Community Corner
Klinger Student Builds Working Hovercraft
Forget the normal 8th grade antics, Whiz Kid Brendon O'Shea is busy building a bright future.
What were you doing in 8th grade?
Making the big transition from Velcro to laced shoes? Snorting Pixie Stix for cash?
14 year-old Brendon O’Shea was hard at work on his first hovercraft. No wait. That’s not right. His second hovercraft.
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“The first one didn’t work,” said Brendon, with just a hint of disappointment in his voice.
And so, this year, as part of his GIEP (Gifted Individualized Education Program), Brendon decided he’d give the hovercraft another shot.
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“I saw it on a TV show a long time ago and thought it would be cool to make one,” he said, matter-of-factly. “I just think it’s cool to be able to design something from your own mind, put it on a piece of paper, build it and make it work.”
The result is a four foot circle with a seat in the middle. On each side, there’s a leaf blower. Two leaf blowers in the back propel it forward. It hovers roughly six inches off the ground. Brendon estimates it can support close to 250 pounds.
Don’t believe it? Watch the video.
You’d probably think this was a multi-year project. Or that it at least took the bulk of Brendon’s first eighth-grade semester.
“From the original design to the finished product took about two to three weeks,” said Brendon. “The actual building was three or four days.”
Makes that dynamite tree fort you built over the course of eight months a little less impressive, doesn’t it?
“He’s always been a builder ever since he was two years old,” said Brendon’s mother, Barbara O’Shea. “He started out with K’NEX and Legos. Prior to this he built a [12 foot] trebuchet that’s still in my backyard. Potato cannon, robots, a crossbow – he’s always building something. We don’t know what’s next – we’re scared.”
So what is next for Brendon?
“I would love to be like an aerospace engineer,” he said. “Something with airplanes or anything like that. Breaking technology stuff. I just like building and designing things.”
So has all this super-genius stuff gone to Brendan’s head? Not so much.
“He’s a good kid,” said Barbara O’Shea. “Just a very, very bright, good kid.”
Be sure to check out the video of Brendon's teacher taking the hovercraft for a spin.
