New ships that claim to be the future of human transport abound. Cases in point include the air taxi, modular bus transport, the balloon spacecraft and a host of other concepts that are closer to becoming real because of the current advances in technology. One of the latest vehicles to be announced along these lines is the FlyShip, which is seeking to redefine the way humans travel the world.
The FlyShip concept is novel because it is a plane, boat and hovercraft rolled into one. Using cutting-edge technology, it flies like a conventional aircraft with a speed of 155 mph, but it can also hover by creating a "cushion of air" under its wings, the Daily Mail reported. This feature, which is made possible by a specially designed "reversed delta wings" propeller, allows the vehicle to hover and land on the ground and on water.
"Instead of utilizing a static air cushion underneath the hull and wings, FlyShip is mastering the physics of the ground effect," Daniel Schindler of FlyShip told GapYear. "Our vessels are riding on a dynamic air cushion which is produced by ram air under the reversed delta wings, lifting the body hull."
FlyShip is being marketed primarily as a maritime ship and is capable of transporting loads at 155 mph in comparison with container ships today, which could only manage a measly 46 mph. It measures 121 feet long with a wingspan of 131 feet and a total of 1,500 square feet of cabin area, according to the Daily Mail. The ship can hold as many as 100 passengers, underscoring its utility as a potential commercial passenger air/marine craft.
The German manufacturer behind the Flyship says that the FlyShip costs $37 million, which is significantly cheaper than the $71 million Airbus jet liner. The company is hoping to replace conventional planes in the future fast-but-cheap air travel.
