What Happened To Passenger Hovercraft? (bbc.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Although much has been written about hoverboards lately, hovercraft have largely faded from public imagination, BBC News reports. The Bond-esque 1960s sensation proved too noisy to roam inland rivers regularly, while too small to compete at sea with a new generation of conventional mega-ferries and high-speed car-carrying catamarans. Military aside, only a 10-minute English route and a Sino-Russian river border crossing keep hopes air-cushioned nowadays, while civilian operators wait for electric propulsion to become practical, aiming to reduce airplane-like noise levels and excessive fuel costs with new technology.

Comments

Tom Scott explains

[Anonymous Coward]

Great video describing the downturn of the hovercraft and concorde etc - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYH1lPm41-0

Did it, once.

[pubwvj]

I rode on a hovercraft once - over the English channel from France to England. It was an interesting experience. Not worth repeating. It was extremely noisy. I would rather take a slower route.