I have a piece on Wired.com called “Fifty Years of Hovercraft: The Tech That Barely Takes Off,” about the history of the hovercraft. If you’re inspired to build a hovercraft yourself, you can cobble one together in about thirty minutes.
In the mid-20th century, nearly every comic book and issue of Boy’s Life had a boisterous ad in the back pimping the joys of hovering which could be yours by ordering the offered plans and building your own vehicle to float on air. What you got for your precious allowance money was a simple plan similar to this one. Artist and maker Amos Latteier used such plans to build his craft from cardboard, duct tape, garbage bags, and a shop vac.
30 Minute Hovercraft – Link
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Even more noteworthy are this guy’s pigeon aerial photography attempts!
I built one of these several years ago with my son, and it really does only take about 30 min. It’s a great hit for science day at the local elementary school.
Here’s a youtube video of it