Peter Venn's childhood dream was to become a pilot. But for a boy with dyslexia who struggled to pass exams, flying seemed unlikely.

He left school at 14 and became a carpenter like his father.

Then, in the early 1970s, Peter heard about a new kind of amphibious vehicle that had been developed in the UK, a ‘hovercraft’.

Within months Peter was building one in his living room, from a design he received in the mail.

He went on to make a hugely successful career from piloting, and designing hovercraft; and has since flown and worked with them in remote landscapes all over the country, from Broome to the Murray River to the Queensland Coast.

One of Peter's most significant ventures was managing a fleet of hovercraft during Brisbane's World Expo in 1988. He and his crew carried almost 140 000 passengers on joyrides.

Further information

The website of the Queensland Sporting Hovercraft Club

Australian Hovercraft Federation