Just imagine a future where the familiar concept of vacations is a thing of the past, for the most part. Some, already tired of trips and hotels, will prefer to disconnect from their obligations and their professional life traveling and reveling in a huge flying hotel with capacity for 5,000 passengers considered an “epitome of luxury”.
All this is summed up in Sky Cruise, Hashem Al-Ghaili’s dream future. Inspired by the work of artist Tony Holmsten, this Yemeni citizen has used his imagination to show a unique concept of a nuclear-powered aircraft piloted by artificial intelligenceaccording to The National.
A project as luxurious as extremist
Al-Ghaili explains in the video posted on Youtube that Sky Cruise will feature a large living room with 360 degree panoramic views.
From there, guests will be able to admire the landscape from a unique point of view. The hotel will also have:
– A shopping center.
– A sports center with gym and swimming pool.
– Restaurants.
– Pubs
– A play area for children.
– Cinema.
– Theater, and more.
With such a wide variety of spaces, the creator of this idea believes that it can be a excellent place to organize events, business meetings and more. “If you want to declare your love above the sky, the wedding halls offer you and your partner a unique experience,” he explains in the promotional video. In addition, it will have a hospital of the most modern on board.
Perhaps one of the most important points is that Sky Cruise will be a zero emission flying hotel. This is possible because it will fly with a nuclear reactor responsible for operating 20 turbojet-type engines and provide the electric power necessary to all its modules. Since it is still operational, maintenance and repairs will be carried out in the air.
From the company they have explained that “guests and supplies will arrive on other planes that will connect to the Sky Cruise safely.” At the command level, as noted above, the pilot will be a thing of the past.
Artificial intelligence will take care of keeping the flight going, but not only that, it will also be able to “predict air turbulence before it happens” to provide a comfortable ride.
How likely is it that Sky Cruise will fly in the future?
According to the news outlet Interesting Engineering, Al-Ghaili believes that the current flight experience has become tedious and it’s time for innovations to change that entirely. In this sense, he determined that his concept could become a reality in the 2030s or 2040s. “All we need is enough energy to take off. That’s why nuclear power is part of the design,” he said.
However, in the above, overcoming the challenges of nuclear propulsion is only part of the equation. You just have to remember that projects like the Convair NB-36H they failed completely. Also, the idea of a nuclear reactor counter is not too appealing.
On the other hand, despite being very optimistic, Al-Ghaili only focused on the design and neglected other important aspects of the project. This has seriously divided opinion.
While some praise his imagination, others believe that the project defies the fundamental laws of physics and aerodynamics, and it is very unlikely that we will see it fly.
