AP1-88 hovercraft

AP1-88 hovercraft

AP1-88 hovercraft - Island Express seen landed at Ryde (Photo: me)

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Island Express seen landed at Ryde (Photo: me)

  • AP1-88 hovercraft - An AP1-88 arriving at the slipway of the once BHC factory in East Cowes, Isle of Wight. (Photo in Croome, 1984)
  • AP1-88 hovercraft - An AP1-88 in cruise during a Southsea to Ryde crossing on the Solent (Photo in Croome, 1984)
  • AP1-88 hovercraft - Close-up of a bow thruster on an AP1-88. This (starboard) thruster and its counterpart (port) can be rotated through 360°, allowing precise control of yaw when stationary or in motion. Fed by bleed air from the lift system these bow thrusters are aligned facing aft during cruise to give maximum thrust. Here they are shown rotated to the starboard aiding in lateral movement on land. For braking, they can be swivelled to oppose the direction of travel of the craft, and act akin to thrust reversers
  • AP1-88 hovercraft - Courier, seen here at Ryde after being purchased and shipped from Hovertravel Australia. Since this picture, Courier has been used in Spain and America on passenger runs (Photo: David Ingham)
  • AP1-88 hovercraft - Double-Oh-Seven arriving on the ramp at Portsmouth (Photo: David Ingham)
  • AP1-88 hovercraft - Freedom 90 arriving at the then enlarged Ryde slipway on the Isle of Wight at low tide (Photo: David Ingham)
  • AP1-88 hovercraft - Freedom 90 in 2006 in a new livery (Photo: David Ingham)
  • AP1-88 hovercraft - Freedom 90 leaving Southsea hoverport (Photo: David Ingham)
  • AP1-88 hovercraft - Island Express seen landed at Ryde (Photo: me)
  • AP1-88 hovercraft - Island Express seen landed at Ryde (Photo: me)
  • AP1-88 hovercraft - Here is the first ever built AP1-88/80 prototype, Tenacity (GH-2087) leaving Ryde in 1983. Ryde slipway was more curved and a lot smaller then, only enough room for two craft, unlike today when they can fit four craft on the slipway (Photo: David Ingham)