Is it a boat? Is it a plane? It’s both in a sense. The simply named Flying Yacht is an ambitious design undertaken by manufacturer Aerocoché and aircraft interior designer Yelken Octuri. The Flying Yacht is a plane designed to combine travel by water and air, allowing a transformation from sailing yacht to a plane, by means of its four mobile masts.
Just one look at Octuri’s sketches and the Flying Yacht shows just what a daunting task it will prove to be and just how long it will take to complete it is unknown. The mechanics devised by Octuri and Aerocoché are expansive to say the least, with four engines, four mobile masts, and a wing span of 90 metres.
Each of the four mobile masts stands at a staggering 40 metres and when in ‘boat mode’, serve the propulsion for sails and when lowered into a horizontal position will serve as wings for flight, powered by four dual propellers called Nissen & Brasseur powerhead engines.
But don’t get too excited now because even if you won the lottery tomorrow you still couldn’t buy one of these. For the time being, the designs are solely for the corporate executives of Masqat Airways, in Oman. When, or if, the flying yacht will ever be available commercially or if the lavish and extravagant project is even still being worked on, remains unconfirmed. Regardless, its successful completion would certainly mark an impressive new step in aviation.
Source: Yelken Octuri
Irish journalist writing on business, tech and engineering.
