The Monaco Yacht Show is usually about what floats, but one of this year’s more futuristic attractions is designed to fly…
An electric aircraft displayed aboard a yacht in Port Hercule is offering visitors a glimpse of how superyacht travel could eventually extend into the skies.
The compact eVTOL measures just three metres by three metres and weighs 90kg, or around 130kg with its two batteries. Built using carbon fibre, titanium and plastic, it operates much like a drone, using electric motors to take off and land vertically from a dedicated platform on the yacht.
Dutch pilot Jillis Slingerland, 32, has spent 15 years flying everything from paramotors to ultralight helicopters. The aircraft can be controlled remotely using a tablet or from the cockpit with a joystick, whilst its safety systems include twin motors on each arm and an emergency function capable of automatically returning it to its starting point.
The prototype has a flight time of around 30 minutes, a top speed of 90km/h and a stated maximum altitude of 1,000 metres.
For now, this is no flying taxi; the aircraft is being offered together with the yacht. Its developers, however, are already exploring projects that could eventually connect airports directly with boats.
Image: Jillis Slinger