Airship

Hello Goodyear

nobody@flickr.com (lazzo51) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 04:30:36 -0700

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Goodyear gets a lift as work begins on new blimp fleet. At Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s Wingfoot Lake hangar they are building Goodyear’s airship future: the first of three larger, faster airships that will replace the company's iconic blimp fleet.

Read more at www.toledoblade.com/business/2013/03/26/Goodyear-gets-a-l...

Good bye LEMV

nobody@flickr.com (lazzo51) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 04:18:33 -0700

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Army nixes airship project
Budget woes, Afghan pullout doom LEMV

More than $350 million later, a 300-foot hybrid airship that was tested at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst has been scuttled by the U.S. Army, a casualty of plans to wind down American forces in the conflict, and the military’s mounting budget difficulties.

Now, its British builders want to buy back the airship, which was designed for omniscient battlefield surveillance over Afghanistan

www.app.com/article/20130401/NJNEWS10/304010007/Army-nixe...

What do we know about Zeppelins

nobody@flickr.com (lazzo51) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 04:35:28 -0700

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Modern planes can do a lot, from breaking the sound barrier to providing the setting for the best Nic Cage movie of all time, but for all their modern innovation, only 1 airborne vehicle has ever had the balls to earn the title of "Airship."

Read more: www.cracked.com/funny-7020-zeppelins/#ixzz2OpjXOK00

www.cracked.com/funny-7020-zeppelins/

Reply to Over 2,000 Pics!

nobody@flickr.com (lazzo51) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 11:11:56 -0800

lazzo51 posted a reply:

Come on 3000! only 53 pics away, Kemon01 I know you can help us out :)

Hindenburg mystery solved after 76 years

nobody@flickr.com (lazzo51) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 11:08:56 -0800

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The airship had become charged with static as a result of an electrical storm. A broken wire or sticking gas valve leaked hydrogen into the ventilation shafts, and when ground crew members ran to take the landing ropes they effectively "earthed" the airship. The fire appeared on the tail of the airship, igniting the leaking hydrogen.

"I think the most likely mechanism for providing the spark is electrostatic," said Mr Stansfield. "That starts at the top, then the flames from our experiments would've probably tracked down to the centre. With an explosive mixture of gas, that gave the whoomph when it got to the bottom."

The airship historian Dan Grossman agrees. "I think that's exactly what happened. I think you had massive distribution of hydrogen throughout the aft half of the ship; you had an ignition source pull down into the ship, and that whole back portion of the ship went up almost at once."

www.independent.co.uk/news/science/hindenburg-mystery-sol...

Airship Makers Float New Craft to Erase Hindenburg Blot

nobody@flickr.com (lazzo51) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 11:07:26 -0800

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www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-12/airship-makers-float-ne...

A drop in the price of carbon fiber and advances in systems that can control the buoyancy of the even largest airships have also encouraged development of models that aim to move goods faster than surface ships and at half the cost of a Boeing Co. 747. A 500-foot dirigible being built by California-based Aeros Corp. will carry 66 tons, according to founder Igor Pasternak.

Airship Ventures to end operations in San Francisco

nobody@flickr.com (lazzo51) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 08:45:51 -0800

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Airship Ventures, the Mountain View company that took passengers on joy rides in what it billed as the world's largest passenger airship, the Zeppelin Eureka, is closing, the firm said Thursday.

Company officials said they would cease operations out of Moffett Field immediately and plan to provide refunds to customers who have already booked flights.

Founded in 2007, Airship Ventures focused on taking passengers "flightseeing" in the Eureka, a Zeppelin NT (new technology) built in Friedrichshafen, Germany. There are only two like it in the world - here and in Germany.

"There's still a one- to two-week window for a white-knight corporate sponsor" to step forward, said CEO Brian Hall, adding that for $5 million to $6 million, a company could tack its logo on the side of the Zeppelin for one year. "It is with a very heavy heart that we've come to this point."

But the lack of a long-term sponsor and a world helium shortage - the gas is used to lift the airship off the ground - put the kibosh on the company, Hall said.

Airship Ventures has been leasing the Eureka from the Zeppelin company, which is expected to disassemble the airship and send it back to Germany.

"It's an inelegant end for the Eureka," said Hall, who has launched a social-media campaign to try to save the company.

At 246 feet long, the Eureka is 15 feet longer than a standard Boeing 747 and 50 feet longer than the largest commercial blimps. The per-passenger cost of a flight ranged from $375 to $950. Not including the pilot and flight attendant, the Zeppelin's cabin could hold 12 passengers. Features included panoramic windows, which could be opened during flight, and a 180-degree rear observation window and seat that wraps around the aft of the cabin.

Typically, the craft cruised at 35 to 40 miles per hour and provided passengers with such air views as Wine Country, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, Ore., and Seattle.

Besides the tourism business, the Eureka was used on government missions - NASA used it for a meteorite-seeking assignment over Sacramento and Sonoma - and by science and environmental research groups.

Despite taking up more than 20,000 passengers, the company was hampered by the recession. "We were just never able to get regular sponsorship," Hall said. "And since we started, helium prices have increased tenfold."

Read more: www.sfgate.com/business/article/Airship-Ventures-ends-ope...

GAO: Future Aerostat and Airship Investment Decisions Drive Oversight and Coordination Needs

nobody@flickr.com (lazzo51) — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 05:06:00 -0800

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What GAO Found

GAO identified 15 key aerostat and airship efforts that were underway or had been initiated since 2007, and the Department of Defense (DOD) had or has primary responsibility for all of these efforts. None of the civil agency efforts met GAO's criteria for a key effort. Most of the aerostat and airship efforts have been fielded or completed, and are intended to provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) support. The estimated total funding of these efforts was almost $7 billion from fiscal years 2007 through 2012. However, funding estimates beyond fiscal year 2012 decline precipitously for aerostat and airship efforts under development, although there is an expectation that investment in the area will continue.

Three of the four aerostat and airship efforts under development, plus another airship development effort that was terminated in June 2012, have suffered from high acquisition risks because of significant technical challenges, such as overweight components, and difficulties with integration and software development, which, in turn, have driven up costs and delayed schedules.

DOD has provided limited oversight to ensure coordination of its aerostat and airship development and acquisition efforts. Consequently, these efforts have not been effectively integrated into strategic frameworks, such as investment plans and roadmaps. At the time of GAO's review, DOD did not have comprehensive information on all its efforts nor its entire investment in aerostats and airships. Additionally, DOD's coordination efforts have been limited to specific technical activities, as opposed to having a higher level authority to ensure coordination is effective. DOD has recently taken steps to bolster oversight, including the appointment of a senior official responsible for the oversight and coordination of airship-related programs. However, as of August 2012, DOD has not defined the details relating to the authority, scope, and responsibilities of this new position. Whether these steps are sufficient largely depends on the direction DOD intends to take with aerostat and airship programs. If it decides to continue investing in efforts, more steps may be needed to shape these investments.

Why GAO Did This Study

Use of lighter-than-air platforms, such as aerostats, which are tethered to the ground, and airships, which are freeflying, could significantly improve U.S. ISR and communications capabilities, and move cargo more cheaply over long distances and to austere locations. DOD is spending about $1.3 billion in fiscal year 2012 to develop and acquire numerous aerostats and airships.

GAO was asked to determine (1) what key systems governmentwide are being developed and acquired, including funding, purpose, and status; (2) any technical challenges these key efforts may be facing; and (3) how effectively these key efforts are being overseen to ensure coordination, and identify any potential for duplication. To address these questions, GAO reviewed and analyzed documentation and interviewed a wide variety of DOD and civil agency officials.

What GAO Recommands

GAO recommends that DOD take actions based on the extent of its future investments in this area: (1) if investments are curtailed, ensure it has insight into all current and planned efforts in the short term; (2) if investments increase significantly, include the efforts in strategic frameworks to ensure visibility and coordination, guide innovation, and prioritize investments; and (3) ensure the roles and responsibilities of the senior official responsible for the oversight and coordination of airshiprelated programs are defined. DOD concurred with the recommendations.

www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-81

Reply to A bigfoot hunting Airship!

nobody@flickr.com (hindenburg101) — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 12:22:45 -0700

hindenburg101 posted a reply:

Oh, lordy!

A bigfoot hunting Airship!

nobody@flickr.com (lazzo51) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 09:52:24 -0700

lazzo51 posted a new topic:

www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2217965/Can-steal...

Can a stealth airship finally capture definitive video evidence of Bigfoot? U.S. team to take to the skies over California in attempt to track down the elusive creature