Quite the 180 from my last post, due to a lot of things finally going my way.

Before I get to the new superpower I've acquired, let me touch base on the fabric. I decided to try a different fabric, something called ripstop nylon, and man is it awesome. It's thin, light, flexible, but at the same time strikes me as being tough. For reference, this is the same (or similar) fabric that used in kites and camping tents (I think). Definitely much better than the previous stuff.

Onto the sewing. Out of options for binding the edges of the hovercraft's skirt pieces, I finally decided to learn how to sew. Fortunately, I managed to find someone at Techshop who was willing to show me the basics.

Y'know when you picture how hard something is in your head, simply because you don't know about it at all? Yeah, that was sewing for me. After I actually started, not only did I pick it up quickly, but I found it relaxing and fun! I can now theoretically make my own clothes (this is what my mind does...)! I still like seeing the face on people when I would tell them that I'm sewing a skirt....

Anyways, back to the skirt. Sewing was just what I needed! It took a few tries to get it right, but once I got it figured out, the skirt inflated wonderfully. And here's the kicker: now that it's working, not only can I hover on asphalt without issues, but I'm using even LESS thrust than I ever have so far! I'll likely tweak the design a bit more, and I still need to find a way to bind it to cardboard (tape isn't doing it), but I'm hopeful once again!