Plane sailing ... Branson's submersible 'plane'
Posted on 01/29/2010 12:09:49 AM PST by Stoat
EXCLUSIVE
Submergin' Atlantic
Plane sailing ... Branson's submersible 'plane'
The Virgin Atlantic boss hopes the submarine with fighter jet technology will explore unchartered depths at 35,000ft
The £415,000 carbon fibre prototype Necker Nymph will swoop 130ft under the surface but Sir Richard, 59, is building a stronger version to go deeper than any sub has ever been.
Sir Richard said: "It is very similar to an airplane flying in the sea. You can literally do loop-the-loops."
It could eventually reach the Mariana Trench, believed to be the world's lowest spot in the Pacific Ocean.
US company Hawkes built the 15ft "winged" sub which has three 360-degree view cockpits and is steered like a plane with a joystick.
Film director James Cameron used one of their subs to look for underwater inspiration for his 3D blockbuster Avatar.
Sir Richard - who last month unveiled the world's first commercial spaceship - told The Sun the sub will be based at his private Necker Island.
He plans to use it to take holidaymakers on underwater trips.
He said: "We hope to have submarines dotted throughout the world.
"A pressurised submarine is nearly completed. But the real challenge is to explore what's going on at the bottom of the oceans."
Submariners ping request :-)
Riiiiiiiiight!!!!
Someone needs to take his crack pipe away.
“unchartered depths”? Really?
awww... give 'em a break...they're Brits after all and their brand of English might not be what we're used to on this side of the Pond ;-)
"snicker"
You gotta admit, they’re not many gimmicks left for enticing tourists, so this idea gets an “A”.
Indeed, and a whole lot less expensive for all concerned than his space plane, but probably just as appealing to many people.
As my aviation buddies used to tell the submariners:
“What goes up, must come down, but what goes down does not necessarily come up”.....
Just as appealing, and just as much a death trap IMO.
I guess I am in a small minority here, but the scaled up versions of the Rutan designs (space ship one etc) look pretty bad to me if you start to look at all the systems.
And I am guessing that this underwater ship, while not being a Rutan creation, will probably have similar alarming traits.
“Alert the amphibious squadron!”
“unchartered depths” - this is a play on words. As in charter flight.
This sounds like fun. Good for Branson.
it’s the sun. The lie. Thats what they do for a living.
they read that there’s been a US guy and an Italian in a boat called trieste on the lowest point of all oceans and certainly it’s charted there, because thats where the deepest point of all oceans is.
But they figured they could sell 3 papers more if they just lied as always so they didn’t even have to value what it was worth to them to honour some guys that just had brass balls and some technical brilliance - they just followed their habit to make things up and have the 50p for rupert murdocs clan.
it’s the sun. The lie. Thats what they do for a living.
they read that there’s been a US guy and an Italian in a boat called trieste on the lowest point of all oceans and certainly it’s charted there, because thats where the deepest point of all oceans is.
But they figured they could sell 3 papers more if they just lied as always so they didn’t even have to value what it was worth to them to honour some guys that just had brass balls and some technical brilliance - they just followed their habit to make things up and have the 50p for rupert murdocs clan.
I wonder if this guy realizes how cost prohibitive building a sub that can dive that deep would be....
You couldn’t possibly recoup the cost of building it with sub tourism.
The Sun didn’t say the depths were uncharted. They said they were “unchartered”.
As in charter flight.
As in the charter flights that Richard Branson made one of his fortunes from.
A clever play on words. Completely missed by Free Republic.
Instead we’re getting an envious, spiteful thread. Kudos guys, kudos.
Wow! Supercar! Don’t remember premise, plot, or characters, just that it was one of ‘those’ fun and cheesy marionette shows.
Thanks!
130 ft I’ll buy, 35,000 ft in his dreams. I guess the US and Russian navys are still stuck with that ancient metal tech... they are so yesterday.
I think if his composite tech actually worked, every navy in the world would be lined up for the nuclear versions and be forking over far more money then a relatively few rich tourists for such a platform.
BS
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