Airships: The Comeback We've Been Waiting For?

Summary

Airships may be making a comeback thanks to innovators applying new technology to improve these old machines. While slower than planes and less powerful than freighters, airships have environmental benefits - they can be very fuel efficient. Companies like Hybrid Air Vehicles, Lighter Than Air Research, and Flying Whales are developing new airship designs and manufacturing techniques to make them cheaper, larger, greener and safer than ever before. However, significant challenges around cost, helium supply, public perception, and unproven technology remain before they can truly compete with or replace planes and freighters.

Takeaways

• 😊 Airships may offer a green middle ground between planes and freighters for transport
• 😮 New airship designs like the Airlander 10 hybrid plane/blimp aim for commercial use by 2029
• 😀 Electric propulsion could make airships 90% cleaner than planes
• 🚀 Google founder is secretly developing a giant 400 foot long airship called Pathfinder 1
• 🤔 Logistics and humanitarian aid are promising uses for modern airships
• 👷‍♂️ New manufacturing techniques make constructing airships cheaper and safer
• 💡 French company Flying Whales designing airships to lift huge awkward cargo like wind turbines
• 😟 Public perception and helium supply issues could limit growth of airships
• 💰 High costs may hinder widespread adoption of this technology
• 🤞 First commercial passenger/cargo airships could launch between 2025-2029

Q & A

What are some of the benefits that airships have over other modes of transportation?

Compared to planes, airships are much more fuel efficient and produce fewer carbon emissions. Compared to sea freighters, airships can travel faster while still carrying heavy cargo loads.

What safety improvements have been made to modern airships compared to historical ones?

Modern airships use helium instead of hydrogen for lift. Helium is much more stable than hydrogen. Also, overall vehicle safety standards have improved significantly over the past 100 years.

How does the unique shape of the Airlander 10 hybrid air vehicle provide advantages?

The Airlander 10 generates up to half of its lift aerodynamically, like an airplane, from its shape and engines/wings. This allows it to combine desirable qualities of both aerostatic and aerodynamic lift.

What technology is LTA Research using to monitor the helium levels and integrity of its Pathfinder 1 airship?

LTA Research has mounted LIDAR systems inside the Pathfinder 1's ballonets to continuously monitor them for punctures and accurately calculate helium volume.

How is the manufacturing process for modern airships like the Pathfinder 1 improved over historical methods?

Historically, airships were built layer-by-layer with scaffolding, requiring dangerous high-altitude work. The Pathfinder 1 uses a rotating system and lasers to construct the airship more safely at ground level.

What is the load-exchange problem in airships and what are some proposed solutions?

When airships unload cargo, they can shoot upwards due to decreased weight. Proposed solutions include releasing helium, using compressors to adjust lift, or using ballast like water or sandbags.

What applications are companies like Flying Whales proposing for large cargo airships?

Flying Whales believes its LCA60T airship could transport unwieldy loads like wind turbine blades, energy towers, logs, and emergency vehicles over rough terrain.

What certification and timeline milestones have recent airship projects achieved?

The FAA certified LTA Research's Pathfinder 1 for test flights. HAV claims the first commercial Airlander 10 will roll out in 2026 and has pre-orders. Flying Whales' prototype should fly in 2025.

How expensive are modern airships compared to other transportation modes?

Modern airships are still estimated to be much more expensive than planes or ships to purchase and operate. This remains one of their biggest hurdles to widespread adoption.

What do you think the future prospects are for modern cargo and passenger airships?

They fill certain niches well, but still face challenges like high costs that likely prevent them from fully replacing planes and ships anytime soon. Hybrid models may see the most success.