Saunders-Roe SR.N1

The Saunders-Roe SR.N1, short for Saunders-Roe Nautical 1, was the first practical hovercraft and the world's first full-sized hovercraft. The concept came from the British engineer Christopher Cockerell, who persuaded the services and industry, including Saunders-Roe, to back it, and research was supported first by the Ministry of Defence and then by the National Research Development Corporation. Several models, including a 1:6 scale radio-controlled one tested in secret on the Isle of Wight, preceded the full-size craft. The SR.N1 was powered by an Alvis Leonides radial piston engine driving a lift fan, with a Bristol Siddeley Viper III jet engine added at the rear the next year to lift its maximum speed from 35 to 50 knots. It made its first public flight on 11 June 1959, crossing both land and water, and took part in test programmes for four years before its retirement, having proved the concept.