Queensland Sporting Hovercraft Club

December 2013
Queensland Sporting Hovercraft Club
A branch of the AUSTRALIAN HOVERCRAFT FEDERATION Inc (Vic)

Dear Air Cushion Vehicle enthusiast,
As usual there was no club meeting held in December, but the Queensland branch of The Australian Hovercraft Federation will hold the next planning meeting at Archerfield Aerodrome in the ground floor conference room of the main terminal building on Tuesday, 21^st January 2014.

Cruise report - Muriel Street, Redland Bay - Sunday 1^st December 2013.
The December cruise was also the Christmas barbeque breakup and was held on Sunday 1^st December 2013 at 96 Muriel Street, Redland Bay courtesy of Peter and Elaine Venn.
Those attending the cruise with craft were:-

Peter Venn	Turbo TP6 powered by a Subaru 1800 EA81 and 18hp Honda.
Angus Kerr	Viper Cruiser powered by a Subaru 1800 EA81.
Neil Budworth	Turbo 265 powered by Rotax.
Ben Woodhead	Turbo Vortex powered by a Suzuki Swift engine.
Steven Odgaard	Expo Turbo powered by a Yamaha PE485. (Peters craft)
Steven Odgaard	Billy Baker 2 powered by a 44hp Chaparral - static display.
Cle Sheck	Partially built Turbo Wedge 235 - static display.

At high tide and with 20 knot gusts, we set off to the mouth of the Logan River.
Strong wind and crashing waves turned us back and so we ventured up the safe waters of the Logan River to Alberton near the Albert River junction. Ross McLeod was overseas, but we rendezvoused at his reedy mud boat ramp to chat and to refuel and mend a few dangly skirt segments.

Peter Venn took Harrison Baxter and Bill Toppin in the TP6, Angus Kerr took Lucas, Danielle and Cameron in a Viper 4 Cruiser. Neil Budworth in a Turbo 265 and Ben Woodhead dressed in a Santa Claus suit in his Turbo Vortex travelled in convoy. Steven and Rita tagged along behind and had to stop at the deep bend rocks near Serpentine Creek to repair skirt ties on the blue Expo Turbo. We all returned to Muriel Street safe and well in time for a Christmas break up lunch.

Club banner

Santa Clause

Michael and Susan Stephenson visited to see a hovercraft club in action and were not disappointed. Michael is an experienced para-glider airman and is starting to develop a keen interest in air cushion vehicles as well.

Santa Clause

Angus Kerr

Neil Budworth

Cle and Aven Sheck brought along their plywood Turbo Wedge 235 hull and duct for a static display assisted by Tristan Jarvis. Steven Odgaard and Rita Chaffey brought along the Bill Baker Vehicle 2 British hovercraft for static display. Arthur and Judy Stead came along for the social gathering despite Arthur’s recent surgery at Greenslopes hospital. Phil and Kerri Audsley visited for the Christmas party and so did Brandon Bull and Ann Kerr. David Venn and Thomas visited.

Steven Odgaard

Peter Venn

Cle Sheck

After morning tea, Neil Budworth and Ben Woodhead went for a short cruise in Redland Bay Passage, however Ben’s Suzuki Swift engine stalled and then the starter motor burnt out. After lunch Peter Venn took Harrison Baxter for a run in the Viper 4 Cruiser powered by an EA81 Subaru 4 stroke engine and Steven Odgaard tried to keep up in the blue Expo Turbo powered by a Yamaha PE485 2 cylinder 2 stroke. The wind had eased only slightly but low tide gave us good protection from the waves and we enjoyed a cruise north to St Clair Island.

Ben Woodhead

The Christmas hamper was raffled among 27 people and $80 was raised. Bill Toppin was the lucky winner, but he donated the gift to Peter and Elaine as a gesture of his appreciation for all the hovercraft rides and the tasty refreshments throughout 2013. Dale Baxter and Tamara Ward bought two QSH club polo shirts for $60. Angus Kerr purchased 5 QSH club caps for members of his family, raising $75.
Total revenue for the club $215.

World's First Hovercraft Race Anniversary:-
On Friday 22nd November 2013 the committee sent a letter to the Canberra branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society Australian Division Inc. seeking an expression of interest in an historical re-enactment of a Ground Effect Machine Race over the Molonglo River to celebrate 50 years since the first official hovercraft race held on 14th March 1964.
We received a respectful reply on Friday 13th December 2013.

Dear Sir,
Thank you for your letter of 22nd November 2013 in which you wrote seeking an expression of interest from the Canberra Branch of the RAeS in an historical re-enactment of a Ground Effect Machine Race over the Molonglo River.

Your letter does not outline the specific assistance you would require from the RAeS Canberra branch. Nonetheless, the matter has been discussed in committee and with the President of the Australian Division of the RAeS, our parent body. The consensus was that such an undertaking would require considerable effort that the Branch is not in a position to provide. Therefore, we must decline your offer to become involved.

Recognising that hovercraft are air-cushioned marine vehicles and are not aircraft, you may be best advised to approach the ACT Water Ski Association and / or the ACT Government who could assist with the organisation and running of the event. Both organisations are better placed to provide advice on staging any water-based event in the ACT, and to provide assistance in the organising and running of the event.
ACT Water Ski Association 02 62577815 or 02 62393886
ACT Government Events 02 62950666

We wish you success in the re-enactment.
Yours faithfully
Jon Pike
Chairman, Canberra Branch of the RAeS

Next club cruise:-
The next club cruise will be held on Sunday 2^nd March 2014 at Muriel St, Redland Bay.
Meet at 9:00 am at 96 Muriel St, Redland Bay for a launch into the Redland Bay Channel.
President Peter Venn and Elaine Venn have provided a white patch of sand and a refreshments marquee adjacent to the launch pad. A pontoon was installed in December to provide for transfer of passengers and for the young angler who tags along with the family of levitating vehicle admirers.

UBD Reference - Map 267 B9.
Contact for the event is Steven Odgaard on 0400 798 404.

Next Queensland branch meeting:-
The next club meeting will be held on Tuesday 21^st January 2014 at 7:30pm.
As the Roman Catholic primary school in Acacia Ridge is no longer available as our club venue, the first club meeting for 2014 will be back at Archerfield Aerodrome where the QSH club held meetings between 24th September 1987 and 18th August 2009.

It was called QASH Inc back in those days; an acerbic acronym for Qld Amateur Sporting Hovercraft, and we were incorporated in Queensland thanks to the hard work of Chris Goodhew, Peter Morero, Peter Williams, Stuart Wardrobe, Susan Underwood, Chris Backstrom and J.Goodhew. Sadly their beautiful timber Queenslander at 26 Bellevue St Highgate Hill was burnt down on 16th July 1987 and the club needed to find a new meeting room in haste.

The club’s second treasurer Grahame Jones, found us a spot in the Sunland Office courtesy of Gordon Jenkinson, where we held 2 meetings before moving across to the SAAA building on 18th January 1988 courtesy of David Hoyle. The SAAA building was bulldozed in August 2009 for just two extra carparks and an unobscured office block frontage.

Directions:-
Meet in the ground floor conference room of the 1938 heritage listed terminal building in Grenier Drive off Beatty Road. Archerfield.
Enter via the glass doors and turn right. The conference room is via the first door on the right.
There is plenty of parking, but keep the security and management bays clear.
Meeting starts at 7:30pm, Tuesday 21^st January 2014.

UBD Reference - Map 199 J16.

Anyone with an interest in air cushion vehicles is welcome to attend.
We discuss technical topics and plan cruises.

Regards
Steven Odgaard
QSH secretary