Homemade Ducted-Fan Airboat

[joannaardway]

I've got this large 80mm computer fan that after a small mod to protect the onboard controller from excess voltage, will accept 10 times the listed voltage, just taking it in it's stride, with no sign of overheating or failure.

At a supply voltage of 90V or so, the air displacement is jaw-dropping. It'll actually make curtains ripple on the other side of the room. The fan begins to act as a gyroscope at those speeds, making it sluggish to turn.

It won't quite hover if you let go of it in mid-air though.

Until I get a combustion cannon worthy of such power, this might be what happens to it. (I did use it for a cardboard hovercraft two months back, but that sank in the bath when the batteries began to die.)