Cockerell, Sir Christopher (1910-1999), a British electronics engineer, was a pioneer in the development of the hovercraft. Hovercraft, also called air cushion vehicles, ride above the water on a cushion of air. In 1953, he began working privately to develop the craft. He received a patent for his idea in 1955. In 1958, the National Research Development Corporation, a government agency, gave his project financial support. A new company was formed with Cockerell as director and consultant. In 1959, the prototype hovercraft, riding on a cushion of air produced by a jet engine, made its first crossing of the English Channel. Today, hovercraft are used only rarely, mostly for operations that require a vehicle capable of crossing both land and sea.
Cockerell was born on June 4, 1910, in Cambridge, England. He was educated at Gresham’s School, in Holt, Norfolk, and at Cambridge University. Cockerell was knighted for his revolutionary ideas in 1969. He died on June 1, 1999.
