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In 1965, SFO Helicopter Airlines, which operated local helicopter flights between San Francisco and Oakland, introduced a new transbay route operated by a hovercraft. The Westland SRN-5 held 15 passengers and traveled at speeds up to 50 knots between Oakland International Airport, downtown San Francisco, and San Francisco International Airport. SFO Helicopter Airlines was the first American company to operate these vehicles. The company claimed that this was the "world's first commercial Hovercraft Air Cushion Vehicle test." However, this trial run of a commercial hovercraft only lasted about a year. Do you remember seeing these hovercrafts? This image was posted on August 11, 2021.