
Radio-controlled Gus class hovercraft
To build a custom RC hovercraft, the first step is to determine the scale of your model and the power it will require.
If you’re new to hovercrafts, I recommend checking out this page — it covers some useful theory to get you started.
Let’s say you want to build an RC hovercraft modeled after a real recreation hovercraft with the following specifications:
|
|
|
1 – Determine the Scale of Your RC Model
To create a compact RC hovercraft, let’s set its length to 50 cm.
Starting from the original length of 3 meters, the scale of the RC model is: 3 meters ÷ 0.5 meters = 6
So, the scale is 1:6. Based on this scale: Width = 1.8 meters ÷ 6 = 30 cm - Height = 1.5 meters ÷ 6 = 25 cm
2 – Calculate the Power Required for Your RC Model
First, convert the engine power from horsepower to watts.
Since 1 horsepower = 736 watts, 30 horsepower = 30 × 736 = 22,080 watts
Next, calculate the cube of the scale factor: 6 × 6 × 6 = 216
Divide the original power by this number to get the model’s required power: 22,080 ÷ 216 = 102 watts
3 – Determine the Maximum Weight of Your RC Model
Similarly, divide the original weight by the cube of the scale factor: 260 kg ÷ 216 ≈ 1.2 kg
This is a relatively heavy weight, allowing you to install two LIPO batteries on your model.
Final specifications for your RC hovercraft:
|
|
|
Just for fun, let’s compare these results with the specifications of our Formula 3 model:
|
|
|
Now you can have fun running another set of calculations using Formula 1 hovercraft specifications: 180 horsepower, 3.5 meters long, and 350 kg.