New in the Sky: Albatross
A cross between a classic flying boat and a big modern airplane, this recent twin-turbofan-powered Soviet design has a character all its own. And if the Soviets can divert enough CEOs from their Learjets, it may even be scaled down to a flying yacht.
Certain categories of flying machines hold on to a loyal band of supporters long after most people have consigned them to the dumpster—or the history books. Lighter-than-air craft—especially giant dirigibles—make up one such group; roadable airplanes are another. Despite their obvious shortcomings and poor safety records, both are repeatedly resurrected by people who remain convinced that, once a few minor problems are gotten out of the way, these slightly eccentric designs are sure to open a glorious new era in aviation.
Flying boats—or their wheeled version, the amphibian—are another case in point. Now I'm not talking about two- and four-seat sport amphibs such as the Lake Renegade, nor about those neat little home-builts that have cropped up here and there. I'm talking about big—really big—boats: the glamorous Boeing and Sikorsky clippers of a bygone era, or the rugged Catalina and Sunderland patrol bombers of World War II submarine-chasing fame. These majestic watercraft were designed to carry freight or passengers at speeds and fuel economies comparable to today's highly refined land-based commercial planes.
The Beriev A-40 Albatross
The latest entry in this quaint, nostalgia-filled category is the Beriev A-40 Albatross, a Soviet-produced craft first shown publicly at the 1991 Paris Air Show. Of course, it should be mentioned that the Soviet aircraft industry has yet to produce a flying machine whose operator will be able to break even, let alone show a slight profit.
The A-40 combines the long hull, high-placed tail (keeping it out of the spray), and stabilizing wing-tip floats of a classic flying boat with drooping leading edges, big double-slotted flaps, and twin turbofan engines. The engines are mounted high and aft to keep their intakes dry.
The first A-40 flew in 1987 and was soon joined by a second. The version shown at Paris was a search-and-rescue/antisubmarine-warfare machine with room for four to six rescue crewmen and up to 54 survivors of a maritime disaster. Built for the Soviet military, it's a truly big boat.
- Length: 138 feet
- Wingspan: 138 feet
- Height (on wheels): 36 feet
- Maximum takeoff weight: 190,000 pounds
- Maximum cruising speed: about 500 mph
- Maximum range: reportedly 3,400 miles
- Takeoff distance: listed as 5,900 feet (water or land not specified)
- Powerplant: two Soloviev D-30KP turbofans (about 33,000 lb thrust each) plus two unspecified booster engines mounted below the main engines
The A-40, also called the Be-42, may be just the beginning; the Soviet Ministry of Transport is considering building an A-42 civilian version.
Be-200: The Flying Yacht Concept
But the really fascinating idea the Soviets are entertaining is to scale down the Albatross as a sort of flying yacht, the Be-200. Imagine the irony: the former Soviet Union building a machine meant to appeal to the kind of wealthy sportsman traditionally branded by communist ideology as the source of much of what is wrong with the world.
As conceptualized, the Be-200 would have a gross takeoff weight of about 80,000 lb., less than half that of the A-40. Its wing, equipped with winglets and inset stabilizing floats, would span 107 feet. Power would be supplied by two Lotarev D-436TP turbofan engines rated at 16,500 lb thrust each.
The Be-200 could be outfitted for multiple roles:
- Up to 60 passengers (depending on interior layout)
- Up to 15,000 lb of cargo
- Several thousand gallons of water and fire-retardant chemicals for firefighting
- Search-and-rescue missions
- Air ambulance operations
- Maritime patrol
- A superplush aerial yacht configuration with full kitchen and staff for long-range, luxurious travel
The very idea of a superplush aerial yacht brings back thoughts of the 1930s, when air travel was enjoyed by a select few and everyone else stood dreaming on the sidelines. Would enough Donald Trumps and Arab sheikhs be interested in such a novel way of traveling? Would they be willing to give up the speed and convenience of their Learjets and Gulfstreams for a spacious flying boat that could carry a full kitchen and its staff to exotic destinations such as Tahiti or Rio or Atlantic City?
You and I can only wonder what it must be like to live like that. Of course, the idea of living the life of Riley in a Soviet-built flying boat could upset the delicate political sensibilities of some owners; but that would be their problem.
Market Prospects
A Swiss investment firm is said to be interested in the project. But if a decision to go into production depends on securing a fair number of advance orders (with deposits), the chances of the Be-200 being built don't seem all that great. Still, it's a neat idea that combines the new with the old.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
