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Видали, куда пристроили Айрфиша?
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2B ... 03645.html
Nov 18, 2008
Seaplane finally flies
Permit for tests granted after 5 years; firm hopes to make trips to Malaysia
By Liaw Wy-Cin
The Airfish in action. The compressed air beneath the wings, when the craft is close to the ground, lifts it and keeps it aloft. The Airfish 8 can travel up to 500km without refuelling from Singapore to Pangkor Island in West Malaysia. -- ST PHOTOS: WANG HUI FEN
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A SEAPLANE grounded for five years in Singapore is finally taking flight.
The eight-seater Airfish 8, which rides on a cushion of air above land or sea, was finally granted a permit by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) to conduct trials in the waters off Changi.
When it first arrived here in 2003, it had problems getting a permit to fly.
The Airfish, which is considered a ship by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), ran into some initial problems getting clearance from MPA.
Wigetworks, the Singapore company which bought the German-engineered craft in Australia, is now working with the MPA to register the Airfish here.
The company is eyeing passenger and cargo travel from Singapore to popular destinations in Malaysia such as Tioman after safety of the craft has been established for a few years elsewhere.
The Airfish is a type of craft known as a wing-in-ground (Wig) effect vehicle, which rides on a cushion of air close to land or water. The compressed air beneath the wings, when the craft is close to the ground, gives it lift and keeps it aloft.
This system is quite similar to that of a hovercraft. But a hovercraft has a machine installed to produce the air cushion, whereas a Wig craft relies on natural aerodynamics.
On a 10-minute test flight The Straits Times took on the Airfish, it flew 2m to 5m above the waters off Changi, at about 170kmh.
The Airfish 8 can travel up to 500km without refuelling, which means it can go as far as Pangkor Island in West Malaysia from Singapore.
The IMO, which sets benchmark standards for maritime vessels, has only interim guidelines for Wig vehicles.
A spokesman for Lloyd's Register, an international body which certifies ships, told The Straits Times that Wigetworks' Airfish satisfied its safety regulations on its vessel and hull structures, machinery and safety during recent test flights.
Wig craft were developed mainly for military use by the Russians and Germans in the 1960s. In the 1980s, such craft were used mainly for recreational and civilian ferry purposes.
Wig craft run on petrol and, as ships, do not require a pilot's licence, making them cheaper to operate and maintain, said Wigetworks' director Ng Kim Hoo, 54. He hopes to start producing Wig craft here.
With data collected from the test flights, such as maximum altitude and speed, Wigetworks engineers are now working on developing better versions of the Airfish for manufacture, said the company's general manager Kenneth Tan.
Some countries have started taking more interest in Wig technology. Last year, the South Korean government said it was investing 84.5 billion won (S$134 million) over five years to develop a Wig vessel.
Even when Mr Ng's dreams looked in danger of crashing, he persisted in getting the Airfish registered here, rather than in Thailand, where it used to operate.
He said: 'It's a Singapore company. We own the plane. We want to fly the Singapore flag.'
He also said more than 10 countries have already expressed interest in ordering over 300 craft.
wycin@sph.com.sg