On a Cushion of Air

Robin Paine, Roger Syms

Robin Paine, 2012 - Technology & Engineering - 711 pages

This is the story of how private foreign enterprise in the form of Swedish Lloyd and Swedish America Line, who formed a British company called 'Hoverlloyd', galvanised the British Government in to supporting this new concept in transport through the formation of a British Rail subsidiary called 'Seaspeed'.

Contents

• Introduction: 14
• Prologue: 16
• Introducing the SR N4 Mk 1: 20
• N1 to: 37
• The Inventor and his Invention: 39
• SaundersRoe Boats Planes Rockets and Hovercraft: 51
• SR N1 The First Manned Model: 76
• The First Crossing of the English Channel: 95
• The Dawn of an Industry: 113
• VickersArmstrongs Enters the Market: 151
• The Early Hovercraft Operators: 167
• 1965 The Birth of Seaspeed: 200
• The SR N4 Takes Shape: 236
• CrossChannel Adventures: 251
• CrossChannel Adventures: 253
• The Battle for Pegwell: 279
• The SR N4 Prototype Trials: 295
• 1968 001 at Dover: 307
• Hoverlloyds Hovernauts: 327
• Cadet to Hovercraft Pilot: 329
• Driving the SR N4: 350
• Avoiding Collision: 379
• Looking after People: 397
• Keeping Things Moving: 426
• Making a Profit: 445
• The Hoverlloyd Years: 475
• Ramsgate to Calais: 477
• SR N4 Hoverlloyd The First Years: 504
• Developments 19721977: 531
• The Peak Years 19771979: 561
• The Final Years: 591
• Bigger and Better?: 593
• 1980The Beginning of the End: 614
• The End: 645
• Hoverlloyd a Eulogy: 659
• Extracts from Bob Straths Log Book: 667
• Hovercraft Licensing: 673
• Measuring Speed: 680
• Bibliography: 684
• Glossary of Terms: 685
• Index: 690

Bibliographic information

• Title: On a Cushion of Air
• Authors: Robin Paine, Roger Syms
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Robin Paine, 2012
• ISBN: 0956897800, 9780956897800
• Length: 711 pages
• Subjects: Technology & Engineering / Engineering (General); Transportation / General; Transportation / Ships & Shipbuilding / General