Saunders-Roe firm was formed in 1929 and during World War-2 the firm built aircraft under licence. When peace came, it produced a jet-powered seaplane fighter and the large passenger-carrying flying boat. Neither of these progressed further than a flight test programme using the initial prototypes.
However, a change of direction for the business came through the explorations of British engineer Christopher Cockerell. He had been interested in watercraft and wanted to make them more efficient. His experiments led him to remove the drag caused to a boat in the water by making them float above the surface on a cushion of air.
The concept, by now called "Hovercraft" appeared in 1958, when British engineer Christopher Cockerell convinced Saunders-Roe, a British aerospace and marine-engineering company, to build a new type watercraft.
The British National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) supported Saunders-Roe with a contract to proceed with development of the craft.
Two manned models were proposed. Saunders-Roe SRN-1 was selected for build while the various trials were done with the radio-controlled models.
All models were tested in secret on the Isle of Wight in 1958 and into 1959. To power SRN-1 craft, a radial piston engine was centrally located driving the main lift fan. Propulsion was via ducts fitted on either side of the hovercraft deck directing the air as required for forwards and backwards thrust.
On 29 May 1959 Saunders-Roe SRN-1 performed its first engine run. A few minor problems showed up and, once these had been corrected, the engine was run up to full power the next day. Testing continued before the team considered the first flight. This was on 11 June 1959, when the SRN-1 demonstrated its capability to cross both land and water in front of members of the press.
For added power, Saunders-Roe SRN-1 was given a Bristol Siddeley Viper-III gas turbine engine, which increased the craft's speed from 65 to 92km/h. After trials, the hovercraft was donated for preservation to the London Science Museum.
The new business continued with the development of hovercraft for both commercial and military applications.
Vickers hovercraft, called the Vickers-Armstrongs-1, used the same basic layout as the SRN-1 but with an additional aft-mounted engine for forward and backward movement. It was a simple design to test the theory and, within a year or so, the Vickers-Armstrongs-3 was unveiled. It could carry 24 passengers and cruise at 111km/h.
The machine went into commercial service - operated by British United Airways - between Wallasey on Merseyside and Rhyl in north-east Wales in 1962 and inaugurated the world's first scheduled hovercraft service.
Probably the best-known version of the hovercraft, and one that many would have travelled on, was the large cross-Channel Saunders Roe SRN-5 that brought a new service for passengers and cars to Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer.
The craft could carry 418 passengers and 60 cars across the Channel faster than the regular cross-Channel ferries. Joined by the larger Saunders Roe SRN-6, the service continued until the Channel Tunnel opened for use. Soon the hovercraft were retired.
Currently, Hovertravel, hovertravel.co.uk operates the last remaining commercial hovercraft service in Europe. It will still be the only passenger-carrying service in the world until a new commercial hovercraft route opens in Japan this year. Hovertravel operates British-built Griffon hovercrafts between Ryde on the Isle of Wight and Southsea in Portsmouth. The journey takes about 10 minutes and is a useful link between the island and mainland.