft, works better than a finger-type hovercraft in Cook Inlet due to the fast current.
7. An all-finger hovercraft gets you wet due to the spray from the air displacement around the plenum.
8. Most commercial hovercraft built today are very noisy because of the 2-cycle engines.
9. A dual engine hovercraft is harder to learn to fly, but can be more forgiving.
10. A single-engine hovercraft is lighter for one person to move around.
11. Wind has an affect on a hovercraft as if it were an airplane.
12. A hovercraft floats on the water; therefore, the U.S. Coast Guard considers it, at that time, to be a boat.
13. Hovercraft are subject to ground effect wind, as much as the wind.
14. Ice forms in and on the bag, or fingers, there are techniques to overcome this phenomenon to help in its performance while flying.
15. The wear on the flying surface of the plenum, on ice, can be reduced with some proven methods.
16. The 4-cycle hovercraft is fast becoming the standard and is receiving more praise all the time.
17. A kit-built hovercraft of composite materials is gaining worldwide recognition.
18. Any hovercraft under 150hp thrust will not traverse open tundra, or the floating lakeshore tundra.
19. Any hovercraft under 60hp thrust will not traverse open grass fields or lakeshore grass, wetting the area will help.
20. Agitation of the plenum is essential when traversing from water to snow.
21. Inline seating is safer in a small hovercraft, having to do with less weight shift, especially in an emergency where there is no time for adjustment; it is less likely to roll.
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CEO, Hovercraft Alaska