Things You'll Need:
- 4-inch plastic funnel
- Aluminum foil
- Cellophane tape
- Pencil
- Sheet of thin plastic material
- Scissors
- Double-stick tape
- Large balloon
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Step 1
Gather the materials for the hovercraft. Find a plastic funnel with a flat lip around the opening for best results.
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Step 2
Wrap a small piece of aluminum foil around the tip of the funnel to close off the hole. Try to keep the foil as flat as possible on the outside of the funnel tip.
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Step 3
Seal the foil to the funnel with cellophane tape. Continue wrapping tape around the tip of the funnel to make a flange large enough to hold the mouth of the balloon securely in place.
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Step 4
Poke a 1/16-inch hole, or bleed valve, in the foil with a pencil. Anything larger than that and the hovercraft may not fly.
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Step 5
Make the skirt of the hovercraft. Place the widest part of the funnel on a thin piece of plastic and trace around it. Make another circle about ½ inch larger. Make a third circle about ½ inch smaller than the original circle. Use scissors to cut around the outside edge and then the inside edge of the circle to form a washer or skirt for your hovercraft.
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Step 6
Stick 1-inch pieces of double-stick tape to the wide part of the funnel. Overlap the tape pieces to form a solid seal.
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Step 7
Place the funnel on the plastic skirt. Press firmly to seal all the double-stick tape. Trim off any tape that hangs over the edge of the plastic skirt.
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Step 8
Inflate the balloon. Put the opening of the balloon over the smallest part of the funnel while you hold the air in the balloon. Set the hovercraft skirt-side down on a smooth surface. Release the air in the balloon. Watch the hovercraft move across the table.
