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Riding on air to a world hovercraft title
An interest in hovercraft design that began when he was 12 years old has led Graham
Spencer (’93, ME) to a world championship. Help from Rose-Hulman associates,
including alumni, played a key role in Spencer capturing the world title.
Spencer won the championship in the Formula 25 class of the 2000 World Hovercraft
Championships in Shropshire, England. He finished first in five of six heats during the
international event which featured 150 entries representing at least 12 countries in all
formula classes.
The victories weren’t Spencer’s first in hovercraft racing. The 30-year-old was
a national champion in 1994 in the Formula S class at the United States National
Hovercraft Rally. He won second place in the Formula 2 class in 1994 and 1996 at the
rally.
Spencer designed and built each of his winning entries.
The early wins occurred practically in Spencer’s backyard. The national rallies were
in Troy, Ohio, just a few miles from his hometown of Tipp City. Spencer now lives in Troy
and works as a lead product design engineer for Robotic Accessories Division of Process
Equipment Co.
Spencer received awards for his hovercraft designs and use of composites in 1991 from GM
Formula SAE and at the U.S. Hovercraft Rally in 1991 and 2000.
His world championship entry consists of a hull and body of composite construction made up
of epoxy and fiberglass skin sandwiched over a one-inch thin styrofoam core. The engine is
a two-cylinder, 25 horsepower, four-cycle industrial, power plant. The craft is capable of
speeds up to 55 MPH. Spencer began designing the Formula 25 in 1997.
Terre Haute and Rose-Hulman have been instrumental in the development of his talents that
led to world-class honors.
“I first went to Terre Haute as a high-school student in 1985 for a hovercraft design
conference at Rose-Hulman. I also participated in a hovercraft race in Terre Haute in
1989,” he recalled.
“I built a Formula 2 hovercraft thrust system as part of a design class at
Rose-Hulman. A human-powered hovercraft that Bill Flodder (’92, ME) and I designed
and built won the first-place award in the 1992 Rose Show,” he said.
Spencer credits Chris Fitzgerald, founder and president of Terre Haute-based Neoteric
Hovercraft, for being being an excellent mentor and Spencer’s first employer.
“Chris spoke at the design conference I attended. The next time I met Chris, I was
working in the mechanical engineering Rotz Lab on my first Formula 2 design,” Spencer
recalled. Fitzgerald served as the first entrepreneur-in-residence at Rose-Hulman.
“He asked me a lot of tough design questions. Chris offered me a job as production
supervisor and I accepted. I learned a lot from Chris, especially about the proper use of
fiberglass in design. He’s really helped my professional career and racing
efforts.”
An unexpected connection to Rose-Hulman would be a key factor to creating a unique design
feature for his new hovercraft that won the world championship.
“I wanted to use a hollow, carbon fiber shaft to drive the lift fan,” Spencer
says. “I had trouble finding someone to produce the drive shaft until I came across a
company in Washington state called Innovative Composite Engineering. The company
president, Steve Maier, mentioned that he was familiar with hovercraft races conducted in
an Indiana town where he went to college. I soon learned that Steve graduated from
Rose-Hulman with an ME degree in 1986. After that, things moved quickly to get the design
completed.”
Maier was the second connection to the Rose-Hulman class of 1986 for Spencer. Nick Jokay,
also an ME alumnus, helped with the construction of a prototype of the world championship
winner.
Spencer is building a new Formula 25 and intends to defend his title in two years. He may
have a large cheering section at that race. The next world championships may be in Troy,
Ohio.
— by David Piker
 
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