Hovercraft Lift Calculator

This calculator will provide you with the general lift air characteristics of your suggested hovercraft design. Use this information to assist in choosing the correct lift fan, or hull size, for the gross weight you intend to transport. The shape of your hovercraft is assumed to be rectangular. If your hovercraft is of another shape, then enter length and width dimensions that will keep the area and circumference the same as your craft (use the measurements at the ground contact of the skirt-not the hull dimensions). The air gap you will specify is the distance between the ground and the bottom "contact point" of the skirt (not the distance from the ground to the bottom of the craft) and is typically between 0.5" and 1.0".
NOTE: In almost all cases, our Multi-Wing 8-blade, fixed-pitch 22" lift fan or our Multi-Wing 5-blade, adjustable-pitch 25" lift fan will be more than adequate to provide the CFM and pressure you will need for your recreational hovercraft. Use this calculator to determine the CFM and pressure for your particular hovercraft project. Then select the appropriate fan and engine combination for your hovercraft. You may disregard the "estimated fan diameter" indicated below. The above-mentioned fans are sized so you may operate them up to 3600 rpm without exceeding maximum blade tip speeds.

Hovercraft lift calculator

Enter the required data in the following fields, use the metric or imperial boxes, not both. When done, press the "Calculate" button. The answers will appear below. Press the "Clear Input" button before starting a new calculation.

Enter hull length in meters: or feet:
Enter hull width in meters: or feet:
Enter Amount of air gap required in mm (i.e. 13): or inches (i.e. 0.5):
Enter max. gross weight of craft in kg: pounds:

or.

Results below are computed from the Input Data above and
are to be considered approximate values only.

Approximate lift perimeter	(m)	(ft)
Total hover gap area	(m^2)	(sq. ft.)
Total cushion area	(m^2)	(sq. ft.)
Cushion pressure	(N/m^2 = Pa)	(lbs/sq. ft, PSF)
Cushion pressure	(mm of water @ 4degC)	(inches of water @ 60degF)
Expected actual air velocity	(m/sec)	(ft/sec)
Lift air volume	(m^3/sec)	(CFS)
Estimated lift engine power	(kW)	(HP)
Estimated fan diameter	(m)	(inches)

Thanks are given to Alex Olshove for developing this calculator based on James Perozzo's book, Hovercrafting as a Hobby.
Additional credit is given to Juergen Schoepf for incorporating metric units of measure into this calculator.