His early invention began life as a pair of tin cans connected to a vacuum cleaner. This experiment demonstrated that air pressure could produce enough pressure to lift a vehicle off the ground. The Hovercraft was launched in the English Channel in 1959 and has been used throughout the world since for commercial and military purposes. The clear advantage of this type of vehicle is that there is very little friction between the ground and the bottom of the Hovercraft. The principal upon which the Hovercraft works is quite a simple one.
Air has considerable power when placed under pressure.
When this air is compressed it has the ability to drive machines. The Hovercraft uses this compressed air to lift itself above the surface of water or ground. Two jets of sucked in air are forced beneath the vessel. The cushion of air that is created is surrounded by a curtain or skirt of material. The skirt holds the air in to form a high-pressure cushion.