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The Flying Hovercraft Is a 2-Person Luxury Toy for Water and Land, Available Today

When your budget is limitless, so are your entertainment options. Just because regular folk have to choose between getting their kicks on land, on water or up in the air doesn’t mean you have to as well. Not if money is not an issue.
Hammacher Schlemmer is selling the Flying Hovercraft for $190,000 14 photos
Photo: Hammacher Schlemmer
Hammacher Schlemmer is selling the Flying Hovercraft for $190,000Hammacher Schlemmer is selling the Flying Hovercraft for $190,000Hammacher Schlemmer is selling the Flying Hovercraft for $190,000Hammacher Schlemmer is selling the Flying Hovercraft for $190,000The Arosa hovercraft is an amphibious luxury vehicle that glides over land and waterThe Arosa hovercraft is an amphibious luxury vehicle that glides over land and waterThe Arosa hovercraft is an amphibious luxury vehicle that glides over land and waterThe Arosa hovercraft is an amphibious luxury vehicle that glides over land and waterThe Arosa hovercraft is an amphibious luxury vehicle that glides over land and waterThe Arosa hovercraft is an amphibious luxury vehicle that glides over land and waterThe Arosa hovercraft is an amphibious luxury vehicle that glides over land and waterThe Arosa hovercraft is an amphibious luxury vehicle that glides over land and waterThe Arosa hovercraft is an amphibious luxury vehicle that glides over land and water
Forget what the Rolling Stones say about how “you can’t always get what you want.” For a very narrow niche, the only limit to what they can get is their willingness to splurge. For them, for the one-percenters of the world, a new option of water- and land-based fun is available: The Flying Hovercraft. It’s a hovercraft that flies because air lift is higher than with traditional hovercraft. Think of it like a cross between a flying car and a hovercraft, aimed for the thrill-seekers who can afford it.

A hovercraft, or an ACV (air-cushion vehicle), is an amphibious craft that can travel over a varied range of surfaces, from water to land, mud and sand, and even rocky terrain. Invented in the ‘50s, it was perfected in the late ‘60s and, for some years afterwards, widely considered the luxury amphibious vehicle of the future, especially in terms of public transportation.

Plans didn’t exactly pan out as far as transportation of people and goods goes, but the hovercraft is still around. Hovercraft-based vehicles are also in the works: the VonMercier Arosa, for example, which is described as a luxury sports hovercraft, has been in development for close to a decade, and it doesn’t look like it’s any closer to reality than it was when it first popped up on the scene.

Hammacher Schlemmer is selling the Flying Hovercraft for \$190,000
Photo: Hammacher Schlemmer
The bottom line is that there’s still a lot of interest in this type of ACVs, adapted for the luxury segment. This is where the Flying Hovercraft also fits in, not only because of its high price point but also because it boasts certain advantages over typical hovercraft. This ACV doesn’t just glide over surfaces, it actually flies as high as 20 feet (6 meters) over them, hence the “Flying” part in the name.

The Flying Hovercraft is offered by Illinois-based retailer and catalog company Hammacher Schlemmer. If the name rings a bell, it’s probably because they’re in the business of unexpected gifts or, as they say on the website, in the business of “providing unique products that solve problems or represent the only one of their kind.” They’re also called fittingly “the world’s most peculiar company,” because it’s here that you can find anything from leg warmers to quirky Christmas decorations, kiddie cars and The Flying Hovercraft.

Powered by a 130-hp twin-cylinder, liquid-cooled, turbocharged gasoline engine, this craft is capable of soaring higher in the air than all other hovercraft, while gliding over the same surfaces as those: fresh- or salt water, sand, rocky terrain and land, as well as inclines of 30%. The engine drives a 60-inch (152 cm) wood-carbon composite thrust propeller, while a 1,100 rpm 34-inch (86.4-cm) lift fan inflates the vinyl-coated nylon skirt. The landing skids are made of Kevlar composite, so they will stand the test of time and whatever surface they come to land on.

The company mentions that there’s a joystick to control the three vertical rudders and the elevator, while a twist friction-lock throttle controls the forward speed. Braking is done by lowering the lift fan’s rpms.

Hammacher Schlemmer is selling the Flying Hovercraft for \$190,000
Photo: Hammacher Schlemmer
Top speed is 70 mph (112.6 kph) in the air, while range is estimated at 160 miles (257.5 km), thanks to two nine-gallon (34-liter) gasoline tanks. The hull is made of fiberglass and PVC hull, and while lightweight, it has a low center of gravity, which allows operation in winds of up to 25 mph (40.2 kph) and over waves as high as 6 feet (1.8 meters).

Unlike typical hovercraft, this one has integrated wings and an enclosed cockpit that can seat two people, pilot and passenger. Don’t expect too much focus on styling here: photos show a basic, bare interior with just the controls and the seats (there is no video that we can find). Presumably, the fun you’ll be having does away with the need for those extra deluxe interior touches. Maximum payload is 600 pounds (272 kg), so don’t feel bad about those extra ten pounds of lockdown weight.

Speaking of typical hovercraft, they’re considered boats, and this one is no different, even though it’s of the “flying” kind: it needs registration as a boat and certain conditions may apply to its use. All these obstacles overcome, there’s the issue of pricing, which is an aspect where the Flying Hovercraft stands out. Whereas for a regular hovercraft from a maker like Hoverstream you’d pay as little as $13,000, the Flying one is $190,000. But where else would you get a flying boat?
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Editor's note: For comparison, photos in the gallery also show the VonMercier Arosa luxury sports hovercraft.

About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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