The SRN-1 was the world’s first amphibious hovercraft and it led to a series of craft designed and built on the Isle of Wight. Though most famous for civil uses, the SN series was adapted for military uses and models were sold across the world. There were also schemes to use hovercraft technology for other industrial uses.

Ray Wheeler gives an insider’s view of how and why the series evolved and how they overcame a host of technical and design challenges, from corrosion protection to structural problems caused by stiletto heels. He also explains the strengths and weaknesses of the different types and retells some fascinating stories along the way.

Ray Wheeler was in the perfect position to give this lecture as he was at the centre of the development of this series of hovercraft, from the 1950s to the early 1990s. He started as a stressman for Saro, before working up the newly amalgamated British Hovercraft Company with posts including Chief Designer, before retiring as Systems Support Director at the restructured Westlands Aerospace. The team’s achievements were even more remarkable as he and his fellow designers were also working on a great variety of other projects at the same time, from missiles to large domed roofs.

Ray Wheeler FRAeS gave his lecture to a meeting organised by the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Historical Group on 21 July 2005. The lecture is introduced by Frank Armstrong FRAeS, the recording was digitised thanks to a grant from the RAeS Foundation and the podcast was edited by Eur Ing Mike Stanberry FRAeS.