Nearholmer Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 OMG (I'm trying to sound like an American teenager here). It looks like a steam-punk Empire Flying Boat. 3 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejstubbs Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 (edited) James May has a go driving an Ekranoplan: More here about the one that's being turned in to a tourist attraction: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/caspian-sea-monster-ekranoplan/index.html I may have the original C4 documentary on VHS somewhere... Edited July 23, 2021 by ejstubbs 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ron Ron Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 (edited) 3 hours ago, rockershovel said: Ekranoplan, or "Caspian sea monsters". They fly at VERY low altitude, creating a ground-effect air buffer. They have more engines than you'd imagine and seaplane type hulls. In the best Soviet style, they had rockets on the back.. there were also little eight-seaters used as in-field staff transport, but nobody cared about those... That's not the "actual" Caspian Sea Monster (as such). It's the only Lun-Class Ekranoplan that was ever completed. The Lun-Class was a development of the larger experimental KM Class, which is the craft that was originally dubbed the "Caspian Sea Monster. The KM was 59' 8" longer and 8' 6" taller and powered by 10 jet engines (2 on the tail fin), each of a similar thrust to the 8 fitted to the Lun-Class, Though smaller, the Lun-Class was heavier, but slightly faster. This is the larger, KM (Caspian Sea Monster)...... The Soviets also had a few of these...... Now a museum display.... . Edited July 23, 2021 by Ron Ron Ron 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ron Ron Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 The return of the Ekranoplan....in the English Channel........ https://www.regentcraft.com https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-57483039 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Marsbar Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 This one appeared at the 2006 ILA Berlin Airshow.... ....though I was more interested in seeing this fly.... 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hodgson Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 20 minutes ago, Johann Marsbar said: ....though I was more interested in seeing this fly.... I don't think that ought to fly until it's recovered from the measles. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium TheQ Posted July 23, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 23, 2021 they've been busy at \Sunny Hunny, three girls blown out to sea on an inflatable. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ron Ron Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 I drove past the Hovercraft museum at Lee-on-the-Solent the other day. Sadly, the last remaining SRN-4 is looking rather shoddy. Things looked a lot brighter when the final 3 examples first arrived at Lee. . 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 the English Channel is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Somehow, the idea of small high speed ferries crossing it at 100 mph, perpendicular to the direction of traffic, just above sea level fails to convince... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BernardTPM Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 Any more so than a slow ship travelling in the same cross-channel direction? I assume they must need gaps between the channel traffic to get across too. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hodgson Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 30 minutes ago, BernardTPM said: Any more so than a slow ship travelling in the same cross-channel direction? I assume they must need gaps between the channel traffic to get across too. Nautical traffic lights might be a bit difficult to build, but if they moored a buoy in mid channel, perhaps shipping could flow round it, treating it as a roundabout ? 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 I'm pretty certain that the faster the transit across The Channel, the lower the probability of collision with cross-transiting vessels. The highest probability of collision would be for a stationary object in the seaway, and the lowest for an object travelling across at infinite speed. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted July 23, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 23, 2021 1 hour ago, BernardTPM said: Any more so than a slow ship travelling in the same cross-channel direction? I assume they must need gaps between the channel traffic to get across too. Also the English Channel has plenty of sandbanks and there is sandbars off of both sides of the Channel. In fact this could be where air cushion craft could have the advantage by flying over such areas where conventional craft cannot go. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnDMJ Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 (edited) I started my apprenticeship with the British Hovercraft Corporation just at the time when, as my Father put it, they were sharpening their hacksaws to cut the original SRN4* in half to extend it! (* IRRC SRN - Saunders Roe Number) IIRC, hovercraft were used in the first Gulf war on both sides. All hovercraft are classified as low flying aircraft and carry a CAA G- registration. SRN2 was used in an experiment to test its effectiveness as a mine-resistant sweeper; being of aluminium construction, the mine had to be triggered; the SRN2 just bounced a bit! Early 80s, the AP188 (Advanced Project 188) was conceived and developed. Using welded (instead of the traditional, Swedish Airlines, experimented with an AP188 to provide services from Stockholm (IIRC) to its airport; the service was unaffected when the area froze solid! Canadian Coastguards use(d) a well-deck version of the AP188; fitted with a bow ramp, as they approach a casualty in the water, the ramp is lowered and used to 'scoop' it up onto the deck! Apologies if this repeats previous posts; I was just in the frame of mind for this at the time of post! Edited July 23, 2021 by JohnDMJ 2 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastglosmog Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 (edited) A few pictures of the BHT130 Solent Express leaving Ryde in 2010: Edited April 21, 2022 by eastglosmog Restore photos 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ron Ron Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 2 hours ago, JohnDMJ said: All hovercraft are classified as low flying aircraft and carry a CAA G- registration. ...and yet, Wing in Ground Effect aircraft are classified by the International Maritime Organisation, as ships !!!!! . 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hodgson Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 I thought you needed to be qualified both as a pilot and as a master mariner to drive one? 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium St Enodoc Posted July 24, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 24, 2021 7 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said: Nautical traffic lights might be a bit difficult to build, but if they moored a buoy in mid channel, perhaps shipping could flow round it, treating it as a roundabout ? I believe that is the case. There are light vessels/large buoys that mark the separation lanes. @The Stationmaster knows far more about this than I. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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