Why settle for the ordinary when you’re among the world’s richest people? After all, where money is not an issue, the sky is the limit. This also applies to transportation, which can be as luxurious, efficient, and versatile as your budgetary limits.
In this particular case, these budgetary limits do not exist. Designed for three fictional princes from Oman in the Arabian Peninsula, the Flying Yacht is what happens when you toss engineering out the window and let your imagination loose. It is the creation of aircraft designer Yelken Octuri, and it draws inspiration from humanity’s decades-long obsession with a craft that can combine two means of travel: by sea and by air.
The idea for such a craft is not new. In fact, Octuri tells The Robb Report he was personally inspired by two of the world’s largest and most controversial projects of this kind, Howard Hughes’ 1947 H-4 Hercules, a.k.a. the Spruce Goose, and the late ‘80s Russian Ekranoplan, a.k.a. the Caspian Sea Monster. Both were craft that used the ground effect to soar at a distance above the waterline and, despite their resemblance to aircraft, are classified as maritime ships.
Spruce Goose flew only once before it was retired. To this day, it remains the largest flying boat ever built and, perhaps just as importantly, one of the most controversial.
Octuri takes the idea of such a flying boat and brings it into our current reality by turning it into a luxury vessel. Unlike these other two monster builds, this trimaran is functional and meant for adventurous men trying to avoid the limitations of just one way of exploring our planet, and the Omani coastline in particular.
“This model was manufactured at the Aerocoché plant in the water sports facilities of Salles sur Cérou, in the Tarn French department,” Octuri says in the description. “It was designed for the princes Aziz, Dawood & Hashim, corporate executives of the ‘Masqat Airways’ air transport company.”
Of course, there is no such thing as Masqat Airways, and there’s a note at the bottom of the official presentation page clearly stating that everything on it is fictional. Still, the designer says he’s been getting plenty of calls about the craft, with legitimate price inquiries.
The thing is, The Flying Yacht does not exist. It could not, Octuri explains, since he started out by ditching all his engineering know-how to create the most fabulous and fantastic craft possible. He did not have the time to use actual data in the build, he says, because he only wanted to help people dream—and he did that by showing them what a flight of fancy could bring about.
As far as dreams go, The Flying Yacht is a gorgeous one. It functions in two modes, boat mode and airplane mode, and uses a unique mechanism to switch between the two. It has a range of 600 km (373 miles) in plane mode, a wingspan of 90,4 meters (297 feet), and is powered by four dual propellers Nissen & Brasseur powerhead engines. The maximum speed is an estimated 390 kph (243 mph).
In boat mode, The Flying Yacht brings the plane’s wings upwards as masts and sails unfurl from their hidden location, for a total sail surface of 1,302 square meters (14,014 square feet). Propulsion is by wind power, with the possibility to orient each of the four masts individually to get optimal positioning regardless of the wind direction.
Whether they’re traveling by air or by water, guests onboard get to enjoy an elegant, albeit comparatively subdued interior across two decks. The lower deck is at water level, so it comes with expansive glazing allowing for the most stunning views around. Here, you get a main room, a kitchen, a toilet, a storage room, and various lounge areas, including a more formal dining room. The upper level houses three bedrooms and another bathroom, so presumably, accommodation would be for a maximum of six people, guests and crew included. Two small half-decks are present aft and fore.
Octuri agrees that “a more realistic approach would be a hybrid between an ekranoplan and catamaran,” and that one such hybrid could actually be functional. That said, The Flying Yacht is more about letting imagination fly free than the aspiration of ever becoming—or inspiring—a real craft.
The idea for such a craft is not new. In fact, Octuri tells The Robb Report he was personally inspired by two of the world’s largest and most controversial projects of this kind, Howard Hughes’ 1947 H-4 Hercules, a.k.a. the Spruce Goose, and the late ‘80s Russian Ekranoplan, a.k.a. the Caspian Sea Monster. Both were craft that used the ground effect to soar at a distance above the waterline and, despite their resemblance to aircraft, are classified as maritime ships.
Spruce Goose flew only once before it was retired. To this day, it remains the largest flying boat ever built and, perhaps just as importantly, one of the most controversial.
“This model was manufactured at the Aerocoché plant in the water sports facilities of Salles sur Cérou, in the Tarn French department,” Octuri says in the description. “It was designed for the princes Aziz, Dawood & Hashim, corporate executives of the ‘Masqat Airways’ air transport company.”
Of course, there is no such thing as Masqat Airways, and there’s a note at the bottom of the official presentation page clearly stating that everything on it is fictional. Still, the designer says he’s been getting plenty of calls about the craft, with legitimate price inquiries.
The thing is, The Flying Yacht does not exist. It could not, Octuri explains, since he started out by ditching all his engineering know-how to create the most fabulous and fantastic craft possible. He did not have the time to use actual data in the build, he says, because he only wanted to help people dream—and he did that by showing them what a flight of fancy could bring about.
In boat mode, The Flying Yacht brings the plane’s wings upwards as masts and sails unfurl from their hidden location, for a total sail surface of 1,302 square meters (14,014 square feet). Propulsion is by wind power, with the possibility to orient each of the four masts individually to get optimal positioning regardless of the wind direction.
Whether they’re traveling by air or by water, guests onboard get to enjoy an elegant, albeit comparatively subdued interior across two decks. The lower deck is at water level, so it comes with expansive glazing allowing for the most stunning views around. Here, you get a main room, a kitchen, a toilet, a storage room, and various lounge areas, including a more formal dining room. The upper level houses three bedrooms and another bathroom, so presumably, accommodation would be for a maximum of six people, guests and crew included. Two small half-decks are present aft and fore.