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Monday, 16th March 2009

DIY hovercraft challenge for Y10 girls

A group of Year 10 girls recently went on a trip to Knottingley Sports Centre where they had the task of designing and building a hovercraft.

By Ebony Gillespie:

Nice helmet, knee pads and elbows. There was a kitty kat, a butterfly, circles and squares, the outcome was endless.

The day started with a presentation, the run through and then we got put in to groups to start the 'fun stuff'. Everyone decided there own little part; leader, safety manager and the best - the crash test dummy.

We were building a hovercraft. Easy peasy you think, think again. Designing the hovercraft on paper was easy but when it came to the practical, it became a lot harder than we thought. Although making the hovercraft was new and fun, it was very confusing.

Measurements, glitter, tape and motors, it was crazy but in the end very worth it. We spent the day building and now was the time for the crash test dummies to come in handy. Motors were attached, testers were geared up and the race began. The day ended with the winning results judged by speed and appearance. The day was most amusing and there was a lot of information gained from the activity.