As a tropical sunset descends, the air yacht moves out again into the darkening skies above the Caribbean for a sweeping twenty-four hour circuit of that sea of legendary islands. And a unique experience is in store the following morning for some of the more aquatic-minded guests – who, after a stint in the exercise room, might have remarked on the absence of a swimming pool aboard ship. With engines idling, the airship slows and descends to a height of less than a hundred feet above the water. The hangar doors open and, instead of the shuttle plane, a pool-shaped "Swimming Cage" is lowered into the ocean with half a dozen bathers seated on flotation settees positioned on opposite sides of its rim. The connection to the airship is released and the swimmers are treated to half an hour's plunge in the limpid waters of the Caribbean. The air yacht which has been hovering to one side, its thirty-foot diameter stern propellors barely turning, moves in and recovers the cage, lifting it back into the hangar space. Clearly, such a diversion must be reserved for ideal atmospheric conditions, but it illustrates the astonishing versatility of airship travel.

During the third and last night of the five thousand mile junket, the air yacht flies northward and shortly after daybreak passes an awakening Manhattan en route to its base on Long Island. Circling the mooring tower in the calm air of early morning, the silvery hull is firmly tethered to the masthead, bringing the sixty hour trek to tropic climes to an end.

Operational Aspects
The flights described in the previous section are illustrative of the ordinary operations to be expected of this extraordinary pleasure craft. It has been seen that with its adjunct shuttle plane – a routine technique developed in the 1930s by the U.S. Navy for its airships Akron and Macon – the air yacht achieves a large measure of independence from land bases. At reduced speed its endurance is greatly extended and the ship might remain in the air for a week or more without landing or resupplying. Indeed, since the ship is electrically powered, with the fitting of solar cells to the upper surface of the hull, it could frequently cruise for hours at a stretch with zero fuel consumption. Its operation could encompass missions of scientific importance or geographical significance, e.g. polar exploration; observation of solar eclipses from remote locations; low altitude oceanographic experiments and measurements. And yet at all times the owner would find himself in instant radio and video contact with any point on the globe.

more

C Deck.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

Longitudinal Corridor. Smoking / Cocktail Lounge. Fitness Room. Lower Foyer. Galley. Refrigeration. Storage. Crew's Cabins. Crew's Shower Room. Crew's Lavatory. Crew's Mess.