Project Walrus

[ICanSleepWhenI'mDead]

Thought this was thought-provoking - - they are building a prototype of this thing in CA:

 

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-06/plan-airships-might-finally-take

 

"The looming aluminum and carbon-fiber skeleton, not entirely unlike a half-completed Death Star, is the prototype for what Pasternak says will be a new and better kind of flying machine: one that can carry substantial cargo to any place on Earth."

[Beerball]

Good luck to him.

 

I thought that there was a worldwide shortage of helium?

[Jim in Anchorage]

Good luck to him.

 

I thought that there was a worldwide shortage of helium?

I think Hydrogen has better lift anyway-

 

[BuffaloBud]

Good luck to him.

 

I thought that there was a worldwide shortage of helium?

 

There is. Fighting that issue right at the moment as we use it in our manufacturing process.

[DC Tom]

Hydrogen, helium, doesn't matter. The real problem with airships (particularly rigid-frame dirigibles, which because of the framing can thus be much bigger than blimps) is weather. They're too much at the mercy of the wind, and don't recover quickly from sudden changes of direction that Mother Nature might inflict on them. The Hindenburg is the only example I can think of that was lost to something other than some type of wind (Akron and R101 were lost to wind shear, Macon to a gust that caused a structural failure). Hell, they're so vulnerable that Macon had a ground accident because of the wind, just being wheeled out of the hanger at Lakehurst.

 

So this guy...he's changed how weather affects balloons?

[Captain Hindsight]

Hydrogen, helium, doesn't matter. The real problem with airships (particularly rigid-frame dirigibles, which because of the framing can thus be much bigger than blimps) is weather. They're too much at the mercy of the wind, and don't recover quickly from sudden changes of direction that Mother Nature might inflict on them. The Hindenburg is the only example I can think of that was lost to something other than some type of wind (Akron and R101 were lost to wind shear, Macon to a gust that caused a structural failure). Hell, they're so vulnerable that Macon had a ground accident because of the wind, just being wheeled out of the hanger at Lakehurst.

 

So this guy...he's changed how weather affects balloons?

Just change the weather

[ICanSleepWhenI'mDead]

 

Just change the weather

The Akron, the Macon and R-101 all crashed by the mid-1930s:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_airship_accidents

 

We can't change the weather, but we are a heck of a lot better at predicting it in 2012 than we were 77 years ago. I don't know how the economics work out, but we can also build much lighter high-strength materials now than we could in the 1930s. The original article points out that the prototype airship will have an aluminum and carbon-fiber skeleton. That's pretty vague, but would seem to indicate at least the possibility of greatly improved material strength to avoid structural failure, despite the need for lightweight construction.

 

I'm no expert on airships, but the original article prompted me to do some googling. Here's a couple more links about their more recent use and/or design. Apparently, the military favors them for use as airborne intelligence gathering platforms.

 

http://theaviationist.com/2012/05/06/spy-blimps/

 

http://gizmodo.com/5907265/heres-the-plan-to-fly-missile+packed-blimps-over-your-home

 

I just find the effort to revive airship use kind of interesting. I wonder if the CA prototype in the original article will ever fly or find commercial uses, or if weather dependency will doom it to failure.

Edited October 19, 2012 by ICanSleepWhenI'mDead

[ICanSleepWhenI'mDead]

More military airship news (actual test of up to 3 years duration starts in DC later this year):

 

http://news.yahoo.com/blimps-bolster-washingtons-air-shield-test-204629886--finance.html

[ICanSleepWhenI'mDead]

. . . I wonder if the CA prototype in the original article will ever fly or find commercial uses, or if weather dependency will doom it to failure.

Turns out, the prototype flew (well, sort of), but a hangar roof collapsed on it later:

 

http://www.gizmag.co...-testing/28970/

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2clnsFvFOs

 

http://www.imdb.com/news/ni0714386/

 

Igor Pasternak, however, still dreams big:

 

http://www.aircargoworld.com/Air-Cargo-News/2013/11/aeroscraft-hopes-to-be-ready-for-market-in-2015

 

The first Aeroscraft of the initial fleet of 22 will be ready for operation in two to three years. The fleet will operate on an ACMI lease. There are two Aeroscraft models: one that holds 66 tonnes of cargo and a larger one that holds 250 tonnes.

Pasternak expects load factors to hover around 75 percent, 30 percentage points more than the air cargo industry’s load factor in September, according to the International Air Transport Association.

* * * * * * * * * *

Though the initial fleet will have 22 vehicles, he says there is a market for 2,500. NASA, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Department of Defense are betting on the Aeroscraft’s success, having given development funding to Aeros.

Edited November 6, 2013 by ICanSleepWhenI'mDead

[dib]

Good luck to him.

 

I thought that there was a worldwide shortage of helium?

They can always use hot air, there's an abundance in Washington D.C.

[Gugny]

They can always use hot air, there's an abundance in Washington D.C. on TBD.

[ICanSleepWhenI'mDead]

They may use them in the Arctic - - what could possibly go wrong?

 

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/09/business/airship-cargo-revolutionize-arctic-transportation/index.html?hpt=hp_c4

 

The company actually has DOD orders for a different product dubbed the "Sky Cow:"

 

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/01/prweb11478360.htm

 

Other recent blimp news:

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pentagon-to-launch-blimps-to-guard-against-cruise-missiles/

[Keukasmallies]

Just change the weather

 

I'll get Al Gore right on it.