Hovercraft Experience

Hovercraft Experience - £200 for up to 6 people for an hour.

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Hovercraft Experience

If you have ever seen a hovercraft flying, you will have wished that you could have a go - now you can!

Flying a foot off the ground, our Flying Fish Snapper hovercraft are easy to drive, and exhilarating enough for hardened thrill seekers!

Adventure Sports offer hour-long experience sessions that are suitable for groups of between two and six people.

During the event each participant will receive full tuition on how to fly our hovercraft before progressing to a large course to put the machine through its paces, experiencing the excitement of power sliding around the corners at high speed!

One hour sessions cost £200.

Book online or contact the office.
Gift vouchers are also available!

What is a Hovercraft?

Hovercraft use a cushion of air to float above the ground.

Our single seater Snapper craft use a large fan, powered by a 28 hp four-stroke Briggs and Stratton Vanguard petrol engine, to draw in air and force it underneath the body of the machine. This air is retained by a 'skirt' made from a tough nylon material that allows the whole craft to fly one foot above the ground. The fan also propels the hovercraft forward at speeds of up to 25 mph.

Controls

The fan speed is controlled by a hand throttle mounted on the right hand side of a steering bar. Depress the throttle and the fan revs up providing lift and forward thrust.

The steering bar moves the fins mounted behind the fan - these direct the air and help to steer the craft.

The most effective way of steering is to shift your body weight to either side of the craft in the intended direction of turn. This allows air to 'spill' out from the opposite side of the skirt and this propels the machine in the direction of the lean.

The skill of piloting a hovercraft comes from predicting what you want to do well in advance- there are no brakes and turning takes a long time! We use a large open grass field as hovercraft require lots of space! 

Who Can Fly a Hovercraft?

If you are aged 14 years or over you can fly our hovercraft. If there are any participants aged 14 or 15 years, they will need to be accompanied by at least two adults (18 + years). 

Hovercraft are steered using a handlebar and, most importantly, by moving your body weight around from one side of the craft to another whilst kneeling upright. You must be physically capable of doing this otherwise you will not be able to fly the machine.

You will sign a form at the start of the event to state that you are physically and mentally fit to take part in the activity and that you are free from any medical conditions that could be problematic (e.g. bad back, pregnant, limited mobility ...)

All participants must be between 7 and 18 stone (44 - 114 kg).

Example Format

A typical one-hour hovercraft experience will have the following format:

• 10.50  Guests arrive at Adventure Sports in Warwick. Everyone signs-in and crash helmets are issued. Our instructor will explain the format for the session and cover general safety points. The time spent on the machines will be divided between the number of participants, i.e. 2 people will spend twice as long on the machines as 4 people.
• 11.00  Over to the Hovercraft!  The controls are demonstrated as well as driving position and throttle control.
• 11.10  First participant boards the hovercraft and runs through the controls. Their balance point is found (moving body forwards and backwards until the craft is level) and the training figure-of-eight circuit is attempted. This ensures the rider can balance the throttle and move suitably from side to side to steer.
• 11.15  Participants all go through this initial training to ensure they have full control.
• 11.40  Participants proceed to the larger track and will enjoy the exhilerating experience of power sliding a hovercraft at high speed.
• 12.00  Session ends. Kit is returned and guests depart.

Hovercraft Experiences can be booked seven days a week. Morning and afternoon sessions are available throughout the year depending on availability. All sessions have to be pre-booked - we don't offer any 'turn up and drive sessions'.

Either  Book online or contact the office (Tel. 01926 491 948). We will book you in on the date and time you are looking for and send you a Booking Confirmation email. This will detail the session (times, date, costs, directions and clothing advice) and request payment in full at least ten days before the session. Payment can be made online or card payment can be made over the phone.

Buy a Hovercraft Experience Gift voucher instantly online.