Somebody is making real airships with the aim of selling them. And when I say "real airship" I mean dirigible, state-of-the-art materials, thrust vectoring, fiber-optic fly-by-wire, and other innovative goodies.
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I WANT ONE!
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My first thought is "Oh the Huge-Manatee".
It really does remind me of a flying sea-cow, even if it is helium filled. I used to have that image macro, now I can't seem to find it. ________________________________ --m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig? 
It's not so much the shape as the idea. Someone is actively making airships. And selling them. And I want an airship! (^_^)
There's also these guys. Not as cool, but it's an actual Zeppelin.
----- Stand between the Silver Crystal and the Golden Sea. "Youngsters these days just have no appreciation for the magnificence of the legendary cucumber." --Krityan Elder, Tales of Vesperia.
I think I've actually seen the Yokoso Japan Zeppelin flying around here somewhere.
I was talking with a member of the ground crew for the Goodyear Blimp "Spirit of America" based in Carson City, California last weekend. It's about 5 miles from where I live.He had an interesting story
Homeland Security was putting out bids for a LTA drone that can effectively be a low cost satellite hovering around an area of interest. The initial specs called for a cruising altitude of 60,000 ft and lift enough payload to have a decent observation package. Suffice it to say Goodyear pointed out some problems: Problem 1: Gas expands the higher you go. Which means you have to vent helium as you go higher. Problem 2: What's going to happen when it has to go down? An airship is not going to float gently down. It's going to crash. Controlled or uncontrolled are the options. Unless you have a ballast system. Which will have to be water because, the safety issue of having lead weights dropping down from a great height will be an issue. Which means you will have an issue of frozen valves and piping. Effectively the bid went nowhere because of these issues. The most cost effective means would had been an array of tethered LTA's, but whether that flew is a good question. If Aerocraft can be converted into a drone version, it might be what Homeland Security is looking for. __________________ Into terror!, Into valour! Charge ahead! No! Never turn Yes, it's into the fire we fly And the devil will burn! - Scarlett Pimpernell 
Having grown up in Lakehurst, NJ, I've always had a strong interest in LTA craft -- god knows how many blimps and whatnot I saw growing up. Plus I worked right out of college in the next hangar over from where they were developing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piasecki_PA-97]the Helistat. Oh, and Peg and I spotted an Aeros aerostat over Lakehurst Naval Air Engineering Station (now Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst) just a couple years back...
-- Bob --------- Then the horns kicked in... ...and my shoes began to squeak.
...Wow.
I mean, I seriously thought that the Aeros was just vaporware - like Moller's skycars. But... they're actually building them? Awesome. =========== =============================================== "V, did you do something foolish?" "Yes, and it was glorious."
Nice to see that I'm not alone in my interest.
What I would love to see is an enlarged version of the Aeroscraft with stateroom accomodations for about four-hundred. You know, something like Norman Bel Geddes' Airliner #4
Dude, im calling mine the "Highwind".
... if I, ever own one that is.  Public Access Anime : My Justin.tv channel.
ZeonicFreak Wrote:Dude, im calling mine the "Highwind".Powered by gummis? ----- Stand between the Silver Crystal and the Golden Sea. "Youngsters these days just have no appreciation for the magnificence of the legendary cucumber." --Krityan Elder, Tales of Vesperia. 
no, fairly sure there is another, from the FF series of games.
Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to split the sky? That's every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry- NO QUARTER!!! -- "No Quarter", by Echo's Children |
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