A hovercraft operates on the simple principles of air cushioning. This means that high pressure air is trapped under a curtain or skirt in order to suspend the craft above the ground. The high pressure air creates a cushion on which the vehicle rests.

A commercially usable hovercraft is very difficult to build. However, the following instructions can be used to create a model that uses the same principles of a hovercraft to stay suspended on top of high pressure air.

Materials Required to Build a Hovercraft

1. Plastic lunch box (preferably Tupperware if you can convince your mum to let you use it)
2. 2 or 2.5 inch diameter PVC pipe at least 4 inches long (if not a piece of chart paper can be used to make a tube of proper size)
3. Electric hair drier
4. Duct tape
5. Cardboard
6. Paint
7. Scissors/ Knife

Steps Involved in building a hovercraft

1. Take off the lid from the lunchbox, turn it upside down and use the scissors to make a hole that is around the same size as the pipe section or paper tube.
2. Insert the pipe into the hole that has been made on the lunch box and use duct tape to hold it down so that at least 3/4th of the pipe is sticking out of the underside of the lunchbox.
3. Use the cardboard and paint to make a body for your hovercraft. But take care not to make it too heavy or the hovercraft won’t be able to lift itself up.
4. Once all this is in place, place the hovercraft on top of a flat surface. Point the hair drier into the pipe and turn it on. Your hovercraft will begin to hover.