So Long, Ferry! Hello Hovercraft! For real?

An article twittered from Wired magazine caught my eye, so I decided to do a little research to gauge the legitimacy of such a new-fangled, futuristic upgrade to my beloved ferry. A quick Site Search for "hovercraft" on the Staten Island Advance revealed quite a timeline of articles on the subject.

The abridged version:

June 18, 1976 "Hovercraft may replace night ferry"

At the request of the Marine and Aviation Department The Tri State Regional Plan
Association has submitted a proposal to the federal government requesting a $1
million demonstration grant to operate two high-speed Hovercraft on an
experimental basis on routes including St. George to Manhattan.

June 3, 2009 "A possible hovercraft for Staten Island"

This Mamba Jamba is apparently too speedy for the short distance, and is better suited for Manhattan to the Hamptons. Who needs the Hamptons with SI South Beach so close?

June 4, 2009

Hovercraft's vibe attracts polHovercraft's vibe attracts pol"

A Staten Island investor convinced Senator Lanza that hovercrafts are the way to go. However, the designer of the "wing in ground" (WIG) vehicle warns it's ""too fast" for a rush-hour commute. " Apparently if we don't jump on this design, Alaska, Canada, Greece, China, the Coast Guard, or countless drug dealers will.

June 9, 2009 "Way outside the box"

This editorial says the idea seems "more cockamamie than inspired. " The proposed fare of $5 each way seems unrealistically low, and the 200MPH cruising speed over 5 miles doesn't seem to make much sense either.

My verdict: I love the idea of exploding into the future, but I sure don't want to be on one of these rockets when the hydraulics lose power and the breaks stop working. Just sayin'.