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Parish Hill's hovercraft program was started in 2002 by Mr. James Benini and his Principles of Technology class.
INTRODUCTION
The hovercraft portion of the Principles of Technology program came about
as the result of a conversation with my friend Jon Rich. As a hovercraft
owner and operator he had seen Entry Level crafts built and flown at
hovercraft events by high school age participants, and wondered if this would
be a project I might be interested in. With the encouragement of Jon and fellow
hover enthusiast Pete Gardell, we built our first craft during the last 10
weeks of the 2001-2002 school year. On the last day of school we tested the
craft and flew it on the schools’ baseball field, and again later that summer
at the Connecticut Hover rally on the Connecticut River. There was so much
interest in continuing the program by students and administration, I realized
I needed a curriculum. I flew to Terra Haute, Indiana for the 2002 World
Hovercraft Championships and attended a meeting about the need for a curriculum.
It was decided I should write one and make it available to any teacher who
wanted it. I "finished" the curriculum in 2005
and we have had the experience of using it as part of the class. To date my class has built and flow seven hovercrafts. As the program grows, we continue to learn and share our knowledge with others. If you have
questions or need information, or would like to visit and see what we have
built for yourself, please contact me at jbenini@parishhill.org
