De Beers used one with great success in Africa to hunt for diamonds because its flight characteristics were superior to that of a helicopter for this role. Modern airships are very different from those of the past take a look at the Zeppelin NT - extremely maneuverable. These conditions are a joy to fly in and you can do a great deal with the airship. The most important things are the gusts and quick changes of direction once the sun is low on the horizon and no longer heating the ground and air, which are on a typical day the main causes of gusts and variable directions, the wind will settle down to a steady speed and direction. This is not always the case, but very often is. Often the most reliable is just before dawn and there is a temperature inversion during which the winds at the surface are calm as a result. They're talking about serving a variety of markets: military rapid bulk transport, air cargo, aerial cruises, etc.Īs a commercial airship pilot (11 + years and 6500+ hours) I can report that there are usually times during the day when the wind does drop. Quote from: sanman on 11:41 pm I think in this case, it's their market goals which seem more flexible. Even if Stratolaunch fails in their primary business goal, I was thinking that their aircraft might likewise end up being useful for special cargo transport of rocket stages, aircraft fuselages, etc. Granted, it will take some time before they can get to building much larger models which will have much greater niche utility beyond the reach of conventional alternatives.Įxtremely large transport aircraft like the Soviet-built An-225 are fully booked with orders. So in other words, it can vary its buoyancy without venting lifting gas, or dropping ballast weight. It can pump helium in and out of a compressed tank, to fill up the buoyant lifting cells. With this new Aeroscraft, it works like a flying submarine. I remember paying attention to CargoLifter when it came out, but they didn't seem to have anything new and special in their technology. They're talking about serving a variety of markets: military rapid bulk transport, air cargo, aerial cruises, etc. I think in this case, it's their market goals which seem more flexible.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |