Gliding above the water lifted up by foils, upwind and downwind, while touching 30 knots… that is no longer an experience reserved for professional sailors in the America’s Cup or on a Class C. The Flying Phantom One design enables everyone to experience this dream for themselves. You can discover it at the Nautic, the Paris Boat Show.
The Nautic in Paris, Porte de Versailles, Hall 1, unit L39. That’s all you need to know to discover a new way to fly: the Flying Phantom One Design. This revolutionary craft was developed based on an F18… except she flies. She is quite simply the world’s first series foiler catamaran. She guarantees unprecedented excitement as flying over the water is now something everyone can do, thanks in particular to a clever foil adjustment system. To keep it simple: the foil is connected to the crewman’s trapeze. It raises itself up when the crewman changes tack, as soon as he pulls on his trapeze.
So you don’t need to be Franck Cammas, François Gabart or Gurvan Bontemps – the top champions who tested the Flying Phantom and contributed to its development – to be able to use this new bomb. The guiding principle behind this flying multihull is indeed to enable everyone to experience the unparalleled thrill of flying, balanced on the combination of L-shaped foils and T-shaped rudders. Those, who already know how to sail a racing cat, for example, will soon get to grips with how to handle her. Amateur sailors did in fact also contribute to the development, as the designers’ goal was to come up with the first series flying cat aimed at the general public.
Designed by Martin Fisher
Marketed by Phantom International, a firm launched by the Sail Innovation company run by Alex Udin (whose Phantom F18 was incidentally 2012 World Champion and 2013 Vice-champion), the Flying Phantom took three years of research and development. She is the brainchild of Martin Fisher, one of the designers of Franck Cammas’s Groupama Class C, winner this autumn of the Little America’s Cup. A team from the “big” America’s Cup has in fact already ordered a few of these flying catamarans. While keeping things in perspective, that is only logical as the Flying Phantom works on the same principle as the giant AC72s, which have just thrilled a global audience in the 34th America’s Cup in San Francisco.
Some data? The Flying Phantom takes off and rises out of the water in just seven knots of wind and can fly at two and half times the real wind speed. It is easy to get her up speeding along at between 28 and 30 knots. Upwind, skimming the surface of the water, she flies from 12 knots at around 55 degrees to the wind. Her price: around 26,000 euros.
Ultimately, a European and American circuit may well be set up for this revolutionary one design craft. Ready to climb aboard? Enjoy your flight!