Why airships are experiencing a resurgence.
Chris Sheedy ~ Create
(Image: SkyLifter)
Whether for tourism, advertising, geological surveys or cargo shipping, the humble balloon has always had a reason to stay afloat.
Airships, hot air balloons, zeppelins, dirigibles, aerostats, thermal airships. Call them what you will, they’ve managed to survive seemingly against the odds.
Various experiences from throughout history – including the 1897 North Pole expedition resulting in the deaths of three Swedish adventurers, the 1937 Hindenburg disaster and the 2011 Goodyear blimp crash in Germany that took the life of its Australian pilot – might have seen them relegated.
Instead, the aerospace sector is experiencing a resurgence in lighter-than-air (LTA) technology, considered more sustainable in terms of fuel use, noise pollution and ground infrastructure requirements.
According to U-LTA, a European body initiated to upscale LTA technology, it is being considered for:
Long-haul cargo
Telecommunication in remote or disaster-affected areas
Infrastructure inspection, including powerlines and pipelines
Surveillance
Emergency aid
Passenger transport
Old and new
Empyreal Galaxy, a Mumbai-based airship manufacturer, is combining age-old engineering with new materials and technologies.
The lightweight envelope of its planned airship utilizes a combination of aluminium and carbon fibre, with each airship claiming a working life of 40 years. Its first generation, with a payload capacity of 15-20 t, will be powered by standard aero engines. Later models are planned to have power supplied by solar photovoltaic units and batteries.
LTA Research is combining titanium, Kevlar and carbon fibre reinforced polymers in its hulls, with 12 electric motors lining the sides and tail, each of which can rotate 180 degrees. This will offer excellent low-speed and high-wind manoeuvrability. LiDAR sensors will continuously calculate the volume of helium in the gas cells.
Flying Whales, a French airship producer, is developing a vehicle known as the LAC60T that utilizes 180,000 cubic metres of helium to lift 60 t payloads into remote areas. The hull, 200 m long and 50 m in diameter, will boast a 96 m long, eight-metre high and seven-metre wide cargo hold. The LAC60T is expected to have a maximum speed of 100 kph and a flight ceiling of 3000 m.
Flying Whales is currently working with the Ivory Coast’s Ministry of Transport to decarbonise freight transport with a fleet of 160 airships connecting 22 countries.
Read original full article by Chris Sheedy:
https://createdigital.org.au/airships-experiencing-resurgence-lighter-than-air/