Is it a bird, is it a plane? No, it’s an air yacht. Pierpaolo Lazzarini, combined a catamaran and a zeppelin it his latest design meant to offer the ultimate luxurious experience, from floating to flying.
The creator of The Shape, the superyacht with a huge hole in its hull, has taken the concept of superyacht to the next level with his latest designs. The air yacht gets lifted to the skies by two 150 metre long airships, which are connected by the 80 metre long central deck with the help of 8 carbon bridges, 4 on each side.
The hull is 10 metres wide. Inside, there is a master cabin offering 360˚ views, a living area as well as a large dining area.
The side airships are made out of carbon fibre and encompass honeycombs of cells that can store up to 400,000 m3 of compressed helium. The roofs of the airships are fitted with solar panels that power the ultra-light batteries supplying energy to the 8 contra-rotating electric rotors mounted on the sides. The roof of the main deck features a helipad and 8 metres swimming pool.
At cruising speed, while flying, the air yacht can reach 60 knots, or 111 km/h, on water, while on water the cruising speed is of only 5 knots, or 9 km/h.
The design is meant to be a sustainable form of luxury travel that can function either as a superyacht or as an aircraft, depending on the passengers’ mood. According to New Atlas, Lazzarini has created the air yacht for private owners rather than tourism operators. The estimated price for building such a vessel is €550 million.
