THE QUESTION HERE IS
"IS THAT WEIGHT
OR THAT DOWN PRESSURE
THAT IT'S EXERTING
ON THE GROUND
ENOUGH TO SET OFF ONE
OF THESE MINES?"
MY PREDICTION IS THAT
THE HOVERCRAFT IS GONNA
MAKE IT JUST FINE.
EVEN THOUGH IT WEIGHS,
FULLY LOADED, WITH A PERSON,
OVER 600 POUNDS,
I DON'T SEE IT EXERTING
300 POUNDS DOWN
ON ITS UNDERSKIRT.
IT'S JUST NOT GONNA HAPPEN.
[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]
Narrator: WE'RE
ABOUT TO FIND OUT.
WITH JAMIE IN THE HOTSEAT
AND A HIGH-TECH MINEFIELD
RIGGED AND READY TO BLOW,
CAN A HOVERCRAFT REALLY FLOAT
THROUGH AN ANTIVEHICLE
MINEFIELD?
OH, YEAH.
HERE IT COMES.
[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]
OH, YEAH!
YEAH!
IT DIDN'T SET OFF A THING.
THAT WAS AWESOME!
YEAH.
Narrator: THAT WAS SMOOTH,
EXPLOSION-FREE SAILING.
OH, YEAH!
THE S-CURVE LAYOUT ENSURED
JAMIE CROSSED
A MAJORITY OF THE MINES,
BUT NOT A SINGLE ONE WENT BOOM.
YEAH! YOU WANNA
COME BACK AROUND
FOR A SECOND RUN?
-ON MY WAY.
MAYBE A LITTLE SLOWER,
THIS TIME.
[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]
YEAH!
Narrator: DESPITE REDUCING
SPEED, GIVING THE MINES
MORE TIME TO REGISTER
THE PASSING HOVERCRAFT,
THE HYNEMAN GETS AWAY
UNHARMED.
[laughs] NOT A THING!
THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL.
YEAH-EAH!
[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]
WELL, THERE YOU HAVE IT.
WE DROVE ACROSS A MINEFIELD
WITH A VEHICLE
AND WERE SETTING OFF THE MINES.
THE HOVERCRAFT?
NOT SO MUCH.
[ ADAM LAUGHS ]
I WAS RIGHT!
I LIKE BEING RIGHT!
EVERY NOW AND THEN.
IT MAY SEEM
COUNTERINTUITIVE TO YOU
THAT A 600-POUND HOVERCRAFT
CAN'T SET OFF A MINE
ENGINEERED TO GO OFF
AT 300 POUNDS,
BUT THIS MYTH IS ALL ABOUT
THE EXACT KIND OF PRESSURE.
A HUMAN FOOT, A CAR TIRE?
THOSE ARE POINT SOURCES
OF PRESSURE.
BUT THE HOVERCRAFT
IS DISTRIBUTING ITS WEIGHT
ACROSS ITS ENTIRE FOOTPRINT,
ACROSS THE ENTIRE CUSHION OF AIR
THAT IT'S RIDING ON.
THAT'S WHY IT CAN'T
SET OFF OUR MINES.
THAT'S WHY IT IS
THE PERFECT CRAFT
FOR MAKING ITS WAY
ACROSS A MINEFIELD.
