​8th July 2017
​Hovercraft Museum at Lee-on-the-Solent visit
​Photos & Report courtesy: Peter Mitchell

Today we joined some members of the Bath Tub Club who were visiting the Hovercraft museum at Lee-on-the-Solent which is just along the road from us. We have been there several times, as a club and as local residents, but they have been doing a lot of work recently and the whole place is looking a lot more professional. Apart from everything on display, from the original coffee tin experiment to the giant stretched cross-channel craft, 007 featured hovercraft and ‘Top Gear’ mash-up’s they also have an enormous archive which is not on general display.

I was glad to see that the mini-bodied craft with the 2cv thrust engine and lawnmower lift engine has been totally restored and they have kept a 2cv engine, although it may be a replacement for the previous one. It still has its heat exchangers but I am not quite sure what they are heating.

The first micro-wave oven to be fitted on a Naval craft is still in position on XW255. This seems to attract more excitement than the large funnel thing on it which lowers down and is an experimental sonar unit.

They gave us a good discount, free tour and cake – but we had to pay for the cup of tea. As everyone there is a volunteer we had no problems with that.

They have a new book out with archive photos for about half the price elsewhere, signed by the author and have an open weekend in August.

Check  out opening times on www.hovercraft-museum.org and pop along some time if you can. There is a lot to look at.
Thanks to the BT Club for getting us along there again.

P.S.  Colin turned up in his Mehari at my house 3hours after the arranged meeting time at the museum. We had a chat, coffee,
got some spanners out and he left with 4 gears and reverse - which was a 1st. gear more than he arrived with!
Photos & Report courtesy: Peter Mitchell