Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

[thedutchiedutch]

The largest aircraft ever seen as its British creators promised they could deliver up to 1,000 more

and transform how the world responds to international disasters.

Sitting in the only "shed" in the country big enough to accommodate it – one of the two Cardington Hangers

that dominate the Bedfordshire landscape – the 302ft (92m) Airlander is part plane, airship and helicopter.

It can stay in the air for up to three weeks unmanned and is capable of touching down on land or sea.

Link to full article : http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/is-it-a-bird-is-it-a-plane-no-its-the-worlds-largest-hybrid-aircraft-9161099.html

[freetoroam]

The government has donated 2.5 million to this "balloon" project which cost 30 million to build, they hope it will help in future international disasters, well Syria is currently an international disaster, so will this be flying off there soon?.......32.5 million would have gone a lot further to help the flood drenched areas of Britain, and sort out a few starving people around the world too....for ever!

I would like to see this "balloon" take off in the storms to help those watching their homes being swept away.....jeeze, How can anything with a helium filled balloon ontop of it, which cost 30 million pounds, be called green?

Edited March 2, 2014 by freetoroam

[toast]

A similar project was launched in Germany in the 90s by a company named CARGOLIFTER, ending up in insolvency in 2002.

Even if such equipment will be established I´m not sure if there is a market existing that will provide an adequate sales volume

in competition to freight vessels and freight A/C, or can compete against the shipping charges of the established cargo systems.

And weather is a main issue for airships as well.

http://en.wikipedia....fter#Insolvency

Edited March 2, 2014 by toast

[ChrLzs]

When you said 'hybrid', I immediately visualised a huge Prius with wings. Dang, those batteries would make it hard to get off the ground..

[ChrLzs]

BTW, I still think hovercraft are the way to go. They can't fall out of the sky, they can travel over land, water, ice, snow, swamps, marshlands etc, they don't need good roads (indeed anything that ever was a road is fine, no matter how rough..) they don't need good weather (although it helps their speed potential at sea) and they use less energy than boats or trucks. Plus a big one will run over you and leave you essentially unharmed, just knocked to the ground by the air blast or the soft skirt...

Their only problems are that they aren't all that good at going over mountain ranges or huge seas, aren't as fast as aircraft and can be a tiny bit tricky to maneuver or brake..

[keithisco]

This was originally a Military Project for the US DoD to supply a reconnaissance platform above areas of conflict (specifically in this case for Afghanistan). It was to remain "on - station" for 21 days at a height of 20,000 feet supplying ground movement data. I know this because I produced the Functional Safety Case report for H.A.V. The investment came from the USA DoD directly until its funding was cut in a round of general Defense spending reductions.

H.A.V. re - purchased the craft recently.

What is interesting about these craft is that they can be designed to lift up to 1000 tonnes of cargo - now that would make an immense difference in disaster relief

I am also withChrLzs with the hovercraft because it is in serious need of major forward development ever since the scrapping of the last

SRN4. (Image courtesy of Ferryantastic.webs.com)

Edited March 5, 2014 by keithisco