
The Instrument Panel is the nerve centre of the Hovercraft. Generally there are two gauges you need to identify really quickly – the big one in the middle is the Tachometer – or Rev Counter and it simply tells you how fast the engine is running. The second gauge you scan is the one on it’s own on the right hand side which is the turbo boost gauge. It is subtle but it tells you how much work the hovercraft is doing to get the revs, it’s amazing how useful this little dial is. Then there are fuel gauges to tell you how much and where the fuel is, and multiple temperature gauges which not only give information about how hard the engine is working, but whether radiators are getting blocked with dust, or something else unexpected is happening. We keep an eye on the battery voltage, and finally – and sometimes most importantly, we have a clock. If you don’t know the time you need to set off for home you can be in real trouble! All the gauges are specially programmable and waterproof – so not your average gauges!