The Return of the Airship

[Jimbuna]

It looks like airships are going to make a welcome return.

Originally developed for the US military, the 300ft (91m) helium-filled hybrid Airlander project was scrapped owing to budget cuts.

Now the giant aircraft is being brought back to life by a British company which plans to build hundreds of the environmentally friendly craft for passengers and cargo.

The current aircraft can carry a load of 1225kg for up to 21 days, but on shorter flights could take up to 5 tonnes. Aircraft still on the drawing board may be able to carry 50 tonnes or more.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26372277

[Platapus]

People have been predicting the "return" of airships since I started to read.

[Madox58]

HEY! Don't mess with the Air Ships!
:stare:

On is being designed to hunt down Big Foot,
http://www.livescience.com/24004-bigfoot-stealth-airship.html
One of the GoodYears did it's last flight,
http://www.goodyear.com/cfmx/web/corporate/media/news/story.cfm?a_id=1000
and they are the greatest hope for floating Cities.
:haha:


Oops. I edited a post.

[Sailor Steve]

I can't say I like the way it looks, but I love the concept, and it's cool to see it fly. I hope they make it viable.

[Herr-Berbunch]

People have been predicting the "return" of airships since I started to read.

That's pretty much what I was going to say, about once a decade or less they trot out the pictures of the halcyon days of airship travel and compare to some new design from the dreamers in Bedfordshire.

I'm slightly cynical, however, I would love to see airships back in fashion - properly. :up:

[Schroeder]

Some people here might still remember the Cargolifter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CargoLifter) and it's fate....

[Platapus]

One of the problems is that helium is simply too expensive and I don't think there is any way the public would understand that it is possible to use hydrogen safely.

[Karle94]

Remember seeing plans for the catamaran airship many years ago.

[Jimbuna]

Some püeople here might still remember the Cargolifter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CargoLifter) and it's fate....

Well I won't be investing anything into the venture anyway :)

[Wolferz]

Should work fine as long as they don't paint the things with Thermite.:huh:

[Admiral Halsey]

There is a reason the airships went bust and it wasn't just the Hindenburg disaster. The things are maintenance intensive, they cant fly in weather a plane can, plus they're slow as heck. As much as i'd like to see the things flying again it's never going to happen.

[Catfish]

It looks like airships are going to make a welcome return. ...

Oh, really ..


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/penaeus/ScreenShot2013-08-13_zps08a9ef94.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/penaeus/media/ScreenShot2013-08-13_zps08a9ef94.jpg.html)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10262833/Zeppelins-the-beginning-of-modern-warfare.html

:-?


Seriously, airships would be nice, but you would definitely need Helium for it. Not that Helium is scarce in the universe, but it is on earth. AFAIK there is only one natural source in te whole world, in the US, and it is exhausted.

If we found a way to capture enough of it in space, and bring it back to earth ...

Or we could of course use hydrogenium, and maybe it would even work with today's technology, without becoming hazardous.

And the bovine nation would be much more happy ..