Construction of Solent Flyer Hovertravel 12000TD Hovercraft

A short video made from photographs showing the construction of "Solent Flyer", the first of the two new 12000TD Hovercraft for Hovertravel which have now replaced the much older AP1-88/100's on the Southsea in Portsmouth to Ryde on the Isle of Wight route. Both craft "Solent Flyer" and "Island Flyer" are now in service (Summer 2016). These were built at Southampton in the UK by Griffon Hoverwork. The photographs belong to Griffon Hoverwork and uploaded with their kind permission. For further information on these craft, please read the following which was documented in 2015; This year Hovertravel celebrates 50 years of service across the Solent between Portsmouth & the Isle of Wight and to ensure continued growth and longevity, Hovertravel has invested £10million in two new passenger hovercraft. These will be the first new passenger hovercraft to be built and used in the UK for a decade. Neil Chapman, managing director of Hovertravel, explains: “Hovertravel is a successful business which has provided an essential link for business, leisure and commuting travellers across the Solent for half a century. We are now investing in the next decade of Hovertravel's journey. To continue to operate we need two new craft to replace our existing fleet in 2016.’ 'With our two existing hovercraft having served us extremely well and the company achieving the amazing milestone of 50 years of continuous operation, the company wanted to plan for the future and ordered two new British built craft to benefit from the obvious advances in technology since our existing fleet was built. Our research indicated that two, more efficient, craft would be the best replacement option and would allow us to continue to serve our customers in the most effective way.' The two new craft are being fully designed and built by Hovertravel's sister company Griffon Hoverwork in Southampton. The new craft will maintain and build on Hovertravel's unique experience which in turn attracts an increasing number of tourists to the Island. The new craft will also update the overall nautical attraction of Portsmouth and boost the pedigree of maritime engineering in the region. Hovertravel is looking to expand the existing timetable for better frequency of services, utilise technologies to significantly improve fuel efficiency and offer better access for passengers and reduced mobility passengers. The new craft will take advantage of the latest advances in engine efficiency and passenger comfort whilst retaining the market leading eight minute journey duration. Neil adds, "Our two new craft are the first of a new model of hovercraft to be manufactured. We are working closely with the award winning Griffon Hoverwork to identify and specify the exact details for the Hovertravel craft. It is exciting to be involved in a project which will see not just the world's newest hovercraft serving our customers but also to know that our input will inform the design of passenger hovercraft around the world".

[@duncandavies9706]

Fantastic to see British Engineering at its best in Southampton, completing these 2 Hovercraft. Hope you have future orders for this concept of travel. As an apprentice many years ago I
worked at Saunders Roe when hovercraft were the transport of the future, sadly the SRN4's could not compete against the chunnel and that was when Westland decided to call it a day.

[@waz1000]

SRN4 competed against the Tunnel for 10 years till 2000 after 33 years service

[@spitfiremark1a768]

Did you work on the SRN6?
That was, and still is my favourite.