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DeepFlight Super Falcon Will Make You Roll Like a Dolphin, Feel Like Richard Branson

August is Sea Month here on autoevolution, and as such we’ve started an all-out hunt for the most exciting machines humans created for use on and under water. And there are so many of them, it seems, that we’ll probably be needing much more than a month to cover them all. Today’s treat: the DeepFlight Super Falcon.
DeepFlight Super Falcon 14 photos
Photo: My Submarine
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This thing is a personal submarine created by industry legend Graham Hawkes as a means to allow not only research to the deepest areas of the ocean, but also tourism. It’s now classified as a winged submersible, and to date, there have been two versions of it, the Mark I and Mark II.

It’s the latter one we’re concerned with today, as we found two of them listed for sale on a specialized website called My Submarines. We’ll talk about the cheaper one today, the one priced at $1,750,000 (as opposed to $2,000,000 for the other).

The thing is made of carbon fiber, mostly, and pairs that with anodized aluminum for the cover plates. Inside the body, we get a lithium-ion-phosphate battery pack that powers an electric motor, it, in turn, spinning two propellers.

Four fins, with the two in the middle of the 17-feet (5 meters) body resembling miniature airplane wings, help it stay upright in the water, to depths that can reach as much as 300 feet (100 meters).

While there, two passengers can enjoy their surroundings, engulfed in air conditioning, with the aid of two glass canopies. The thing can help submerge a total weight of 250 kg (551 lbs) and can move through the water at speeds going as high as 5 knots (5.7 mph/9.2 kph), more than enough for the lights mounted up front to shine on the spectacular underwater scenery.

This being a submarine, thus meant to operate in environments not compatible with human life, it had to pack a series of safety systems. They translate into things like two independent oxygen systems, carbon dioxide removal, self-righting capability, and the ability to climb to the surface as soon as the propellers are no longer pushing it down.

But assuming everything goes according to plan, this thing is probably very fun. The Super Falcon is controlled by means of a joystick on a three-axis system, and if the operator is skilled enough (training usually takes about two weeks), it can even barrel roll with dolphins and spy-hop with whales. Hell, the seller even says Sir Richard Branson owns one of these things, which he used for his first ever Virgin Oceanic dive.

As said, a Falcon like the one we have here costs $1.75 million, but you can pay that in three installments. If you go for one, delivery should take about seven to nine months. Once in your possession, you’ll have to take into account an annual $15,000 for maintenance costs.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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