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Came across a very interesting article that has a picture of the Deep Flight Super Falcon's filiment wound compostite pressure hull, having the hatch area machined. Below are the parts I found the most interesting. I never really liked the idea of having to expend a bunch of power to keep the positively buoyant Deep Flight subs down, not to mention you had to be always moving. Having to keep forward momentum, for the reversed wing foils to pull you down. Phil changed that on the Aviator. I'll bet that didn't make Hawke's to happy. ;} "Welcome to my office," Capt. Scott Cassell said as he used a joystick to guide the helicopter-like Seamagine submersible ever deeper into Fallen Leaf Lake, not far from Lake Tahoe in northern California. Persubs offer the portability of a ski boat, while diving deeper and staying submerged longer than scuba divers. Passengers sit in a pressurized cabin, allowing them to focus on the wonders around them instead of things like decompression rates. Persubs also are cheaper than conventional submarines and offer greater maneuverability. They're electric and relatively silent, allowing you to get unusually close to marine life. ======================================================================== "Envision how spectacular it would be, as well as symbolic, to also land and take off with a Super Aviator from the sunken flight deck of the carrier USS Saratoga, which rests in 180 feet of water," ======================================================================== They've worked with Dr. Phil Nuytten, the renowned submersible designer and pilot known for his Deep Worker submersibles. Together they changed the buoyancy of the aviator to make it neutral, something they say makes the safer and easier to control. Without the tendency to ascend when moving at slow speeds, the pilot can creep along and even hover, which McLaren said is great for observing marine life. That's exactly what the craft will do in February, McLaren said, when researchers use it to study humpback whales off the coast of Maui. McLaren hopes to use the craft to search the continental shelves for remnants of pre-Columbian explorers to the Americas. SAS is eager to build its first Super OrcaSubs, which will incorporate the improvements developed with Nuytten to meet the safety requirements of insurer Lloyd's of London. SAS says the craft will be able to cover 20 miles a day and dive to depths of 2,000 feet. The pilot can control movement on five axes -- pitch, roll, yaw, lateral and vertical -- using fly-by-wire controls. A loaded Super Orca will cost $2.19 million, a price that includes training for two pilots and a crewmember." ===================================================== "Persubs for Everyone The first Super Falcon that Hawkes built went to Tom Perkins, who put it aboard his mega-yacht, the Maltese Falcon. Chris Carter, the yacht's captain, says the submersible has made more than 50 dives and moves through the water like a jet through the sky. "We have been flying with giant manta rays, a pod of dolphin 30 strong, and all sorts of sharks," he said, adding that it seems the craft attracts marine life. "It’s just incredible!" ====================================================================== "Seamagine Hydrospace When it comes to persubs, no one beats William Kohnen and Seamagine Hydrospace for time in the water. The company claims to have made more than 10,000 dives around the world since 1995 and is currently building crafts No. 8 and 9. But Kohnen took a different approach to underwater flight. "Back in 1991-92, I had the idea of an underwater helicopter with a forward cockpit for clearer vision in all directions," he said. "To achieve balance for the submersible, we pushed the center of gravity back and used a tail for lift." http://www.wired.com/cars/coolwheels/news/2009/07/personal_subs# Regards, Szybowski |