But Sir Richard is not looking only to the stars for his next endeavour.  Nor even merely to the skies.  His new toy, recently unveiled, is an underwater ‘plane’ designed to take tourists on underwater trips to the unchartered depths of the oceans.  And not just one ‘plane’ … Sir Richard plans to have his little submarines dotted around the world.

“I’m off to the Mariana Trench for a week,” may be cocktail-party chatter in a few years’ time.

Sir Richard’s submarine is called a plane because he says the device can be manoeuvred easily like an airplane flying in the sea.  Built by US company Hawkes, the 15 ft. winged submarine has fighter jet technology, can do ‘loop-the-loops’ and has 360-degree views from its three cockpits.  It is steered with a joystick, just like a plane.

The carbon fibre prototype – named Necker Nymph – came with a US$636,000 price tag.  But Sir Richard obviously isn’t worried about the cost … he plans to build a stronger version that will go deeper than any submarine has ever been.  Down to depths of 35,000 ft. is the adventurer’s dream.  Yes, a journey to the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench, believed to be the planet’s lowest place, may indeed be a possibility one day.

Don’t fancy that?  Then an aircruise may be the answer.  It doesn’t sound quite as exciting as going into space, but that isn’t for everyone anyway and an aircruise sounds much more comfortable.  It is a giant hotel in the sky.  In fact it’s a vertical airship, lifted by hydrogen and powered by solar energy, designed by innovation company Seymourpowell.  The airship promises low passenger numbers, huge internal spaces including a bar/lounge zone, four duplex apartments, a penthouse and five smaller apartments.

Nick Talbot, design director for Seymourpowell, says that the aircruise concept presents an alternative take on the future in, perhaps, a time when “slow is the new fast”.  He goes on to explain: “The Aircruise concept questions whether the future of luxury travel should be based around space-constrained, resource hungry and all-too-often stressful airline travel.  A more serene transport experience will appeal to people looking for a more reflective journey, where the experience of travel itself is more important than getting from A to B quickly.”

Although only a conceptual proposal at present, Seymourpowell has developed detailed and achievable technical specifications for the craft.  

What it not clear yet is the actual function of the craft.  Mr Talbot’s quote suggests that the airship is envisioned as an ultra-luxurious plane, taking days and days to move its relaxed passengers from, say, Toronto to, say, London, England.  

A kind of mini-holiday in the sky, rather than going by sea, but similar in timing and comfort.

Or will it take its passengers touring?  Lifting them gently and slowly from one destination to another, with day trips in between.  Perhaps people may even be able to purchase one of the apartments, living their lives permanently far from the madding crowd, floating gently above the earth’s surface.  Perhaps the airships could have other applications.  Homes for the elderly, perhaps?  

“Bye bye Gran!”

The mind boggles, but I hope you will be able to say that you heard it all here first!