While we are busy designing and building our own land yacht in which we will cruise the highways of Europe, others have higher ambitions.
Higher, in that folk are hailing the next quantum shift in superyacht design will take to the skies.
According to an article in the Robb Report “A number of companies in the U.S. and Europe are trying to stage a comeback for these floating giants, marketing them not only as an antidote to loud, emissions-spewing jets, but also as a much more civilized way to travel.”
The article reports that Aeroscraft whose base is in California USA is currently building a 67 metre air yacht that uses solar power for propulsion. Aeroscraft forecast that it will be another three to five years before it receives FAA certification for passenger travel but when it does, it can be used for jaunts, such as trips between Hawaiian islands.
More UFO than superyacht
The company has also been working on concepts like Neona, a futuristic, donut-shaped flying saucer. More UFO than floating superyacht, the company did not give a timeline for when Neona might go into production.
In the U.K. one company; Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), is working on a project that will see them offering 100 metre long airships for private passenger travel beginning in 2024. These fully featured craft will have lounges, master suites, offices and spas, and the company has claimed that when it comes to long-distance cruises, they are rather like a superyacht, with the same level of luxury inside.
Airships do not need runways on which to land and take off. This alone makes them perfect for off the beaten track destinations or island hopping.
Fifty knots
Slower than airplanes, they are a lot faster than the average superyacht given that they can achieve cruising speeds of 50 knots..
No one yet has coughed up the 80 or so million pounds to get their air yacht into the skies but HAV has launched a full-scale prototype and working airship for transporting cargo.
It seems that when it comes to product we here at the Howorths will see our own prototype land yacht in operation before that. Delivery of Voyager is expected in early October 2020. Watch this space!