AirLift Hovercraft Pty Ltd

24B August Lane,
Alberton,
Queensland 4207
Australia

Tel:         +61 7 3077 8866

Internet: https://AirLiftHovercraft.com
Email: sales@AirLiftHovercraft.com         

Company Background

AirLift Hovercraft Pty Ltd is a specialist designer and supplier of small and medium size passenger, utility, and recreational hovercraft.

AirLift Hovercraft has focused on the design, development and manufacture of hovercraft since 1979. Our goal is to design and develop the best performing, most reliable and most cost effective small to medium sized hovercraft in the world.

We strive to offer hovercraft that can operate in the most demanding, diverse and inaccessible areas in the world; in a wide variety of applications such as military operations, passenger carrying, coast guard, search and rescue, border security, flood rescue and survey work.

We are passionate and dedicated in designing hovercraft that are elegant, profitable to operate and better than any other. AirLift Hovercraft is committed to constant designing and implementing new technologies to ensure we supply our clients, both international and local, with the best hovercraft that they can buy.

Product Range

Our standard range covers a broad spectrum of payload and application requirements, with our smallest craft measuring 4m and our largest being 12.15m in length, with passenger carrying capabilities from 3 to 25 passengers and payload weights of 350kg through to 3000kg. All of our hovercraft have the option of being customised to suit your requirements, whether it is for passenger carrying, search and rescue, seismic survey, utility work, or military application to name a few.

As a result of our constant research and development into hovercraft technologies, we design and manufacture our hovercraft to ensure they are durable, well-performing and versatile, meeting the needs of today’s clients. We utilise the Composite Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP) and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) foam sandwich system of construction that produces a lightweight-yet-durable hull that complies with the latest international standards. Our hovercraft can be fitted with a wide variety of optional equipment to suit client requirements.

Revolution – today’s recreation hovercraft

This special 4m, 3 place craft is literally the only production electric-hybrid personal hovercraft in the world today, the Revolution® boasts independent electric lift powered by the world’s best centrifugal fan and lithium-ion battery technology.

The independent electric lift is strong yet quiet and enables you to turn the craft on a dime. In your shed, on land or water, loading and un-loading and manoeuvring the Revolution is so easy, a child can do it – with a little training! This translates to high manoeuvrability out on land and water also.

 The lift system is coupled with a new skirt finger design that provides a perfect sealed cushion of air that is not tied to thrust like other ‘integrated’ light craft in this size range. This provides the operator with adjustable, ‘no spray’ robust lift for use in any application and makes getting ‘over hump’ effortless.

The 37hp 4-stroke petrol motor provides ample power to not only recharge your lithium-Ion lift battery, but also an impressive 87kg of thrust to push you along! The large AERO-drive SUPA-duct with large diameter 4 blade propeller reduces thrust noise to the point you can hardly hear the craft coming… or going!

Kaiman – open cockpit utility

The 7m Kaiman was designed to fulfil a role as a practical ‘work style hovercraft’, fully capable in SAR, Military or Industrial Roles based on an open cockpit. With a payload up to 1000kg, easily transported, simple to operate, tough, reliable.

The Kaiman is transported on a road-legal 2.5m wide trailer and with a simple tilting deck arrangement. It can be quickly launched as the first responder in emergency situations.

Thin or broken ice, mudflats, tidal estuaries, tropical swamps and other areas normally inaccessible to wheeled vehicles pose no problem for the Kaiman.

A Subaru 135 or 155kW engine provides practical performance for these duties with smooth hump transition and speeds up to 30 knots (60 kph) over water.

Wildfire – full cabin comfort

The 7m Wildfire is a full cabin craft designed to meet the requirements of extremely diverse climates delivered in a compact amphibious hovercraft.  It has the same Subaru power as the Kaiman driving a single ducted propeller and via hydraulic drive a two-stage axial lift system mounted in the bow. This gives a similar payload capacity and performance as the Kaiman.

The craft incorporates the latest commercially available materials enabling unsurpassed performance in the harshest conditions, while configured to enable minimised maintenance directly by the owner.

Large gull-wing doors provide full access for large and difficult loads whilst ensuring comfort and protection from the elements for passengers when closed. The WildFire can be adapted to operate with doors removed for extreme loads or doors closed for total comfort.

Pioneer Mk3.1 – Travel & Tourism

The 12m Pioneer  Mk 3.1 is a versatile machine. The base configuration has been designed with the passenger transport and tourism industries in mind. It can be operated by 1 crew and can carry 25 passengers or up to 2.5 tonnes payload.

Passengers can recline in the comfort of the luxurious seating in an air-conditioned cabin while enjoying an uninterrupted view of the rapidly passing scenery. The Pioneer Mk3.1 is robust and dynamic in its performance, economical to operate and appealing to passengers and crew.

Power is economically provided by two 185 kW diesel engines to cruise easily at 32 knots with much higher speeds available according to the surface conditions. The lift system is a pair of hydraulicly driven two stage axial fans mounted forward. The twin variable pitch ducted propellers allow the craft to be reversed or turned on its axis making it highly manoeuvrable.

The hull is manufactured from high technology composite materials which provide a lightweight, tough and durable structure requiring the minimum of maintenance. The windows are laminated safety glass, and the fully pressurised bag skirt is of welded construction with easily replaceable rubber fingers. Twin IFA reversing propellers provide exceptional controllability in tight places.

Dual engines are used and critical transmission, electrical and hydraulic systems are duplicated for reliability and redundancy. Construction is in accordance with the 2000 HSC Code, BHSR, Australian USL class 1D, Transport Canada TP5579. Class certification is available for any of the above codes.

Services

Consultancy

Airlift Hovercraft understands that most of our customers are looking to establish a business alongside their hovercraft and as a result, we offer our clients an all-round consultancy package that will guide them through all the stages involved in making their business a viable venture.

Joyride Business Support

Airlift Hovercraft can offer an extensive amount of information on operating a Hover Joyride service as for a period of nearly 4 years we operated two AH560 HoverFlyer hovercrafts on the beautiful Gold Coast Broadwater and provided thrilling joyrides for many thousands of tourists. It was a very nice little business for a husband-and-wife team to operate with one or two staff. As a result of this hands-on operating experience, we have very accurate records of operating costs for this type of Hovercraft and can advise and train any customers contemplating this type of venture.

Contract Hovercraft Services

Where a hovercraft might be needed for a specific short term role, we can provide hovercraft and crew, to work on land, mud, shallow lakes, flooded areas, etc.  to enable tasks such as, but not limited to the following.

  • promotional and media events
  • environmental sampling,
  • transporting goods,
  • equipment inspections,
  • surveying and photography, etc.
  • emergency search & rescue, and
  • access in emergency or short-term situations, where an amphibious craft is the only practical solution, e.g. after a flood.

We are based in South-East Queensland and can provide hovercraft services throughout Australia.

To get a feel for our hovercraft and their capabilities you can start on the main sites below or use the quick links. The YouTube channel has several helpful videos to introduce you to our capabilities.

Quick Links