В апреле 2010 года в Сингапуре экраноплан Airfish-8 внесен в судовой регистр. Вот английский текст
Kenneth Tan's company owns the world's first wing-in-ground craft to fly a Singapore flag, the Airfish 8.
THE world's first seaplane of the wing-in-ground (WIG) make to fly the Singapore flag was finally registered here at the end of last month, five years after it was brought here.
Called the Airfish 8 and classified as a ship despite having wings, it can fly 2m to 7m above the water or ground after achieving a cruising speed of 50 knots.
Mr Kenneth Tan, general manager of home-grown firm Wigetworks, which owns the eight-seater craft, said the Airfish opens new commercial possibilities, such as ferrying passengers between nearby countries.
Since the craft can travel up to 500km without refuelling, it can transport people from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur in about 21/2 hours, at its top speed of 90 knots, said Mr Tan.
It is also safer than a plane, since it can quickly land on water if a problem occurs.
Mr Tan added that the Airfish is likely to be the first WIG craft in the world to obtain the necessary approvals allowing it to traverse international waters.
This was made possible after the craft was registered to fly the Singapore flag.
And this was possible only after new legislation was passed last month for WIG craft.
Mr Lam Yi Young, chief executive of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), said yesterday at the christening of Airfish 8 that the Government has put in place national regulations in line with the International Maritime Organization's guidelines for WIG craft.
Previously, because of the Airfish's unique build, there were no rules in Singapore to regulate the craft's use, said Mr Tan.
WIG craft owners in other nations are still possibly facing such problems, which affect their chances of getting approval to fly internationally, he said.
Mr Lam said: "As Airfish 8 is a novel craft, Singapore's regulations and guidelines provide a framework for proper engineering analysis, design and developmental testing, as well as training, certification and manning of qualified officers."
Mr Tan said he is in discussions with the National University of Singapore to look into research efforts on the craft.
He is also in talks with Singapore Polytechnic and MPA to train captains to operate WIG vessels.
He added that Wigetworks plans to establish a WIG assembly plant here next year.
Each craft costs millions, he said, adding that enquiries, including from outside Singapore, have come from maritime enthusiasts, ferry operators and resort owners, among others.
The christening of Airfish 8 coincided with the launch of the Singapore Maritime Week yesterday by Transport Minister Raymond Lim.
Organised by MPA, the event will see global maritime players gathering here for conferences and meetings. Public events have also been planned, such as a maritime-photography contest and an adventure race that ended yesterday.
Read the original here:
http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2B ... 12406.html
at Sunday, April 25, 2010
Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Google Buzz
Labels: airplanes, flying
[img]
http://s41.radikal.ru/i092/1107/56/a2fbf918c603.jpg[/img]
url=http://radikal.ru/F/s41.radikal.ru/i092/1107/56/a2fbf918c603.jpg.html]
[/