Seen here at the Hovercraft Museum on the south coast of England, what eventually became of the wood-and-fabric radio-controlled model first tested by the inventor of the first practical type. One weighs 300 tons and could carry 400 passengers and 60 cars... can you guess which?
The overwhelming impression left by a visit to the museum is what can be achieved by inventors, hobbyists or companies with a little wood and alloy along with engines borrowed from elsewhere.
Development of this type of vehicle was funded effectively by the UK government, though the chances of it still funding individual enterprise of any sort are decidedly slim. The two types of uncrewed drones recently flaunted by the PM, for example, were developed by individuals in New Zealand and Portugal.
Within my own lifetime ~ in so far as any form of transport is concerned ~ we've gone from an imperial power supplying the means of locomotion to the wider world, to one being supplied by such powers elsewhere. Drones tho' do upend the game at least for a spell, during which people like you or I may steer things in one direction or another.
