First Test Drive Of Our Hovercraft

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[@josianehemia2]

These guys are the type of uncles you wish you had as a kid, 👌🏾👍🏾😊

[@STANGKILLASS]

im really suprised you guys got this far and never addressed the lack of surface area of the props. your motors and sizes are fine, you dont have enough bite on the air. not enough blade area. theres a reason EDF blades, and boat prop blades are nearly 360 degrees of solid blade area. still love the project though, been watching (and saying the above) since the beginning!

[@grizly199]

i think theres a reason segmented skirts r used. each segment kind of works like its own separate cushion (if 1 gets torn theres little effect) and conform to the ground better. i think most of your issues would b solved with the correct skirt design. from my understanding anyway

[@TheOriginalCoolDad]

Star Wars: A New Hope was the first movie I ever saw in a theater, 1977 was a great year and seeing you guys bring this to life and it actually works is amazing!!

[@manjisaipoe517]

I know you wanted to use differential thrust for direction control, but I think some small rudders inside the back of the nacelles would give much more fine tuning at low speeds. I think this build is the biggest imagination booster you have ever done for kids of every age!

[@szajba8106]

exactly, it needs thrust vectoring which the rudders will provide IF the thrust/wind produced by motors will go around them, just like in FT Vector

[@dbtest117]

One could also angle the thrusters 4 degrees of centerline just like on the F14 Tomcat to give some more effect from differential thrust.

[@jeremygeorgia4943]

It might make sense to vector the third engine. They could make a specialized nozzle for it, and have it swivel, for direction control. The might also be able to get some better turning, if they could rig a reverse mechanism. Maybe, a bucket would do. It would need to be something that could be deployed & un-deployed as quick as possible.

[@rorge007]

I built a hovercraft years ago, used ICE engines. I needed about 8hp to lift it and 50hp pushing. It would do around 50mph and lifted about 8 inches. You will find a finger skirt or bag/finger skirt gets stuck a whole lot less.

[@VestedUTuber]

A skirtless peripheral jet design is even less likely to get stuck. Although at that point you're giving up efficiency and stability for better terrain handling and a higher hover height.

[@PCBWay]

You guys are Amazing! We are much honored to be one part of this! 👍👍

[@PMcDFPV]

Great video! It would be awesome to get a series from Dave on all this battery knowledge! It goes along way seeing someone confident doing it and the experience that goes with it :) Thanks!

[@TRITONFPV]

I've been loving the progress of this build!!! May the Force be with You 🤙🏻

[@traveler7137]

I've been waiting a long time for this as well as everybody else has. This post is made before I view the video and I am so excited this post is made before I view the video and I am so excited . You bring out the kid in the 64-year-old man

[@traveler7137]

Yeah let's put Stefan in there he'll do anything sounds like that Mikey commercial with the life cereal

[@davidjester5085]

Thank you for watching so happy you enjoy what we do

[@yinglish119]

You should test to see if you can deflate the raft on demand, when you get high centered, just drop the pressure of the raft and hopefully the bags can re-seal again to reduce drag. p.s. Please wear some ear plugs when you sit in that. Don't want anyone to lose their hearing because I can feel the ear ringing through the video

[@Easy-Eight]

What? Type in CAPS!

[@yinglish119]

@@Easy-Eight hahaha took me a second to understand your reply. I love it. 🤣🤣

[@lukeorlando4814]

I said this a few weeks back. They need to 3D print some Star Wars helmets with built in ear defenders.

[@colinmetzger6755]

I wonder how the power draw from the 4 motors compares to two EDFs that would be able to give similar static pressure for lifting.

[@Undertaker1134Tx]

Love the design, made a one seater t bomber in 2017. I used 2 bounce house blowers for lift. Only issue I had was debris/water getting in the bag. Had to add a airdam to the bottom to direct air directly to the top of the bag and zip tie areas under the bag a tiny bit to curve the bag up to reduce bag friction...

[@LoveSixk56]

i have been watching yall for 5 years now and this has gotta be by far one of the coolest things yall have made

[@helir00]

Classic - you lads are cracking on. Speeder looks wicked 👍

[@bradleyj.fortner2203]

This may not be the coolest thing you've ever built. But, if it's not, it's close.

[@sakfpv8444]

It's top 3 for sure. The flying is up there too, just because it was so...Flite Test.

[@Yaddle265]

scam

[@TheJaymon1962]

Man, not even close. Me 262 was so good.

[@2012listo]

That makes almost no sense, but I get what you mean

[@AirTime-uw4mk]

man this project is just crazy...Can't wait to see it hover with 3 thrusters 🔥

[@boomfiziks]

Can I just say that David is a genius. From batters and electronics to a creative way to wheel out the hovercraft outside. He’s the modern day McGyver.

[@TheAesculap]

Nah that battery stuff is far away from optimal.

[@davidjester5085]

Thank you! It's definitely not perfect but I just tackle one problem at a time and work through it. I think that everyone can do what they put there mind to if you just put forth the effort.

[@TheAesculap]

@@davidjester5085 that is absolutely right david. some tips for LiFepo4 batteries: the cells should be set under pressure (otherwise they will expand when charging/discharging) Many people who build PV storage use webbing or even coil springs and threaded rods. I don't quite understand why you use so many individual batteries and not a central block of e.g. 16S-300Ah EVE cells. Busbars should be made from copper - best would be flexible ones. Thank you for your Videos from Germany Florian

[@MrFester63]

Congratulations!! Great job all & extra kudos to Dave!! 👏

[@davidjester5085]

Thanks brother! You know we David's have to stick together 😅

[@scottmitchell7302]

Coming along nicely

[@paulbrouyere1735]

I tried an RC hovercraft once in the 80’s with a 4cc fuel engine for lifting, and a small electric engine for steering, with two rudders. On flat ground it worked well. On water not so much. It started to wobble and choked the pusher propelled fuel engine. I used a full blown motorcycle tyre for the cushion. So it would stay afloat in the water. I tried to make it quite aerodynamic and in the colors of the then fancy A-team. The fuel pusher engine took it’s air from above after the cockpit. Been there, but left it where it was. Real flying is more fun. Cool and instructive video, thanks!

[@JohnHill-jm7tm]

This Old Man from Washington NC always enjoying your videos ❤️. Been following y'all sense almost day one. This has got to be one of it not the top projects. You guys are awesome in leaving your dreams. ✈️🧔💝

[@mrstowe12]

reminds of a " hovercraft" i built in my teens with an air mattress, a sheet of ply, and a gas leaf blower. we towed it behind a dirt bike, and it was super fun although hard to ride. if you let the leading rail down while swing out on a turn it would flip over lol. nice job yall!

[@danw1955]

Wow! What a monster!! Nice work you guys!😄👍👍

[@nitro650]

That's super awesome guys, very well done 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@Lampkeeper]

You're brilliant, David!

[@pinwizz69]

You guys are getting close to a pre-production version that could end up being sold as a kit to anyone who wants one to ride around in it. Not to many bugs left to work out.

[@jamiewaterman8147]

You guys are unappreciated geniuses!

[@y_i_fly6256]

That was awesome you guys! Great work and hopefully y’all can get that land speeder floating and flying like the real deal.

[@crackin2000]

George would be ok with letting the rear cones flower open for more thrust. That's more how the pod racer worked .

[@towtruckturt8845]

Excellent job to all of the hard work

[@Pedenzo]

You guys are nuts....I love it!

[@lancegrey1225]

Great job guys! Love it.

[@paulmertens7274]

Fine job guy's, glad it works, never doubt and always keep positive, Greetings from Antwerp Belgium. Keep it up!

[@evilbrat5376]

Okay, eating hat I am. It Is Working and you have a new subscriber toboot! Congratulations to Dave and the whole crew for this "Land Speeder" build. Now ya have to grab some Storm Trooper Gear.

[@fourthwindrc5125]

Every Saturday morning I wake up to a fresh flite test video! Love it!

[@davidjester5085]

Thank you for watching!

[@TimsBitsnPieces]

Wow thats friggen awesome. Well done. I look forward to seeing this up and running and causing havoc everywhere.. lol.. Great stuff guys.

[@OFallonChurchofChrist]

Regarding forward thrust, the more air you move, the more thrust you get. I think those skinny little props in the nacelles just aren't moving enough air. I really think some sort of ducted fan would work a lot better than the prop-in-a-tube setup. Apart from that, this gets cooler with every episode! Hopefully we'll get to see it at Flite Fest.

[@robertblackshear8963]

Man this is really cool. Keep bringing it on bro.

[@heinzfritsche5049]

You guys are so crazy - well done!

[@nirodha7028]

In FliteTest we thrust! 😇

[@richardforster9816]

Hi, A small but well known fact about Hovercraft is they are NOTORIOUS to control. A slight breeze and they are off. This is a great build, as a life time supporter of these beasts which kick your ass at the slightest wrong move this is great. Are you putting Rudders on the lacells.this will help stability and direction control.

[@TalkieToaster.]

This is so cool, but, it might actually work so much better if you can get some old skirt from a small racing hovercraft (there are loads out there) and repair/modify it. At the very least it will be much more durable than the rafts you're currently using. Either way, this has been an awesome series, really enjoyed watching.

[@teaddict-]

100% this!

[@spbaldwin]

I went to a school for designing things like this. When I get done with our move to PA, I’m really going to work my design skills and build stuff like this. Can’t wait.

[@milankralowetz3391]

Hello folks. super cool. You did a great job with the Landspeeder. Greetings from good old Germany

[@Soviendows90]

Keep the content rollin likening it-. Thumbs up man! 👌👍

[@Bob_Scott]

Very cool project… I know the third thrust motor will increase the go power, but have you thought about a pusher/puller setup to improve gp/maneuver ability? Also any thoughts on using topoidal props to help with thrust “grippyness”?

[@propabilityfpv]

12:14 oof my back is screaming from here 🤣 Great work guys this is such a cool project!

[@danielhreno9582]

I LOVE IT!!! Don't let it hit the creek Josh. I was a Navy Gas Turbine tech. Navy LCAC, might have some principles in use that may help.

[@spookers3147]

That's awesome 😎! Keep up the good work 💪👍🏻

[@csrcm]

Good job everyone!!! That is so awesome!!! I want one!!!

[@JimBigIron]

I love this project.

[@andertenis]

That's mad, this is awesome

[@barabasj]

Hard work and fun! Great job!

[@davidjester5085]

Thank you!

[@KhmerGSM]

So happy 😊

[@Steffanovitch73]

From one Steffan to another, and one LFC fan to another, keep up the good work bro. To all of you, thank you for being genuine, and inspiring a generation. You guy's are awesome. God bless you all.

[@ChainsawFPV]

Spring project, large double doors out of that room with a ramp leading outside to get future projects out easier.

[@mikeinspace20xx]

This is awesome guys! I've been wanting to make a prop drive unit for an inflatable raft to use at our flying field on our reservoir. I was wondering how big of a motor and prop I would need to house to be able to effectively drive one of those Costco inflatable rafts, even in light winds. It'd be a fun fishing/aircraft recovery vehicle.

[@magicalpencil]

It is a landslower at the moment, still freaking awesome. Can't wait for mach1 🙃

[@propsoff]

Y'all have pond? Can wait to come up again...👍🏻🍻👊🏻

[@MCsCreations]

Fantastic work, guys! It's looking and working amazingly! 😃 Really well done!!! Stay safe there with your families! 🖖😊 BTW, use ear protection to ride it!!!

[@JustinCooperMarsh]

Loving your track top YNWA.

[@xyphaan]

I'm loving watching the progress of this build. Just a little advice from a nobody that has studied aerodynamics and physics as a hobby (I know you do this professionally but, hovercrafts are a new demon), if you want to gain more lateral control, you will have to place rudders in all 3 thrust engine ports (preferably just outside them, but I know that would ruin the look you're going for). You may also want to increase the difference in power between the steering thrusters.

[@sk8rboy1255555]

Maybe those 2x4 are hurting your ground clearance too much, obviously not much can be done going over a valley but using a thinner skid possibly out of aluminum would help with weight and going over hill peaks. Looks awesome so far cant wait to see it up and running!

[@markscarborough1018]

Awesome project guys! Could you put friction brakes on all 4 corners to make the hovercraft more usable on land? Some kind of front / rear axles to mount extendable arms that apply pressure through friction pads to the ground. Brake bias control to set up perfect ratio? Maybe you could control each corner independently for better steering control? You could take it on the road if you cracked that :)

[@creightonfreeman8059]

Be careful about wearing watches, rings, etc. when working on those batteries. If anything metal touches a + and -- terminal simultaneously it will turn white hot instantly. Also make sure your tools (wrenches et. al.) are completely insulated. You don't want to suddenly have a plasma ball in your hand.

[@dronepilot260rc]

This is the stuff is what excites me 🎉

[@breakflight]

There were a lot of cars in the parking lot to fly that low. I love to fly, and I don't like people making a big deal about nothing, which happens a lot. But we also need to avoid areas where people could turn a corner or open a door and meet a quad. I'm glad you stayed low key when she was upset.

[@thomasplayzgaming]

Flitetest i used to always watch your videos your the best!!!!!!

[@PatBALEX]

Hi.. For the forward thrust motors maybe a more aggressive prop. or a fan unit could give you more forward thrust along with the third motor..

[@jeremygeorgia4943]

Perhaps, something closer to a ducted fan could be used in the nacelles. The leaf blowers seem pretty effective, for their size. Maybe, some large inline ventilation fans could be used for thrust. Maybe, optimize the nozzles, as well. It really is working great. The project has been fun to watch.

[@superskullmaster]

They have an aversion to ducted fans, you never see them use them. It’s annoying.

[@jeffkirkland3028]

You guys are the best you make me smile every day thank you❤

[@EJ-74]

This thing looks so awesome 🔥 Get that 3rd motor working and add a bit more power and this thing is going to be SIIIICK 👍🏻 Can ya set up reverse thrust so you can break and even back up if needed 🤔 That would be cool, I think 😁

[@donaldburkhard7932]

Paint bag shades of green to blend in with grass, and rest same as landspeeder.. put screens over intakes? Contra-rotating propellers give more thrust. Maybe 🎉small EDF thrusters in front sides for help in steering, put thrusters behind screens

[@tall_midget17]

Lookin good man

[@bubblezovlove7213]

I suppose you could do a few things here. Have those rear nicels move so you have directional movement and possibly, if there's power to spare, angle the main rotors a bit. I can't quite decide if that'd help... Maybe even angle the skirt so there's more escaping air at the back.....

[@calvincheney7405]

You need to modify this to directed thrust with dampers behind the thrusters to gain command of the steering~

[@aviationfreak9392]

I miss the good old days when flite test was about building and flying R/C airplanes.

[@charotycharming7395]

These guys pumping out childhood dreams left and right 😆

[@TheJaymon1962]

You guys are stouter than I expected!

[@scotttod6954]

Was wondering if you made the centre motor pod steerable and steerable nozzles on the outside ones if that would help. Reaction motor would be cool to add to combat the Omni directional slide. Can not wait to see the thrust solution hoping for some overkill in that department and make it truly a SPEEDer. Does shutting the lift motors off provide enough friction braking or will it also need to air down the skirt for more? Concerned about stopping distance.

[@pjccwest]

Class!

absolutly aweseome💯😎

[@BeatniksVids]

When I was a kid there were instructions to make a hover craft in something like Child craft or Popular Mechanics, can't remember exactly, but it used one of those eureka jet looking vacuum cleaners. I wanted to build one badly.

[@evoman44]

That's a pretty good size hover craft to be able to carry actually passengers. To improve the thrust and sound, how about 3D printing some 10-12 blade EDF's.

[@TheWebstaff]

Need some deflection in those ducted fans for extra rudder stearing or thrust vectoring. And when connecting batteries connect the positive first not the negative! :)

[@markhatch1267]

Directional control is a matter of getting used to the idea that the nose will often not be pointed in the direction of travel. Need to get used to HUGE drift angles in some situations to compensate for wind or slopes. May also want to consider a surge mode for the lift fans for a brief moment to lift the vehicle up when uneven ground brakes the seal of the skirt.

[@peacefulscrimp5183]

Great video 👍

[@Killfish37]

16:12 That is a nice Red shirt. There is some GOOOOOD STUFF on that website....

[@cossoft6531]

That's so cool! You guys should bring it out to one of our Star Wars LARP events! lol

[@matjazwalland903]

Looks good for a start. Now to get the driving power. And I would put at least one or two more inflatable pillows for height below. Otherwise, straight roads will be the only area where he will ride.

[@MrPeyregne]

Sweet!

[@gerikbensing]

In 4th grade we had a science fair and I built a hovercraft with my dad out of a corded leaf blower and garbage bags to use to show Newton's Laws. Won first place and had to watch a next-level hovercraft for grown ups!

[@snowcow1173]

if you wanna turn you can open one side of the cart, or have flaps thats direct the bottom fans left and right like a rudder but vertical

[@441rider]

Multiple port air direction around skirt from a central or 2 EDF sources. Balance the thrust. Probably need 300kgs of lift anyway if you can for speed, also nylon sheet of skirt would reduce friction like a magic carpet on snow.

[@tokag]

Awesome stuff. I'm glad you got it "working". I recall seeing something about hovercraft skirts a while ago, but can't remember where otherwise I would point you there, but it has to do with gaining a good amount of lift efficacy by using the "lift" motor to direct air through channels in a concave inflatable skirt that direct it inwards after reaching maximum inflation. Both governments and private industry has spent a lot of money developing the best way to utilize the lift potential of a hovercraft via its skirt (again I wish I could point you to specific citations, but I can't recall any of the top of my head and don't have the time to look them up at the moment, but I'm sure you can find some cross-sections on Google of of modern commercial hovercrafts skirts). Using an inflatable raft is very clever, don't get me wrong I love the idea, but is ultimately inefficient. Great videos though, I love what you guys are working on, and the way that you make your productions and products accessible to the community. Love it. Cheers

[@willcusterjr2519]

love seeing the Iron Giant in the background

[@donaldburkhard7932]

Use contra-rotating motors in nacelles for more thrust. Do you have reverse thrust capability? If still control problems add small side motors in front like big ships have.

[@murdocks4304]

Need to use blower wheels/ impellers for bag. Use what came with leaf blower

[@jwoodyr1]

I think the contractions in your motor nacelles are killing Thrust. 2-blade props (low-solidity axial fans, in general) don't produce much pressure. Get rid of the contractions and let the props flow. Just a thought .... Thanks for sharing!

[@hoverbovver]

Agree.