But is it enough to bring airships back to the skies? A Hybrid Technology Airlander 10 seen taking off during its first flight. Their vehicle that will do all this goes by the name of Airlander 10. The goal is to create cleaner air transport for short-hop routes, while also solving many of the issues with the airship concept with a drastic redesign from the ground up. Hybrid Air Vehicles are a UK-based startup working to create a modern take on the airship concept. These days, they’re considered more of a historical curiosity rather than a useful method of transport.
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Slow, difficult to land, and highly flammable when they’re full of hydrogen. In October, the company announced that it will build a second plant in New Bern, N.C., which will be completed by 2005.Airships. The ships will be manufactured in Brand, Germany. The company plans to build about four airships per year beginning in 2004. The CL 160 will be able to travel at an average cruising speed of 56 mph (90 km/h), and can cross about 6,200 miles (10,000 km) before refueling its engines.ĬargoLifter hopes to have its first airship finished by 2002, with a multi-ship fleet circling the globe two years later. Engines - The CL 160 will be propelled by 16 turbine engines.The tail unit is 243 feet (74 m) wide, and each fin is 138 feet (42 m) long and 72 feet (22 m) high. It is comprised of four steering fins, each of which contain a rudder. Tail Unit - The tail unit's function is to maintain stability and maneuverability, making sure the ship stays on course.The keel is about 820 feet (250 m) long, 49 feet (15 m) wide and 33 feet (10 m) high. Many of the airship's other components are connected to the keel, including the nose cone, two engine wings, the lower side tail unit, loading crane equipment, crew space, four main engines, 12 maneuvering engines and the electrical and mechanical systems. Its function is to transfer, absorb and distribute the payload and all of the installations that are responsible for lifting cargo. Keel - The keel, made of aluminum, runs the entire underside of the ship.It also contains rope winches, a monitoring camera, control gears and a communication system for ship-to-ground communication. Thrusters integrated on the nose cone will allow for side-to-side movement. It provides a connection for the landing mast when the airship is on the ground. The nose cone is a complex subsystem on the airship. It has a diameter of 85 feet (26 m) and is attached to the envelope by nose slats. Nose Cone - The nose cone is fitted to the front end of the envelope to provide a better aerodynamic shape.This advanced material will reduce the amount of helium lost during flight to almost zero. The material is about one-sixteenth of an inch thick. The CL 160's frameless, semi-rigid envelope is made of a proprietary airtight, multi-layered film that resembles a rubberized fabric.
The material was pulled taut over an aluminum frame. Waterproofed cotton or jute, a strong fiber used to make burlap, was used for the envelopes of early 20th century airships.
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Envelope - The envelope, which is the skin of the airship, holds the helium gas.And they can haul more cargo than even the biggest heavy-cargo-transport military airplanes. The company says that its giant CL 160 airship can reach areas that are too difficult to reach by train, truck or current cargo ships. CargoLifter AG is investing in the idea that dirigibles have an advantage over other forms of transportation. One German company is bringing back the mammoth dirigibles of the early 20th century to fill a niche in the transportation industry. But airships may soon provide more than advertising. Most airships you see today are used as flying billboards, like the Goodyear or Fuji blimps you see hovering above major sporting events.
Once airplanes were recognized as safe for passenger travel, few saw a need for commercial airships. However, the future of dirigibles as transportation vehicles ended when the Hindenburg, a giant hydrogen-filled dirigible, burst into flames over Lakehurst, N.J., in 1937. Airships, also called dirigibles, served as an alternative to transoceanic travel by boat in the early 1900s.
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