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June 2003 - In this issue: Welcome to the
premiere issue of HoverWorld Insider … As the newsletter evolves, special sections will be devoted to the
following: You are an important part of the ‘HoverWorld’ and we invite your submissions to any of these categories. HoverWorld Insider will be published on a monthly basis; the deadline for submissions is the 15th of the month prior to publication (i.e., the deadline for the July issue is 15 June). We also welcome your comments and suggestions. Please submit all materials and comments to: SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! Get ready for the New Year's Eve of your lifetime! From 28 December 2004 to 3 January 2005, the hovercraft world will gather in Canberra, Australia for HoverWorld Expo 2004. If World Hovercraft Week 2002 USA left you 'riding on air,' plan to soar even higher at this new and unusual event. (See a pictorial review of World Hovercraft Week 2002 at www.PictureTrail.com/WHC2002) What makes HoverWorld Expo 2004 so unique? The World's First Hovercraft Endurance
Race Prize Money, Appearance Money, Discounted
Travel A chance to commemorate an important
hallmark in hovercraft history A chance to celebrate the New Year
Aussie style To keep you updated as events unfold, a new issue of HoverWorld Insider
will be published each month, and an official web site will be launched
in the near future. Guest Editorial After nearly 40 years, I can still vividly recall the enthusiasm surrounding the world's first hovercraft race in Canberra. We original participants were filled with a spirit of self-reliance, and intrigue with newness, a frontier mentality, a naiveté of technological difficulties, a dream to experience the sensation of hovering, and a possibility for fame and fortune. Despite craft that wouldn't start, only five that managed to stagger across the finish line, and fame and fortune that is yet to arrive, we w3ere undaunted by difficulties and remain so today. That undaunted spirit, widely evident among those in the world of air cushion vehicles, is the strength behind the evolution of the hovercraft. We've come a long way since those early hovercraft days. Hovercraft racing is now an established sport, and the vehicle that was once an obscure, peculiar hobby is now used in most major nations of the world for a diversity of important purposes. Hovercraft save lives, transport tanks and troops, ferry passengers, enforce laws, control wildlife, assist in agriculture, entertain the public and are enjoyed by private enthusiasts across the globe. In early May I visited Australia to meet with Canberra officials and both Hoverclub and Australian Hovercraft Federation representatives to initiate plans for an event what will allow us to both step back in history and to move forward into the future. HoverWorld Expo 2004 will commemorate the World's First Hovercraft Race, as well as illuminate and advance 40 years of hovercraft evolution in the sport, the technology and the utility. I'm pleased to report that our proposal was met with high enthusiasm on all fronts. The Canberra Branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society organized the 1964 event, and has given their full support to HoverWorld Expo 2004, with Chairman Neville Probert serving on the event's Board of Directors. The Canberra Tourism & Events Corporation believes that HoverWorld Expo 2004 meets the criteria for its Events Assistance Program. We are in the process of submitting the detailed risk management assessment and securing the $20+ million insurance policy required by the National Capital Authority. Once approved, the HoverWorld Expo 2004 event budget will be submitted to the Canberra Tourism & Events Corporation for their consideration of providing an assistance package to develop, market and promote the event. The CEO and several representatives from the National Capital Authority were extremely helpful and positive, and hope to have either the Governor General or the Prime Minister serve as event patron. Chris Jobson, National Capital Promotions Events Officer, spent a full day driving me around Lake Burley Griffin to visualize the layout of the event. Officers from the Australian Federal Police offered their full cooperation, and boated Chris Jobson and me about the lake and up and down the river to plan the race, the speed record challenge and the cruise. To illustrate the level of local support we're receiving in Canberra, Lake Burley Griffin is off-limits to all power vehicles -- but an exception will be made for HoverWorld Expo 2004. While in Australia, I had the pleasure of talking with the ACT Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Australian National University. I also spoke with past officials of the World Hovercraft Federation, and met with officials from the Hoverclub of Victoria and the Australian Hovercraft Federation, all of whom are eager to support HoverWorld Expo 2004. In the words of Colin Dainty, Treasurer of the Australian Hovercraft Federation, "We're really, really excited about this event!" The Australian Hovercraft Federation will run the event, and I have agreed to serve as Chairman and will accept all liability and responsibility. The numerous hovercraft manufacturers with whom I've spoken so far are equally supportive. Former World Hovercraft Federation President Owen Ellis is fully behind the event and is devoting himself to developing endurance racing craft. The Australian media are already supporting the event. During my visit to Australia, the Canberra Times published two feature articles about HoverWorld Expo 2004. We are organizing the event to make it as easy as possible for everyone to attend. The dates were chosen so as not to interfere with the 2004 World Hovercraft Championship in Berlin and to make it easier for European and US participants to come to Australia in their off season. We plan for HoverWorld Expo to have a presence in Berlin, as well as possible sponsorship. HoverWorld Expo 2004 will serve as a stepping-stone to the 2006 World Hovercraft Championship in Malaysia, as Malaysia will be prominently involved in HoverWorld Expo 2004. We are garnering prize money, appearance money and travel discounts to make the trip affordable for all, and bringing in two separate firms to secure a level of financial sponsorship that will be a first for the hovercraft world. HoverWorld Expo 2004 will be an all-inclusive event, patterned after last year's World Hovercraft Week in Terre Haute, but expanded to include even more activities. Besides the world's first Hovercraft Endurance Race, a cruise on the Molonglo River, and the World Speed Record Challenge, the event will again encompass the CACTS International Conference on Air Cushion Technology and the 2nd World Symposium on Hovercraft Rescue. You can also expect an elaborate hovercraft history exhibit. The most concerted effort ever undertaken for a hovercraft event is
now in progress. The result of this effort will give you an event that
surpasses World Hovercraft Week 2002 in Terre Haute. Our goal is to
assist you in every way so that you can hover to new heights down under
next year in Australia! The World's First Hovercraft Race "March 14, 1964 may become a famous date in ACV [Air-Cushion Vehicle] history, for on that day, at Canberra, the world's first competitive hovercraft trials took place. An analogy may be drawn between the Canberra trials of 1964 and the Rheims air meeting of 1909: both mark the beginning of competitive development in their respective fields, with relatively primitive machines conceived by enthusiastic experimenters." More than 30,000 people gathered on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin in 1964 to watch history being made by ten ambitious entrants, only five of whom actually finished the race. Fast Facts about Canberra Like no other city in Austrzalia Located between Sydney and Melbourne in New South Wales, the carefully planned city is a masterful blend of two city centers -- business and government -- with swathes of native bush and scenic open areas, a thriving cultural scene, a sparkling nightlife, and numerous tourist attractions. Canberra is ideal for those who love the outdoors, but hesitate to stray too far from a cappuccino or a great glass of wine! Lake Burley Griffin Lake Burley Griffin, with its varied and beautifully landscaped 35
km long shoreline, is encircled by a bicycle path and surrounded by
many of Canberra's points of interest. The lake is the ideal location
for commemorating the genesis of hovercraft racing and technology with
an event that will move us into the future! ................................................ Archives |
