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Flying Boats | |
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Cars and airplanes can be very fast. Ships in the ocean are slower. Why is that? Mostly, it is because of the resistance (amount of drag) of the water. Water is much more difficult to go through than air. One idea was to design the hull (sides of a ship) to raise higher out of the water as the ship went faster. This was tried, but the ship could not go fast enough to make a smooth ride. It was finally decided that the whole ship must rise out of the water. Riding on an Air Bubble The idea of riding on a bubble of air, above the water, came almost 300 years ago. But, it wasn't until an engine was invented that could blow air that the first craft to ride on an air bubble was built. About 100 years ago several designs were tried by different people. The main idea was to use fans (run by a gas engine) to force air into a chamber under the boat. The air pressure built up would push the boat up off the water. Since the boats still didn't work very well, very little money was available to try new designs. It wasn't until 1959 that a new design was tried. Air jets forced air under the boat and circulated (moved) in a way that kept the pressure under the boat. This new boat traveled across the English Channel. It was called a hovercraft. After this, more improvements were added and today a hovercraft is used for fun and for heavy lifting jobs. It is also used for carrying passengers. It can be used in swamps, lakes, bays and even in the ocean. Flying Through the Air At about the same time, another kind of vehicle was being tested. It is called a "hydrofoil". Hydro means "water" and foil means "wing". The hydrofoil uses the same principles as an airplane wing. The water rushing over the foil causes lift. When the boat is going fast enough the whole boat will raise out of the water. This idea works very well in the open ocean as well as in lakes and bays. Ships or boats with hydrofoils can carry large loads or many people at high speed. They can also be used for fun by the family in smaller boats.
Whether you use a hovercraft or a hydrofoil, flying above the water can
be fun!
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