The promise of flying cars for everyone hasn’t quite materialized, but the Washington State History Museum‘s newest exhibition reminds us that a unique hovercraft, or air-cushion vehicle (ACV) was invented by amateur engineer and Washington resident, Walter A. Crowley, in 1958.

Back then, the AeroGo company’s futuristic vehicle was called the Terra Skipper. It had a 10-horsepower engine, could hover over land or water and could move at speeds up to 30 mph using air casters to lift it off the ground and a rear fan for thrust and steering.

As the Smithsonian Institution explains, the concept of using an air cushion to travel with minimal friction over water and other level surfaces dates back to the eighteenth century. But Crowley invented the first air-cushion vehicle in the United States.

Personal hovercrafts never became a thing. But the technology is used today for aerospace engineering, aeronautics, by the U.S. Marines and others.

We’re looking forward to learning more when the Hovercraft exhibit opens at the Washington State History Museum. Exhibition dates are June 3, 2025 through March 8, 2026.

Here’s the Crowley Hydro-Air vehicle now in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution.

Hovercraft image Courtesy Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Here’s another ‘space-age’ invention that hails from Washington State. The Aerocar, first designed and built by Moulton Taylor in 1949.

A version of the car can be seen today at Seattle’s Museum of Flight.

Aerocar photo by Cortney Kelley, from 111 Places in Seattle That You Must Not Miss

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