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18 room Hotelicopter hotel would be the largest helicopter ever built (if it wasn't a joke)
Though it reminds us of the ill-fated enormously expensive V-22 Osprey, we'll give the Hotelicopter a fair shake and file it under "Believe It When We See It." Set to make its maiden voyage this summer, the Hotelicopter is an 18-room flying hotel "designed," the website states, "with the sophisticated, affluent traveler in mind."
So what can you expect? Well, all of the usual from a five-star hotel, even if it is a flying one: Soundproofed rooms, queen-sized bed, mini-bar, wireless Internet service — even room service available an hour after takeoff. There's also a full massage parlor and salon, a ping pong table and — how could it not have one? — a tea lounge. Sophisticated, indeed.
The company says the Hotelicopter is modeled after an old Soviet design:
The Hotelicopter is modeled on the Soviet-made Mil V-12, of which there were only two prototypes ever made. The Mil V-12 took its first flight in Russia in 1968 and was awarded numerous world records, which it still holds today… The Hotelicopter Company purchased one of these prototypes from the Mikhail Leontyevich Mil helicopter plant in Panki-Tomilino, Russia in 2004…
Check out more of the Hotelicopter in the gallery down below, or click Continue to see a video of this ridiculousness in action. UPDATE: We're going with the general consensus on the Hotelicopter. Looks like April Fool's is coming early this year.
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Hotelicopter, via Geekologie
By Old Man Dotes at 1:56 PM ON 03/30/09
Seems like a Zeppelin would be a whole lot more fuel-efficient, and quite a bit safer as well. This strikes me as an attempt to get venture cap, which will then disappear into the pockets of the promoters.
By Rocketdoc at 2:22 PM ON 03/30/09
What do you mean "ill-fated Osprey"?
The Osprey is a flight qualified, operational helicopter.aitcraft that is the standard of the world in its class.
Do some research before you put pen to paper (or finger to key).
It might make you look like you know what you're saying.
By sarcasm at 2:24 PM ON 03/30/09
Yeah great so, if it crash, it will be the greatest helicopter crash ever seen...
The future is so promising indeed, sometimes I wish it never happens
By Mr. Gumsandals at 2:30 PM ON 03/30/09
Why do I get a bad feeling about this idea? It looks like an expensive way to die.
By Bristle3 at 5:47 PM ON 03/30/09
with a name like hotelcopter, how can it not be a success?
By muss34 at 5:57 PM ON 03/30/09
I don't know if is just a joke or a con , Either way it actually might be practical if at the point it started moving for forward the lifting engines were turned off and it's traveling like a giro copter .
That way it could get much better fuel-efficiency . And as I see it would also need two more lifting blades in the back .
By murc at 6:00 PM ON 03/30/09
I'd like to see it fly...But theres no doubt in my mind that its a April fools day joke a couple days to early.
BTW, the Osprey is a great aircraft, and a technological achievement.
By Helifan at 9:05 PM ON 03/30/09
Oh I don't know...this isn't really all that far feched. People laughed at the Zeppelin too at first! There are alot of very wealthy people out there that would eat this up.
By thexfile at 2:49 AM ON 03/31/09
if this is a joke it's a cool one...
i think the desgn looks cool...
looks like a behemothe only some rushans can come up withe.... but for me it looks more like houling fraight....
i bet if you wanted to make a flieing helecopter hotel i would go for a quad bladed design and not a dubel decker bus on steroids
By A.A. Cunningham at 10:57 PM ON 03/31/09
You can thank Dick Cheney, David Chu, the Clinton administration and NAVAIR for the per copy cost of the Osprey; which is a tiltrotor - hybrid - not a helicopter. If you think it's expensive wait until you see the per unit cost of the CH-53K.
By Anonymous at 3:46 PM ON 04/01/09
86wysf
By anonymous1989 at 4:25 PM ON 04/02/09
weren't there like 20 or so failed builds before the Osprey finally flew? great project...
By jennythedoll at 12:42 PM ON 04/03/09
Ludricous, Four jet thrusters with two adjacent to the passenger cabin area/windows? This helo remains in an outdoor Russian display corroding away. Where would you get spare parts? GM?
By LBlackwell at 4:59 PM ON 04/03/09
I went to the hotelicopter site (www.hotelicopter.com), and hotelicopter is a real company launching on Wednesday. If it’s not a flying hotelicopter, anybody know what it could be?
By ruscute at 4:02 AM ON 04/14/09
Great!
By ruscute at 4:05 AM ON 04/14/09
It's a fake! Nobody would construct such a helicopter for the safety purposes. It's a great risk!
By AustinTex at 12:26 PM ON 04/17/09
Look through out history at all the tragedies where human kinds arrogance thinks it can build any and everything that will defy physics and Mother Nature. We are not gods.Remember the Titantic was unsinkable
By JimBozo at 1:08 AM ON 05/23/09
It's fabulous, real or not. It looks exactly like something Bruce McCall would dream up, which is a compliment.
By photo at 2:43 PM ON 08/12/09
its like dream
By muu at 2:58 PM ON 08/12/09
very best
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