Combining air and sea
Claudio Facchinetti wants to develop a new kind of "toy", combining his two passions: aviation and navigation. This electronic engineer is raising funds via Kikstarter to launch his project, called the Wataircraft, to give an aerial dimension to the project. "The idea is to create something that doesn't exist and see if there's a market for it." ...says Claudio. "This project will be to transform a jet-ski, which has an interesting power - jet propulsion - into an ekranoplane, by adding wings and a kind of foil." adds Claudio.
Ekranoplan is the Russian term (wing In Ground effect) to describe a ground effect aircraft, i.e. an aircraft that flies at a very low height above a flat surface. "It's an airplane with small wings, which takes off, but never climbs very high. It generates less drag and needs less power." said Claudio.
A fundraiser to create a flying jet-ski with hydrofoils
With this fundraising, Claudio hopes to raise the sum of 65,452 euros (70,000 Swiss francs). Through this, he hopes to first see if there is a market for this project (if the fundraiser works), and then to conduct studies for the development of the Wataircraft. "The idea is to finance this prototype (jet-ski, calculations, studies, engineering...) to prove that it works." says Claudio. The aim - if the fundraising works - will be to market a finished product or provide a conversion kit since any jet-ski will have to be adaptable.
The Wataircraft will therefore be a jet-ski with wings and a tiny foil - rather considered as a jet deflector - to deflect the jet from the jet-ski which should end up in the water, about 1m lower. The device will be able to "fly" about 60 cm above the water. "You'll feel like you're flying over water cheaply, leaning to the side, making turns... " said Claudio.
Conducting studies and building a team in Switzerland
For the moment, Wataircraft is only a sketch, Claudio Facchinetti having called on a designer to put his vision of things on paper. He will also call in an aeronautical engineer, while he himself will be the founder-designer. "I have a lot of flying experience, I'm a pilot and I've already built an experimental plane. I'm also passionate about boating and I have my international yachting licence, I've been to the Glénans and I'm, in my spare time, a motorboat instructor in Switzerland" says Claudio, to justify his desire to produce a new pleasure craft.
The future team will be based either in Neufchâtel or in Vevey near Lausanne (on Lake Geneva). But paradoxically, the tests will have to be done in France, since jet skis are forbidden in Switzerland, for noise pollution.
"It's a bold project and the dream and the vision are there. Unfortunately, like any project, if no one is interested, the project will fall apart. Results in two months... "
