Ultralight Hovercraft
Canair 340/440/500

Designed by Ron Fishlock for construction by the homebuilder, ULH actually made several of these machines.  Originally intended to utilise the Kohler 340cc 28HP twin cylinder 2-cycle engine, ULH soon found much improved performance with the more powerful Kohler 440cc 36HP 2-cycle engine.  When the 45 HP Rotax 503 engine became available, an even bigger increase in performance was obtained.  

The additional power of the Rotax 503 led ULH to add a larger, longer hovercraft to their line - the stretched Canair 500/2 4-seater seen in the above photograph.  Seating was in two rows of side-by-side benches.

Seating in all versions of the ULH designs is side-by-side with trim adjustment achieved by a sliding seat.  The central control stick is attached to the seat so that it is never out of reach of the operator.  This control stick incorporated all of the active controls: engine throttle, rudder and braking/reverse.

A view of the stern of a Canair 440 showing the rudders and reversing system.

Yvon Gauthier, a former President of the Hovercraft Club of Canada, seen in his ULH Canair.

ULH eventually folded up shop and became a new company, Canair Hovercraft, and they are now very active on Canada's west coast.  The direct evolution from the Canair 340/440/500 to the Canair 506 can be seen on the Canair Hovercraft pages.

Details:

Length:    12'7"    Width: 7'2"    Hoverheight: 10"

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