March 2018
Queensland Sporting Hovercraft Club
AUSTRALIAN HOVERCRAFT FEDERATION Inc (Qld Branch)
Dear Air Cushion Vehicle enthusiast,
The Queensland branch of The Australian Hovercraft Federation held a planning meeting on Tuesday, 20th
March 2018, at the Coopers Plains Library in Orange Grove Road.
This meeting was attended by:-
| President:- | Ben Woodhead |
| Treasurer:- | Phillip Audsley |
| Secretary:- | Steven Odgaard |
Other members attending were Michael Stephenson, Gunter Prischl, Dieter Renisch, Angus Kerr, Peter Venn, Arthur Stead and Les Taylor.
Apologies: Kim Allen (Recovering from surgery, and Steve Stephens (Influenza)
Cruise report - Kirkleagh, Lake Somerset - Sunday 18th March 2018.
The last club cruise was held on Sunday 18th March 2018, launching from the Kirkleagh camping area on Lake Somerset. The cruise went from 6:00 am to 1:00 pm.
Those attending the cruise with craft were:-
| Peter Venn | Revtech Renegade powered by 20hp Honda | |
| Angus Kerr | Viper 4 Cruiser | |
| Ben Woodhead | Turbo XP 960 | |
| Les Taylor | Turbo 235 Superwedge / Yamaha PE 485 | - Phoenix. |
| Karl Bowman | Viper 4X | |
| James King | Viper 5XC | |
| Lucas Kerr | Custom Plywood Renegade | |
| Steven Odgaard | Universal UH18 - Static Display | - Sea Eagle |
Ben Woodhead and family Narelle, Gowan, and Calum were well set up in the campervan, and the Turbo
XP 960 was out of action, but not for long. With persistent determination, Ben was able to repair the
minor problem following advice from Angus Kerr, and the Suzuki engine was fired up once more, putting
the XP 960 back into action.
The safety boat was supplied courtesy of Ben Woodhead who transported the small boat upside down over
the Turbo XP 960 hovercraft on a flat bed trailer towed behind his campervan.
 Turbo XP 960 |
 Turbo XP 960 |
 Safety Boat |
 Hovercraft Camp |
Angus Kerr had his campervan parked with grand views of Lake Somerset looking south. His family were
with him to enjoy the first pleasant weekend after the Monsoonal fringe. Some were happy to just stay
at home and do the mowing, but Ann, Daniel, and Cameron Kerr, Dillon and Amelia Torrance, and Hunter
Forrest were happy to leave this chore until another weekend. Lucas Kerr brought along 3 of his mates
Bruce Morris, Reece Middleton and Sam Patterson.
Peter Venn brought his grandson Harrison Baxter along for a camping weekend and some fun in the
Revtech Renegade, recently acquired from Arthur and Judy.
 Viper 4 Cruiser |
 Homemade Renegade |
 Revtech Renegade |
 Revtech Renegade |
James King with family Ellisha and baby Keira enjoyed easterly views from a villa perched high atop a
steep hill at nearby Hazeldean, and Karl and Judy Bowman were accommodated nearby.
Les Taylor brought the Phoenix along on Friday but decided on an early departure after the cooling fan on
the Yamaha PE485 gave trouble. Michael Stephenson and Dieter Renisch arrived on Saturday morning
and had plenty of fun filming Les Taylor who was skimming along on a cushion of air with only his
out-stretched hands to act as a steering device, if not soaring human wings.
 Viper 5XC |
 Viper 4X |
 Viper 5XC |
 Craft Line Up |
Steven Odgaard turned up at 5:50 am on Sunday just in time to watch 47 boats take off at the cove (the OzHover 2011 site) for a Bass fishing competition. They fished at various spots around the lake until 10:30 am. The water police were cruising around checking on registrations, licences and safety equipment.
 Bass Fishing Comp |
 Starting Time |
 Universal UH18 |
 Steven and James |
At 10:00 am the temperature was 28°C, Wind ESE at 8 km/hr, 57% Humidity, and 1016HPa.
We had 26 people, 8 hovercraft and 1 safety boat for the Lake Somerset cruise today.
Other news:-
Christies Craft in NZ:
Peter Venn recently accompanied his son Stephen who applied for a job as an ACV commander, flying
their craft near Twizel, one of the coldest places in New Zealand. They spent a few days sorting the craft
out which resulted in some substantial improvements, so everyone was very happy with the outcome.
Larry Franks added that "Hover New Zealand" went out of business operating on Lake Rotorua.
Kim Allen phoned in from his bed at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane via Ben Woodhead, to report his progress after major open-heart surgery.
AGM set for 17th April. Moved: Ben Woodhead, Seconded: Les Taylor.
Steve Stephens suggested that we could make a brief promotional video and host it on qhover.com and send links to all the staff at the newly re-structured Qld Department of Environment and Science, (which used to be NPSR), as well as selected politicians and media.
Peter Venn featured on ABC radio on 15/03/18 with a 10 minute segment about his involvement with World Expo 88. It created so much listener feedback that another interview is being organised for the near future. The interview can be found on the ABC radio website. It's an 8Mb file if you want to record it.
Arthur Stead and Ben Woodhead spoke about using a Go-Pro camera under ACV floor for checking skirt performance on water.
Queensland State Rally:
The next Queensland State Rally will be held at Lake Coolmunda over the 4 days: 6th to 9th of July
2018. Powered sites at the caravan park can be secured by phoning Troy or Idalia on 07 4652 4171 or
0418 665692. There will also be plenty of unpowered sites near the waters edge. Quiet generators are
ok during daylight hours.
The lake has proven to be one of the most suitable hovercrafting destinations in Australia, as confirmed by
the successful "Sam Waugh Memorial AHF National Rally 2017".
Next club cruise:-
The next club cruise will be held on Sunday 8th April 2018 at Muriel St, Redland Bay.
Meet at 9:00 am at 96 Muriel St, Redland Bay for a launch into the Redland Bay Channel.
Contact for the event is Steven Odgaard on 0400 798 404.
Next Queensland branch meeting:
The next club meeting will be held on Tuesday 17th April 2018 at 7:30pm.
It will be held in the Coopers Plains Library at 107 Orange Grove Road, Coopers Plains.
There is plenty of parking at the rear of the library building via Bosworth Street off Orange Grove Road.
UBD Reference - Map 200 D-13.
Anyone with an interest in air cushion vehicles is welcome to attend.
We discuss technical topics and plan cruises.
Regards
Steven Odgaard
QSH secretary