Page 12: of Marine Technology Magazine (October 2014)

Tech File From the shop of noted sub-sea vehicle designer Graham Hawkes come a new type of personal submarine, launched at the 2014 Monaco Yacht Show. Deep- Flight Dragon is touted to be the most compact, lightweight personal subma-rine on the market. The all-electric (zero emissions) ve- hicle was designed for ease of use from yacht or shore to explore the twilight zone down to 400 ft. (120 m). At 3,968 pounds (1,800 kg) and under 5 ft. (1.5 m) in height, it is less than half the weight of competing submarines and readily Þ ts into existing yacht garages or deck areas. Like all DeepFlight personal subma- rines, the Dragon is positively buoyant, meaning the craft automatically ß oats to the surface. And the Dragon is the Þ rst DeepFlight craft to use vertical thrust, thus enabling a hover capability. DeepFlight explained that the two- person Dragon is the only personal sub-marine which has enough power to rely solely on vertical thrust to dive, elimi- nating the complexity of the ballast and drop weight systems that other submers-ibles use to get heavy and sink to depth. This newest DeepFlight craft also offers the DeepFlight Dive Manager, a pro- prietary technology that monitors and manages critical functions, therefore eliminating the need for a professional pilot in a third seat. DeepFlight has more than 45 years ex- perience innovating the most advanced underwater craft, including its ß agship craft, the DeepFlight Super Falcon. The DeepFlight Dragon makes a further breakthrough in introducing the power and onboard monitoring and manage-ment systems that enable people to pi-lot the craft themselves with minimal instruction, and to enjoy underwater ß ight with hovering capability. Own- ers of DeepFlight submarines include, among others, Sir Richard Branson; venture capitalist, Tom Perkins; and Red Bull Founder, Dietrich Mateschitz. DeepFlight recently delivered a Deep- Flight Super Falcon to Laucala Island in Fiji, which is the second resort to own a DeepFlight submarine for guest experi- ences.www.deep ß ight.comHawkes Innovates Again DeepFlight DragonLength 4.8 m (15.7 ft.) Height 1.5 m (4.9 ft.) Width 2.1 m (6.8 ft.) Operating Depth: 120m (400 feet) Crew: 2Payload: 230kg (507 lbs) Air Weight: 1,800kg (3968 lbs) Flight Capabilities: Flight and Hover Safety Features Safety Features Positive Buoyancy, in ß at-able launch platform enabling easy entry and egress, emergency inß atable gas bag system ?While humans have long dreamed of  ying machines, we have actually realized this dream by building craft that  y underwater.? Graham Hawkes, DeepFlight?s Founder and CEO October 201412 MTRMTR #8 (1-17).indd 12MTR #8 (1-17).indd 1210/10/2014 10:15:18 AM10/10/2014 10:15:18 AM