page_title: Air yacht
section_title: Air yachts
hierarchical_section_title: Air yacht / Air yachts
caption_attribution_description: English: Supermarine Air Yacht
context_page_description: An air yacht is a private aircraft, usually a flying boat. They developed between the wars as a recreation and status symbol for rich businessmen.
  The first aviation of this form developed immediately before World War I, when 'sporting' gentlemen, i.e. those both rich and with ample leisure time, could indulge in private flying. For the first time this regarded flight as a means of safe and reliable transport, not merely an achievement in itself. Right from the outset, the speed of flight and its ability to make long distances manageable was recognised as an advantage. The idea of seasonal commuting between New York and Florida, previously done by train, was one goal.
  All aspects of aviation were spurred by World War I and there were many technical developments, particularly for engine reliability and the construction of larger, more robust aircraft, including seaplanes. Despite this, the time immediately after World War I was a recession in the aircraft industry, as the surplus market was flooded by ex-military machines and engines. Manufacturers sought any available market they could, including building a handful of specialised aircraft for the very rich.
context_section_description: Early air yachts and their owners:
  Loening Type 23 Flying Yacht (1921), Vincent Astor
  Kirkham Air Yacht (1925), Harold Vanderbilt
  Supermarine Solent (1928), Arthur Ernest Guinness
  Fokker B.IIIC (1927), Harold Vanderbilt, as a replacement for his Kirkham
  Fokker F.11 (1928), Harold Vanderbilt, Gar Wood
  Sikorsky S-38 (1928) Howard Hughes, newspaper publisher Robert R. McCormick, John Hay Whitney
  Supermarine Air Yacht (1930) Arthur Ernest Guinness, later Mrs J.J. James as Windward III
  Saro Cloud (1930), Arthur Ernest Guinness. Unhappy with the underpowered Supermarine Air Yacht, Guinness purchased a Saro Cloud instead.
  Douglas Dolphin (1931), Harold Vanderbilt, Armand Esders
  Sikorsky S-43 (1935), Harold Vanderbilt and Howard Hughes.
  Spencer Air Car (1941), an attempt to popularise the concept and make it more accessible to less wealthy purchasers
  Republic Seabee (1946), a post-war development of the Air Car, with over a thousand built.
  Despite its name, the Bach Air Yacht (1928) was a 10-passenger small airliner, rather than an individual's 'air yacht' in this sense.
caption: Supermarine Air-Yacht
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