The VA-3 was a craft trialled and developed in 1962, soon after the SRN1 proved the hovercraft concept viable. British United Airways ran the VA.3, after trials in the Solent, on the first ever passenger hovercraft route. This route was run across the estuary of the River Dee between Rhyl, North Wales and Wallasea, nr. Liverpool. The service shuttled a maximum of 24 passengers between the two sites, and was scheduled to run 12 trips a day for an experimental 2-month (59-day) period. It even took post between the two destinations, becoming the world's first Hovercraft Postal Service! Whilst it proved popular, unreliable engines and bad weather were factors leading to the service only running for 36 days of this 59-day period. The VA-3, like the SRN1 had no skirt, and thus had a limited hoverheight, resigning its operation to none but the calmest of days during its summer operating period. [Hovercraft Museum, 2004; Barton, 2005; Old Classic Car, 2008]
Vickers Armstrong began its hovercraft operations in 1961 and produced several craft and conceptcraft, including the imaginitively named VA-1, VA-2, VA-3, VA-3A and VA-4. They also were responsible for the "Hover Rover", an attempt to enter the 4x4 market [Land Rover Madness, 2007]. The 1966 formation of the British Hovercraft Corporation (BHC) was from the merger of Westland and Vickers Armstrong, seeing the end of Vickers Armstrong's design inputs to the hovercraft field [Barton, 2005].
VA-3 001's passenger use ended on 17th Sept, 1962 during extreme weather, breaking loose from her moorings and towed to shore by Rhyl Lifeboat, however not before extreme damage had been done to the structure, rendering her uses over [Sunny Rhyl, 2007].
Following its use as a passenger service the VA-3 model carried on in life, doing Hovershows and public appearances, until it was used by the British government, especially the Royal Navy, in the field of marine mine tests. It was theorized that an ACV (Air-Cushioned Vehicle) would fare much better with a mine strike than traditional, surface penetrating vehicles. The VA-3 was the guinea pig used in these trials, ruthlessly blown up in the Solent and scattered across the sea floor [Old, 2005] - see gallery below.
The end of the first era: Sad end for the VA3 first passenger service - the hovercraft sank off Ryde sands shortly after the merger of Saunders Roe and Vickers to make BHC. Explosives weren’t enough so sinking with axes and manpower eventually got the craft submerged . Some curtains were rescued (Hovercraft Museum c/o Stuart Syrad MC) and steering wheel (With pilot Ray Old’s son) at the time of sinking. A few dials were later saved (Isle of Wight Dive Museum) by divers from the upturned hull on seabed 70ft under where she remains today! SRN2 followed shortly becoming the first hovercraft scrapped on land 1971. VA3 had a spare giant lift fan given by Duxford Aircraft museum and now on show at the Hovercraft Museum. (Warwick Jacobs)
