Fontys mechanical engineering students designing and building a hovercraft from the ground up.
A student engineering team from the Flying Start program in Mechanical Engineering, designing, building and racing a hovercraft.
A battery-powered hovercraft built on a hoverboard platform. It rides on a skirted air cushion and is driven by an electric propeller. We engineer every part ourselves: the hull, the skirt system, propulsion, steering and controls. Six engineers, one goal.
Our project is part of the Flying Start program in Mechanical Engineering at Fontys University of Applied Sciences — building real things and solving real problems.
From CAD models and sketches to hands-on fabrication and assembly, every step is documented on this site.
Six engineers, one goal. Mechanical design, electrical systems, materials, testing, and project management.
Four goals from our test plan — and exactly how we check each one.
The hovercraft has to sit stable, with air spreading evenly through the skirt and no leaks.
WE TEST IT BY inflating the skirt for a minute, several times, in a wind-free area and checking for systematic tilts — then wetting it to spot any leaks.
The hovercraft needs to reach a good speed on a straight stretch.
WE TEST IT BY running each of the two propellers and comparing the results to pick the best setup — with a target of around 3 m/s.
Find any part that works loose once the craft is running.
WE TEST IT BY shaking the craft hard for 20 seconds and comparing the angle of the propeller holder, battery holder and flag before and after. Any tilt over 10° gets extra support.
Full control through the turns.
WE TEST IT BY switching between 2 and 3 flaps and timing a full circle at a fixed radius to see which handles best, then tuning the flap length — watching for flaps that block each other or don’t turn at all.
A blank sheet to a working hovercraft, one day at a time.
Logo and hull concept sketches, then a first CAD model in Fusion 360.
Technical drawing, cutting and hot-wire forming the plate, then bonding the deck.
Put the test plan to work: stability, speed, loose parts and turning control.
Up nextPhotos from the workshop: design, fabrication, and testing.
Six engineers from Fontys turning a hovercraft idea into a working machine.
Project Engineer
Lead Engineer
Production Engineer
Test Engineer
Quality Engineer
Lead PR