Hovercraft

 Yes that's right, I built a hovercraft! Well not a hovercraft that you can ride but I guess a scale model of one at least.

Below, is my hovercraft, it is comprised of an old CD and the top of a sports bottle. They are glued together by hot glue. You might be thinking," Where does the air come from?" Because a hovercraft needs air to, well hover.

Now, for anything to really get off the ground (besides airships), the craft needs to push or pull air. The way a hovercraft floats is by expelling air out of the balloon and onto a flat surface. 

This is the final result. We're ready for take off!

Now before we release the valve that is holding the air in, we need to find a flat surface for the craft to float on. Any tiled or wooden floor will do. Basically, if you can a flat space, you're good to go!   

And we're off! Too bad I didn't video it so I could show it on my blog. Then I could have seen how fast it moves! Oh well, I will leave a link to a YouTube video at the bottom.

Hovercrafts might seem a wee bit complicated but they are really quiet simple.

Our little hovercraft is floating because the balloon deflates and the air rushes out and hits the ground. So the hovercraft hovers! This diagram above is not really accurate, as the craft does not fly off the ground. But instead, it reduces the friction between the floor and the disc which makes it move further and quicker.

Today there are tons of hovercraft that are much bigger that my model. Larger ones that can carry people and cars and even TANKS!

Hovercraft are all terrain, which means they can go on nearly any surface: water, sand, dirt, concrete, etc. Here is a video of an army hovercraft coming ashore.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOrqmQIMvuU
If you just want to see the hovercraft skip to 1:24.
Hovercraft are great and because they are becoming more and more popular they may be the vehicle of the future!
If you want to build a CD balloon powered hovercraft click the link below!
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJlzr2YclD0