Make your own hovercraft

Here's how to build a saucer looking craft that actually floats above a flat surface and accelerates to a constant speed.

Ingredients

1/2 inch particle board

Heavy sheet of vinyl

1/4 20 bolt with a washer

Tupperware lid

Shopvac or similar blower

Instructions

STEP 1: Take a half sheet of 1/2-inch particle board and cut a circle 4 feet in diameter. Bevel the outer edge with a router or something so it does not dig into the floor.

STEP 2: Get a heavy sheet of vinyl (a pond liner is what we used in the Heartland Science Lab) and cover the bottom on the disk. Leave enough extra so you can staple to the top of the wood. Stretch tightly. You need some kind of retainer in the center of the disk to hold the liner to the disk or it will balloon out too much. We used a 1/4 20 bolt with a washer and then a Tupperware lid to hold it to the disk.

NOTE: During actual use the lid would get folded up and crumpled so you may have to experiment here. The idea is to keep the inflated part of the liner toward the edge instead of the center. I later used a small circle of wood (1/4-inch luan) instead.

STEP 3: Cut three 1-inch holes evenly spaced in the liner about midway to the edge to let the air escape. In the top of the disk find a way to attach a shop vac or similar blower to inflate the liner.

Explanation

The hovercraft is lifted by a cushion of air, which reduces friction and, with a push, glides across the floor.

KFVS12 and the Southeast Missourian are teaming up for science. Every Tuesday you'll find an experiment from the KFVS Heartland Science Lab in the Class of 2morrow section of the Southeast Missourian. Grab the ingredients and join KFVS science reporter Jason Lindsey live on KFVS at 5 p.m. every Wednesday. More science experiences can be found at www.kfvs12.com and www.semissourian.com.