Re: The Hovercraft
In the early days of hovercraft I was in Dover (near my home) when they got a relatively small hovercraft stuck up against the harbour wall on the shingle, In those days they relied on motion to steer.
They asked people if they would help push it away from the wall, of course everybody was delighted to help so we all gathered round to do their bit. As soon as they started the engines the 'air cushion' threw up the shingle all around and people scattered because it hurt like hell.
In the end they had to get a police land rover and a tow line to pull it off the wall.
They were an invention that seemed to have a great future but in the end underwhelmed. I built a balsa wood one as a kid and the limitations immediately became apparent - the thing wanted to slide down any slope and was very difficult to control on anything but extremely flat ground (or water though mine couldn't go on water).
My parents took their car on one to France but swore never to do it again - the wheels were tied down and the slightly rough sea gave the suspension a real hammering (literally)