Personal Ground Effect Vehicals

ekranoplans for all!

First, I _love_ the word ekranoplan!

However if I recall the Horizon/Equinox programmes about them properly, you're basically flying at about something like 20ft (or possibly lower for a small, personal craft). Ground effect is great, but it depends on the ground being flat. So they could work, but maybe only single file on 4-lane-wide motorways. Overtaking would lose your ground effects. There could be no bridges over the motorway.

Some mech/aero engineer would probably be able to tell you more.

Such things exist. Basically reworked light aircraft. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch2zs-7je_s>James May tooled one around in one</a> of his Big Idea programmes, and yes, they're awesome.

Unfortunately you are in an aircraft (just a really low one, like, couple of feet altitude), and they only really work on lakes/seas (frozen or liquid), or very flat areas.

Not great for personal transport unless you're commuting across Lake Garda.

Not quite sure why noone ever looked at one for fast ferry service to Ireland/Cross-Channel/round the Med.

Can't have appreciably higher running costs than a hovercraft or hydroplane, goes much faster and does away with some of the bouncy/flippy characteristics of hydroplanes such as Bluebird that Donald Campbell ran. Briefly.

Should be quite smooth as you're not in contact with the water.

That said certainly in the western world you probably get into the same beaurocratic mess that flying cars get into of having to maintain multiple licenses and certifications (in this case as a Skipper and as a Pilot).