AIRFISH 8 | Sea Craft that Looks Like A Plane, Has A Car Engine, And Docks Like A Boat

The Airfish is a wing-in-ground (WIG) vehicle. Like the albatross or Second World War bombers running low on fuel, the craft takes advantage of the ground effect for fast, efficient cruising just above the surface of the water. Flying at about 7m(20ft) or lower it enjoys higher air pressure or a ‘cushion of air’ beneath its body and less lift-induced drag, reaching a maximum speed of 121mph or cruising speed of 90mph – much faster than a 30mph ferry, for example. The AirFish 8 (AF8) has 8-10 seats designed to be operated by 2 crew and carrying capacity for 6-8 passengers in standard civilian transport configuration. It is powered by a powerful yet compact V8 car engine that runs on 95 Octane automotive-grade unleaded gasolines. Airfish 8 is designed and built to adhere to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) guidelines. It cruises at a speed of at least three times faster than any other boat, getting safely to your destination in a breeze, in greater style and comfort. WIG technology is the novel convergence of marine design and aviation design. It exploits a commonly experienced phenomenon called Ground Effect (GE), which incidentally was the first mode of artificially powered flights known to mankind. Ground effect is exploited by large bodied birds such as the Albatross to conserve energy in flight. Ground effect has also had a significant contribution to the history of human flight – the first powered flight by the Wright brothers was entirely in ground effect. This effect was also employed during the Second World War, when bombers low on fuel, were able to return safely to their bases by flying close to the ground. Two main schools of R&D in Wing-in-Ground Effect (WIG) crafts originated from the former Soviet Union and Germany. The former’s school is known as the pioneer of Erkranoplans and the German school is named after a Dr Alexandria Lippisch, inventor of the forward Delta wing design for Messerschmitt rocket powered fighter aircrafts, i.e Me 163. Wigetworks Private Limited (Wigetworks) was incorporated in Singapore in April 2004. It was established with the main purposes to commercialize Wing-in-Ground (WIG) effect craft technology and to be the center of excellence of WIG technology. Wigetworks owns all patents, intellectual property rights and know-how for the design and production of all Airfish types of WIG craft and also the license and exclusive rights to market and distribute Airfish technology worldwide. All the licenses were obtained from Airfoil Development GmbH (AFD). At the same period, Wigetworks also acquired a prototype of Airfish 8, an 8-seater WIG craft and Airfish 3; an 2-seater WIG craft built by AFD based Dr Alexander Martin Lippisch’s reverse delta wing design. Airfish 8 prototype, later named as AF8-001, was built in Germany in the late 1990s and extensive sea trials were conducted in the Netherlands and in Australia in 2001. The AirFish-8 is an alternative method of sea transportation, combining the technologies of aviation and marine craft. Company Wigetworks have created AirFish-8, a boat/plane hybrid that glides on water. Due to the machines unique structure, it is able to utilize what is known as the “Wing in Ground Effect.“ This is when an aircraft is able to produce additional lift when flying near the ground. AirFish-8 has a V8 car engine, which runs on unleaded petrol(gas) and can travel up to 121 mph; that’s three times faster than typical marine craft. Several ground effect vehicles have been made since 1970s. The Flying Ship Company has taken proven Soviet-era Ekranoplan technology that harnesses the aerodynamic principle of Ground Effect to create advanced, unmanned maritime shipping vehicles that fly just over the water. These patent-pending Flying Ships will disrupt the global logistics industry with the combination of hybrid-electric propulsion and 21st century aerodynamics. Integrating these concepts dramatically decreases vehicle cost, improves fuel efficiency. More info: ⤵ SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: Become a Member » ⤵ SOCIALS Like us on Facebook - Follow us on Twitter - Support us on Patreon - Follow us on Instagram - Best Aviator sunglasses - ⤵BEST AVIATION MOVIES Sully - Flight 93 - Air Strike - Flight - Flight 313: The Conspiracy - Captain Phillips - #airfish #flyingship #groundeffect #top5aviation #hovercraft #speedboat #wigcraft #plane #physics #engineering #groundeffectvehicle #gev #airfish8crash