Sailing the Seven Skies
You know what’s better than a boat on the water? A boat in the air! Yes, I don’t get it either. Rome-based design studio, Lazzarini Design, have concocted up the concept, called Air Yacht, to give sailor the opportunity to ‘sail in the sky’.
To be constructed from carbon fibre, this structure will come with two blimps of compressed helium attached to either side. Each blimp will contain 400,000 cubic metres of the stuff and are driven by eight counter-rotating motors powered by ultralight batteries and solar panels. With that much helium, the superyacht could be airborne for up to 48 hours at a time. But flying isn’t this superyachts’ only selling-point. It’s designed to sail quietly on the water due to its ‘inflatable basements’ which fill up with air when approaching water.
On the inside, the floating (and flying) vessel will also hold 10 passenger suites, with the central hull being connected by four separate bridges. For the VIP master of the Air Yacht, their very luxurious room will come with a spacious living area, a dining area and a swimming pool.
The launch date is unspecified; Lazzarini are just looking for investors at the moment. Though it may take up to five years to build (along with sourcing that much helium) Lazzarini are estimating the superyacht to cost the buyer around USD$621 million. Yikes.
