Sir Christopher Cockerell, the engineer who died on 1 June, 1999 aged 88, was involved in many important engineering discoveries before his most well-known invention, the Hovercraft.

Sir Christopher is widely acknowledged as the pioneer of Hovercraft and as an advocate of their potential, but his efforts did not generate as much commercial success as he thought possible.

Although advantageous in many ways as a method of transport, his demonstration of his Hovercraft design in 1953 led to the concept being classified as secret by the UK government.

These restrictions hindered its development as a commercial passenger vehicle for some time, and his vision of its widespread use ultimately did not reap great rewards.

Christopher Sydney Cockerell was born on 4 June 1910 in Cambridge , England , the son of Sir Sydney Cockerell, the curator of the city’s Fitzwilliam Museum .

In contrast to his father’s literary and intellectual leanings, Cockerell spent his childhood toying with inventions and mechanical experiments while attending Gresham ’s School in Holt, Norfolk .

In 1935, after studying Engineering at Cambridge University , he began work for Marconi, the radio and telecommunications giant. During World War Two he helped develop and maintain England’s Radar defences.

Sir Christopher's work with Marconi enabled him to register many patents, and he considered his contribution to the development of the Radar system to be a high point of his career.

After leaving Marconi in 1950, he used money from an inheritance left to his wife Margaret to invest in a Norfolk boat yard. However, his ideas on water transport lay elsewhere.

He believed a vehicle could float on a cushion of air, and by propulsion would be able to move over water or land without any friction, giving enormous potential for transport.

His early experiments used tin cans and a vacuum cleaner to generate lift, and he funded his research himself when his design was restricted by the government. These objections were withdrawn in 1958, allowing him to produce a Hovercraft design that first flew in 1959.

The development of the Hovercraft advanced, and its success and popularity grew around the world over subsequent years. Sir Christopher went on to be influential in the fields of wave-power research in the 1970s and in other fields of transport innovation. He was knighted in 1969.

Sir Christopher is considered foremost as the inventor of the Hovercraft, but is also seen as a quintessentially English inventor. His personal vision enabled him to overcome obstacles that would have completely obstructed lesser-driven engineers.

The greatest and most well-known practical use of Hovercraft in the UK was as cross-Channel fast ferries, taking passengers and vehicles from Dover to Calais . This service ceased after 40 years in 2000 as the Channel Tunnel increased in popularity, drawing passengers away from the Hovercraft.

His aim of widespread Hovercraft use for transport, military and civilian purposes was never realised to its fullest extent, as costs hampered commercial potential. He died on 1 June 1999, which was the 40th anniversary of his original Hovercraft’s first flight.

Sir Christopher once said: “Some of the Hovercraft saga was fun, but most of it was incredibly frustrating.” This is a testament to his positive attitude and belief in his invention, its potential as a design, and the greater success that eluded him and his Hovercraft.