richard branson

Mugler's $5 Million Revamp of World's Fastest Yacht

French designer Thierry Mugler, known for his fetishistic fashions, is giving the world's fastest yacht a $5 million makeover. The 112-ft. Gentry Eagle (above), designed by racing legend Tom Gentry, earned the World's Fastest title when it broke Virgin tycoon Richard Branson's record for the speediest transatlantic crossing in 1989. In 1992 the Gentry Eagle was rebuilt as a pleasure craft, and is now being revamped once more as a collaboration between British yacht broker Weyves Yachts and Agent de Luxe, a fashion-design agency run by Donald Potard, former president of Jean Paul Gaultier.

When completed by October of next year, the yacht is expected to fetch about $10 million. "Yacht owners are using their vessels as places to entertain, and they want to express their personal style," Potard tells the Robb Report. "Crystal, chandeliers, metals ? the interior will have a distinctly 'Mugler-esque' feel." He says the designer drew inspiration from futuristic films like Barbarella and Star Trek, as those are Tom Gentry's personal favorites.

Tags: French fashion, FrenchFashion, Gentry Eagle, GentryEagle, Richard Branson, RichardBranson, Thierry Mugler, ThierryMugler, Tom Gentry, TomGentry, Weyves Yachts, WeyvesYachts, Yacht

Branson & Dubai Royals in Talks to Buy Gatwick Airport

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Sir Richard Branson, the billionaire founder of the Virgin Group, is in talks to acquire London's Gatwick Airport, the second largest and busiest airport in the United Kingdom after Heathrow. Gatwick's owner BAA Ltd., which also owns Heathrow, plans to sell the airport, valued at about $5.4 billion, due to antitrust regulations, Bloomberg reports.

The Virgin Group encompasses several companies including Virgin Atlantic airlines and Virgin Mobile. The adventurous Branson's personal fortune is estimated at $2.8 billion. He plans to form a consortium to bid for the airport, which handled 35 million passengers in 2007.

His partners on the potential deal are said to include Dubai's Royal Family, the London Telegraph reports. Obviously competitors would be worried that Branson and Virgin might gain an unfair advantage by controlling the airport, which is the sixth largest in Europe.

Tags: Airlines, Airports, Dubai, Gatwick, London, Richard Branson, RichardBranson, Virgin airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Group, VirginAirlines, VirginAtlantic, VirginGroup

Richard Branson Plans An Eco Island

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Green

Richard Branson, the charismatic chairman of the Virgin Group of companies, is planning a new eco-friendly resort on Mosquito Island. The island, which is part of the British Virgin Islands, is one of two Branson owns in the Caribbean. His Necker Island is already a private retreat for the wealthy and famous, even hosting the wedding of Google co-founder Larry Page. Mosquito Island is a tiny piece of land off the island of Virgin Gorda and within view of Necker Island. Branson's dream is to plop down 20 villas and a beachfront restaurant powered by wind turbines and solar panels on the uninhabited land. The buildings would capture cool thermal airflows, eliminating the need for air conditioners, an organic orchard would provide food and beach buggies would run on biofuels.

The British Virgin Islands planning department is currently reviewing Branson's design plans for the Mosquito resort. The government response seems positive so far and they are especially impressed by the green angle. Branson is also planning to launch a consulting group, Virgin Green Owls, which will advise governments and corporations on carbon neutral projects this August.

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Tags: eco resort, EcoResort, green, mosquito island, necker island, NeckerIsland, richard branson, RichardBranson

Virgin Atlantic Fuel Cell Shuttles

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

It's been a busy week for Sir Richard Branson. Not only has he officially launched his long-awaited Virgin Charter service, a service that connects those interested in flying privately with available charters, he has also created several new key partnerships with an eco-friendly slant. He has announced a new partnership with General Motors to use GM's hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered Chevrolet Equinox vehicles as complimentary ground transportation for their "Upper Class" passengers at Los Angeles International Airport.

Virgin Atlantic has also selected Rolls-Royce to power the airline's future fleet of up to 43 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner jets and as part of the contract, Rolls-Royce has promised continually to research ways to reduce the engines' fuel consumption. Recently, Virgin Atlantic tested out a partly biofuel-powered 747 and are working on creating a new biofuel that would come from algae created at sewage plants.

Gallery: Being Richard Branson

Branson the Bride and Wedding Officiator

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Tags: richard branson, RichardBranson, virgin atantic, virgin charter

Steve Fossett Missing

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

I've followed the adventures of Steve Fossett for several years now so I was sad to hear that the millionaire aviator has gone missing in the mountains of Nevada. Fossett has set records for circumnavigating the world by by balloon and airplane. On Monday he took off from a private airstrip in Nevada in a single-engine Bellanca plane, apparently on the lookout for desert locations for a planned attempt at the land-speed record.

Rescue planes have been scouring the area but have been hampered by the fact that he did not file a flight plan. Fossett's friend and partner in global adventures, Richard Branson released a statement saying he was confident that Fossett would be found alive. Fossett has survived a number of crash landings and is also an athlete who has swum the English Channel, raced in the Ironman Triathlon and completed the grueling Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across Alaska.

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Tags: adventurer, expire-images:2008-9-4, millionaire, plane, richard branson, RichardBranson, steve fossett, SteveFossett

Branson Gets Into The Private Jet Business

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

Richard Branson of Virgin Airways isn't just concentrating on the burgeoning space tourism market, he has now announced that he is getting into the private jet business. Branson's latest idea is Virgin Charter, a website that connects sellers of flight time on private planes with eager buyers. The idea is that many private jets have a lot of "empty legs" when they fly home after dropping passengers off. As Forbes reports it's an interesting move for Branson who just began a $3 billion campaign to fight global warming. But the idea behind the company is to reduce the empty flights thereby helping to eliminate wasted fuel. Branson and company won't be buying any jets for this endeavor, it's all about playing, as the website calls it, "jet matchmaker."

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Tags: flight, planes, private jet, PrivateJet, richard branson, RichardBranson, virgin charter

Kasbah Tamadot

by Matthew Collins (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Time for something exotic! How about a trip to out of the way Morocco? Sir Richard Branson (of Virgin everything fame) has created a wonderful retreat in the foothills of the Atlas mountains, 45 minutes from Marrakech. Kasbah Tamadot is designed like a Moorish fortress with numerous intimate courtyards with fountains and lush greenery, all with views of the magnificent mountain rage at its doorstep. Only 18 rooms ensure the utmost service and privacy and a three bedroom "master suite" has 3 bedrooms of its own, as well as a private pool. The hotel's restaurant is ran by chef Jean Mundell-Murphy who was trained by noted chef, Raymond Blanc. Rates for this exclusive Kasbah start at 290 Euros a night.

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Tags: hotels, kasbah, resorts, richard branson, RichardBranson

Global Flyer Lands, Breaks Record

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

Steve Fossett has touched down at Bournemouth Airport putting a successful end to the Ultimate Flight. Fossett, who broke the world record for the longest flight ever at 26.389.3 miles and a duration of 76 hours and 45 minutes. Fossett was supposed to land at Kent International Airport, but had to make an emergency landing when his generator failed. It was a rough landing, two tires burst and his windscreen was iced up but he is now on land and in need of a nap.

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Tags: air, flight, global flyer, GlobalFlyer, richard branson, steve fossett, virgin, wings, world record

Global Flyer Flight Delayed Again

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

Another delay has hit Steve Fossett's quest for the Ultimate Flight. The take off which was scheduled for today, has been canceled due to a fuel leak. According to the Global Flyer website the leak is a "fairly simple thing to fix but it will take around 24 hours because it requires fuel sealant material." Weather conditions should hold for the rest of the week and the mission is listed at code Yellow through February 11.

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Tags: global flyer, GlobalFlyer, richard branson, steve fossett, virgin atlantic

Global Flyer's Next Flight Confirmed

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

The GlobalFlyer is set to go again on the new mission to set a record for the longest non-stop flight of an airplane. The plane should take off from Kennedy Space Center tomorrow morning. The GlobalFlyer team has been given a code green status meaning weather conditions are expected to be good to go. The flight should launch tomorrow morning at 6:42 am. I wonder if Branson is lending Steve Fossett his Breitling for this flight too.

[via Aero-News Network]

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Tags: airplane, longest flight, LongestFlight, plane, richard branson, steve fossett, virgin, world record, world's record