As the eyes of the world turn back toward the first prototype, briefly distracted by the other moonshot, we remind ourselves that this is the one to validate the planing on water rather than hovering above it as people sometimes do on operating tables.
You'll recall that although I'm a man who loves to see an electrical motor parked at the rear of a boom, it appears altogether better placed on a bar spanning the width of the craft and more.
We had a competition to choose the ideal name for it, and despite my suggestions viz. sound-bar, power-bank, common-rail the winning entry went to 'piece of wood' which I view as repeating the effort to call the Sir David Attenborough 'Boaty McBoatface' by common consent.
There are many and various reasons however for mounting the motors on one such bar, some of which will be familiar to Airbus and some ~ like the craft having to fit through a doorway ~ are less likely to be.
These are as follows:
(1) Greater flexibility on the number and size of motors and propellers fitted thereto
(2) Easily removable for testing, transport, maintenance and storage
(3) Able to be set on the window-ledge on a pair of stands like a Ninja's sword
(4) It marks the extent of the propellers, which are barely visible once spinning
(5) It protects the propellers from inadvertent damage going (literally) forwards
(6) It allows for the easiest possible fitment of each motor back-plate to the bar
(7) It allows different 'rigs' to be swapped out to suit various operational needs
Not least it means the boat can be stood upright so its foot-print is minimised... something IKEA have told me is a must-have beside it doubling as a clothes-drier.
The bar itself is half the length of the 21x21x2400mm timber itself, which is likely to give you a warm feeling inside as it did me.
Bring it on!
Ed. Technically, put it on?
