Building a superyacht and want to include a helipad? Airbus Corporate Helicopters (ACH, Booth C305) has an app for that. The augmented reality tool is downloadable from the Apple iTunes or Google Play stores. ACH CEO Frederic Lemos said the tool provides a starting point for yacht builders and owners who want the “must have” convenience of instant lift and want to avoid headaches associated with adding it too late in the design process.
“Too many times we were seeing helidecks built on these yachts that were not commercially compliant or were not built with the best dimensions for safety and comfort,” Lemos said. He recalled a recent visit to a new superyacht in Italy. “The captain was so proud of the helideck on the bow, but it was only nine meters, barely big enough for a Robinson R22, and certainly not large enough to do commercial operations. Even if it were 12 meters, operating with an ACH135 would be very tight.”
This scenario has not uncommon, so ACH decided to build the yacht app. It includes information with regard to helicopter models, weights, dimensions, and capacities, rotor diameter, tie-down points, blade and fuel storage requirements, commercial regulations, and necessary support structures, among others. “The app uses augmented reality that displays three popular types of yachts, shows how various models of helicopters look on the yacht, and shows if there or any obstacles. We can also 3D model their yacht via a private space on the app,” Lemos said. The app gives 360-degree views along with data blocks that display individual helicopter model range, weight, and passenger capacity.
Lemos noted that a major yachting publication recently identified the helipad as the second most popular design feature on modern superyachts and that a new generation of owner of these vessels are pushing them to extremes, staying at sea for longer periods and sailing to more exotic and harsher destinations such as Antarctica as opposed to the traditionally more placid waters of the Caribbean and the Riviera.
“People want helicopters to explore when they reach very remote locations” on their yachts, he said, adding that of the 10 ACH145s sold in 2017, six were destined for duty on superyachts. He said that the trend was not just for bigger boats, but bigger helicopters on them, noting that ACH has received orders for ACH175s and ACH160s destined for superyachts in recent months.