Christopher Cockerell biography
Date of birth : 1910-06-04
Date of death : 1999-06-01
Birthplace : Cambridge, United Kingdom
Nationality : English
Category : Arhitecture and Engineering
Last modified : 2011-09-28
Credited as : electrical engineer, inventor, hovercraft
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Christopher Cockerell worked as an electrical engineer until he was 40, then quit to pursue his love of sailing by operating a marina and boat-rental service. He also offered design service for custom-built boats, and beginning in about 1953 he became intrigued with the idea of floating a boat on a cushion of air instead of water. After performing experiments in his home with tin cans, an electric fan, and a vacuum cleaner, he built a working model of a hovercraft from balsa wood, patented the concept, and literally pawned the family jewels to help fund construction of a full-sized prototype. His SR-N1, the first full-sized hovercraft, made its maiden voyage crossing the English Channel from Calais to Dover on 1 June 1959. He held dozens of patents related to radio technology, radar, and of course hovercraft, and he died on the 40th anniversary of the SR-N1's launch.
