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The Sun King gets a licence to gild his ... Gold plummets as Switzerland jumps ship... Stals comes out smelling of rose... Stealing the show with icons of the mode... British investors give SA airship compan... |
British investors give SA airship company a lift-off
After a number of setbacks a local consortium is ready to offer Blue Train luxury on sightseeing trips from the air, writes MARCIA KLEIN
It is envisaged that the airship will be used as, among other things, a Blue Train equivalent in the air, with luxurious Cape to London (taking three-and-a-half days) and African sightseeing trips on the cards. Maximum capacity is 150 people, but the luxury flights will take only 44. A London-based consortium, Millenium, has invested £49-million to take a 49% stake in The Hamilton Airship Company International. David Glencourse, who heads the consortium, will be in charge of the international company, which will be responsible for advertising and marketing. The SA-based Hamilton Airship Company will be involved in manufacturing the airships. Jonathan Hamilton, 31, the founder and manager of the SA company and the airship's designer, says the British deal has been concluded. The company, now fully funded after a number of setbacks since the beginning of last year, can now start putting all its energy into building commercial airships. The company will soon offer 1-million shares for over-the-counter trading. Shares will be issued by stockbrokers Lowenthal & Co. The share is expected to open at about 350c. Hamilton says he designed the airship but relied on a major aviation company to do the fine tuning. His company has invested more than R2.2-million in research and development.
The less adventurous could be forgiven for being sceptical of its safety, with memories of spectacular crashes of the Hindenberg and the British R101 airship. But Hamilton says safety measures have come a long way since. "The airship will be neutrally buoyant and remain aloft even after all engines have been switched off. Filled with non-flammable Helium, it will boast 21st-century safety features and technology - making it the most manoeuvrable airship ever designed. A self-mooring device will virtually eliminate the need for ground crew." When the first ship, called Nelson, is completed at the end of next year, it will undertake a transatlantic flight. The airship will cruise at 90km an hour and fly at only 500 feet above ground, "availing international passengers spectacular views of the Victoria Falls and Serengeti plains". It will have sleeping cabins and other five-star facilities. A spokesman says it is expected that the airship will be used locally as well as overseas. Negotiations are under way with a number of international companies who want to buy airships. It is envisaged that the company will produce a few airships each month. The manufacturing cost is estimated at between R60-million and R85-million. One of the first airship owners could be Queen Elizabeth. Hamiltons has offered her delivery of an airship which she could use to replace the decommissioned royal yacht Britannia. She has yet to reply.
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