The Future of Air Travel: A Glimpse into the Progress Eagle, a Futuristic Flying Hotel
GROUNDBREAKING plans have been revealed for a futuristic “flying hotel” airliner that could carry 800 people inside its world-class cabin. The concept design includes three massive floors, six huge engines, and a panoramic viewing lounge – with a state-of-the-art theatre and casino in the nose of the plane.
Progress Eagle: A Closer Look
Dubbed the “Progress Eagle”, the enormous flying hotel-like design features an incredible wingspan of 315ft and is some 263ft long. The plane is a brainchild of leading Spanish designer Oscar Vinals and if created, it will edge out the massive Airbus A380-800 which comes in at 240ft and the 230ft Boeing 747.
Ultimate Luxury: One Flight’s Special Edition
An upgraded version of the plane called the “One Flight” would feature cabins rather than banks of airline seats. While the standard aircraft will fit 800 passengers, the special edition will only be able to fly 300 passengers in one trip. However, One Flight is expected to offer passengers the best flying experience – with access to lavish onboard facilities including a restaurant, a spa, a cinema, shops, and a casino.
Unconventional Design and Sustainable Features
The cockpit of the flight has been designed to be on the second floor, allowing the fuselage to extend out and create an incredible viewing deck. Flying at 40,000ft, passengers will be able to enjoy surreal, almost 180-degree panoramic views of the sky, thanks to the creative bulbous design. To offer passengers a luxury cruising experience, the seats would be scattered throughout the three decks – with a tourist class, business class, and pilot class on board. Passengers who purchase the special pilot’s class tickets would have the opportunity to be seated at the nose of the plane to see the jaw-dropping views.
The Fuel of the Future: Self-Sufficiency and Sustainability
However, one of the most striking features of the futurist jet would be its unconventional fuel source to power six massive engines. The design of the plane aims to ditch fossil fuels in favor of using hydrogen fuel cells. This will help the aircraft become more “self-sufficient” and cut down on energy drastically as compared to modern aircraft. The roof and wings would be covered in solar panels, along with an onboard wind turbine to help it gather the energy it needs to keep its batteries topped up. The aircraft could even stay airborne almost indefinitely, using an ambitious power supply based on solar collecting satellites.
Groundbreaking Designs by Oscar Vinals
While the impressive design of the Progress Eagle looks tempting, its creator Vinals believes only half the technology is available today to turn the dream aircraft into reality. He says his design is an evolution of one of his other concepts, the more conventional Sky Whale – and could only be manufactured after 2030. Vinals has previously dreamed up craft such as the HSP Magnavem, a massive double-decker nuclear airliner, and the Hyper Sting, a supersonic plane twice as fast as Concorde. However, so far no one has committed to building and testing one of Oscar’s monster machines. He previously told Central Recorder: “I became interested in aeronautics, after a bad experience during a flight that fortunately ended only in a big scare. “I don’t design concepts merely to be only beautiful or for a sci-fi experience, all projects are based on previous technician studies with a lot of accurate information, so the result is a realistic and feasible concept.”