Ben Preiss
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The Aeroscraft ML866 air yacht was revealed at the Atlanta Air Show, with an interesting combination of abilities like being able to take off vertically and hover. The blimp-like aircraft will attract much interest for the ability to customize it into a luxurious floating yacht. It comes with its own airport and has over 5,000 sq ft of cabin space, but is meant for cruising in relaxed opulence—it reaches a top speed of 138 mph (222 km/h.) You’ll save the commute time to the airport, it is cheap to run, but the overall price is expected to be about $40 million.  It’s as big as a superyacht, and not quite as fast as a supercar but it does have a range of over 3000 miles and can do it over land, sea or snow, lingering anywhere you like the view. Based on concepts developed for the (now apparently shelved) US Army Heavy Lift “Project Walrus”, the Aeroscraft ML866 has some remarkable capabilities not available in other aircraft - it is incredibly spacious offering a cabin area of 5,382 square ft (500 square metres), boasts low operating costs, has all-weather capabilities, vertical takeoff and landing and extended range along with its ability to hover for long periods, meaning it can be utilized for a range of different applications from a private air yacht to a business office (even offering conferencing facilities catering for 100 people) in the sky or for commuting, freight solutions and sightseeing.
The Aeroscraft ML866 is a buoyancy assisted air vehicle with a rigid structure and gas cells. It uses Aeros’ proprietary Full Authority Direct Organic Lift Control (FADOLC) - a dynamic buoyancy management system that provides the low speed control capability. While 70% of the aerodynamic lift comes from helium, the remaining 30% is derived from its innovative “wing” shape.
(gizmag)References: ainonline, gizmag Filed In: |
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