Inside massive FLYING HOTEL twice size of Boeing 747 capable of carrying 3,000 passengers around world at 460mph

HURTLING just a few metres above the sea at speeds comparable to airliners, this enormous flying hotel could have carried some 3,000 passengers at speeds of 460mph.

The Aerocon Wingship could have been a revolutionary way to travel - dwarfing the world's biggest airliners as it was twice the size of a jumbo jet.

With ambitious plans to carry thousands of passengers and 1,500 tons of cargo, the 400 ton, 566ft long machine was a concept funded by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects (DARPA).

Engineers predicted mammoth aircraft could travel around 12,000 miles, powered by 20 rocket engines attached to wings near the plane's nose.

But unlike airplanes which fly thousands of feet in the air, the Aerocon would hover just over the surface of the water using a concept called the ground effect - which creates a bubble of air beneath the craft.

It is similar to a hovercraft - but allows the vehicles to travel much faster and with much more stability, allowing for potentially huge flying ships - just like the Aerocon Wingship.

The aircraft was designed to fly across the Atlantic between America and Europe.

But with its incredible range it could also fly nonstop from the US to Japan, Australia, China or almost anywhere in the world.

It had a wingspan of 100 metres - almost as wide as a football pitch.

And it could carry 30 times the weight of a Boeing 747, hauling ship-level loads at aircraft-level speeds as it skimmed up to 100ft over the sea.

It was hoped the aircraft could be luxurious - potentially carrying sleeping quarters, bars and restaurants like an enormous flying hotel or cruise ship.

The wingship could also cruise into dock and open its rear doors like a roll-on, roll-off ferry - potentially allowing passengers to even bring their cars.

The airplane's chief designer, Steven Hooker, dreamed up the Wingship after witnessing similar vehicles in the Soviet Union - such as the Caspian Sea Monster.

The beast was an experimental ground effect vehicle and could hit speeds of 311mph, but only one was ever built after the Kremlin fell out of love with the plane.