Welcome The Airship Association believes that Lighter Than Air Vehicles (LTAVs) have the potential to provide viable, cost-effective and environmentally friendly solutions for many roles currently undertaken by more conventional forms of aviation, and their unique capabilities make them particularly suited to specific roles like persistent surveillance, eco-tourism and point to point cargo delivery. ​ The Airship Association aims to promote the science, practice and consideration of all matters relating to airships and to disseminate information about airships through its magazine, web-site, seminars and conference programme. ​ We invite you to explore the information, resources and links on our web-site to learn more about these extraordinary vehicles and, if you would like to be kept up to date with all the latest developments, to consider joining the Association. Just hit the Join Now button. Join Now "We need to transform aviation and we're going to do so through Airships" Carl-Oscar Lawaczek CEO Ocean Sky Cruises “We fully embrace The Airship Association’s new focus on the future of lighter than air as Airlander's story is about pioneering the future of flight. While we honour the valuable lessons of the past, our vision is to create a sustainable mode of travel that is versatile, efficient, and environmentally friendly, by building upon the principles of buoyant lift allied to aerodynamic lift and vectored thrust." Mike Durham CTO Hybrid Air Vehicles

Membership Benefits The Airship Association believes that Lighter Than Air Vehicles (LTAVs) have the potential to provide viable, cost-effective and environmentally friendly solutions for many roles currently undertaken by more conventional forms of aviation, and their unique capabilities make them particularly suited to specific roles like persistent surveillance, eco-tourism and point to point cargo delivery. ​ The Airship Association aims to promote the science, practice and consideration of all matters relating to airships and to disseminate information about airships through its magazine, e-mail news alerts, web-site, webinars and conference programme. ​ O ur full colour journal, AIRSHIP, is published quarterly and is free to members. In addition, the editorial team will send out regular e-mail News Alerts to members with links to all the latest updates, videos and webinars about LTA aviation. ​ The Association also hosts an Annual Dinner with guest speakers which is open to all members. ​ If you would like to know more about the benefits of membership, and the different grades of membership on offer, please scroll down this page. ​ Join us and be part of the journey. Join/Renew/Edit Membership managed by Membermojo.co.uk Membership Types & Benefits 1 Corporate Member Corporate Membership is aimed at companies and organisations operating in the LTA sector who wish to get more involved in the Association's work. In addition to the normal membership benefits listed below, Corporate Members will receive 6 printed copies of AIRSHIP each quarter and two free tickets to the Annual Dinner. Corporate members may also be invited to provide speakers, join working groups and help the Association promote LTA aviation. Join Now 2 Gold Member Gold Membership is aimed at the industry experts and visionaries who don't wish to become corporate members. In addition to the normal membership benefits listed below, Gold Members will also receive one free ticket to the Annual Dinner. Gold members may also be invited to be speakers, join working groups and help the Association promote LTA aviation. Join Now 3 Member This the core membership type and is aimed at LTA professionals, academics and other interetsted parties. Members receive a printed copy of the AIRSHIP Journal every quarter, regular updates in the form of our e-mail News Alerts, and e-mail invitations to all Association events including the Annual Dinner and any webinars or conferences. Some of these events, such as the Annual Dinner, will be chargeable and members will be advised of the cost in the invitation. Join Now 4 Senior Member Senior Members enjoy exactly the same benefits as ordinary members, but at a concessioanry rate. This membership is only open to those aged 65 and older. Join Now 5 Associate Member Associate Membership is aimed at students and apprentices. Associate Members do not receive printed copies of the AIRSHIP journal (all communications, including AIRSHIP, are via e-mail and PDF to minimise our operating costs), nor may they vote at Association meetings, but they may participate in any of our webinars and conferences. Join Now 6 Discounted Memberships Most memberships runs for 12 months from 1st September each year, but there are discounted 3-year membership options for both Members and Gold Members. Join Now

< Back Currently out of print Airships - Designed for Greatness Every so often a new book comes along that, by virtue of the quality of the writing, depth of research or detail of its illustrations, sets the new ‘gold standard’ for that field. So it is with AIRSHIPS: Designed for Greatness - The Illustrated History by Max Pinucci and a team of international experts. If you already have a copy then you will know what I mean, but if you don’t, and if you are at all interested in the history and development of airships, then this is a book that you will want to own. Printed hard covers, and 114 beautifully illustrated pages on ‘art quality’ paper give the book a pleasing weight of over 2kg, but the layout of those pages is what sets the book apart. Each individual page is 45 x 28cm but when you open the book you will find that they been combined into the most amazing double page spreads which, at almost 1 metre wide, lend themselves perfectly to their subject material. And these ‘infographic plates’, as Prof. Pinucci calls them, are the heart of this book because they tell the story of airships from 1900 - 2010 through meticulously illustrated timelines, range charts, size comparisons, routes and, at the core of the book, a series of elegant double page spreads describing 25 of the most famous airships. Each of these 25 airships, from the French ‘Lebaudy Le Jaune’ of 1902 to the German Zeppelin NT of 2003, is illustrated with a finely detailed pen and ink drawing on one page and a brief history and specification panel on the facing page. Along the way, there are cutaway diagrams, close-up illustrations of particular points of interest, and maps to help tell the story. And the list of airships given this treatment is a roll-call through history including the R33, the Norge, the Shenandoah, The Graf Zeppelin, the R100 and R101, the Akron and Macon and the Hindenburg. Ask yourself if your airship bookshelf needs a copy of this book. I think you’ll find it does, especially as Max has just announced a revised version which includes 16 new pages on the history of the polar flights.

Airship Types Non-rigid Airships Semi-rigid Airships Rigid Airships Hybrid Airships Metal-clad Airships Non-rigid Airships The non-rigid airship in its simplest form is a streamlined envelope, containing the lifting gas, with a gondola suspended below it containing the crew accommodation, propulsion and fuel. Most gas airships today are non-rigids because of their comparative simplicity and sturdiness. The modern non-rigid or pressure airship maintains its shape solely by the pressure of the helium in the envelope, supplemented by an adjustable volume of air within internal ballonets. A non-rigid airship, sometimes called a blimp, consists of: ​ the envelope - the primary structure containing the helium gas and the ballonets. the ballonets - air bags inside the envelope which regulate the internal pressure, shape and trim. Air is squeezed out of the ballonets as the gas expands with increasing altitude and forced back in again as the helium contracts when the airship descends. the gondola is the airship's cabin containing the cockpit, engine compartment and facilities for crew, passengers and cargo. It is suspended from cables attached either to an internal load curtain or externally to the envelope sides. propulsion is provided by airscrew engines and may include vectored thrust to assist take-off, landing and holding stationary flight. the empennage - fins, rudders and elevators provide dynamic stability and steerage. Source: 'An introduction to the Airship' - Edwin Mowforth

< Back Available from amazon, price £46.95 Hindenburg There have been many books published about the Hindenburg (this one was published in 1994) but, for me, this large format illustrated book is one of the best because it isn’t just about the Hindenburg. In a series of chapters, all beautifully illustrated with photographs, maps and diagrams, the book traces the development of airships from Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin’s first balloon ride in 1863, through WWI and on to the big American airships, the British experience with the R100 and R101, and a chapter on the ‘globetrotting’ Graf Zeppelin. But from page 141 onwards the book is all about the Hindenburg. Starting with its development, and including some beautiful cut-away drawings and photographs, the book tells the story of the ‘ Ship of Dreams ’ and is full of fascinating detail, including diary entries and excerpts from reports and documents of the time. The book then comes to its tragic finale with the details of the final flight, the crash and the aftermath. There is a good discussion of the possible causes of the crash but, wisely, the author avoids drawing any firm conclusions. This probably isn’t the definitive history of the Hindenburg but it is, in my opinion, the most beautifully illustrated one.

Links Please use the links on this page to explore other airship-related web-sites and You Tube content. These include the Airship Heritage Trust (covering the history of British Airships), it’s American counterpart the Naval Airship Association, Pete Lobner’s extensive library of posts about modern airships, and a number of links to useful You Tube documentaries and presentations. Airship Heritage Trust Our sister organisation covers t he history of all the British Airships from 1900 to the present day and includes notes, photographs and diagrams (where available) for all major British airships, together with an extensive library of links to other resources. The Trust publishes its own quarterly magazine called Dirigible. www.airshipsonlin e.com Naval Airship Association The Naval Airship Association promotes the history , education, applicati ons and technolo gy of lighter-than-air (LTA) vehicles including balloons, blimps, dirigibles, zeppelins an d other airships. The Association publishes its own quarterly magazine called The Noon Balloon. https://www.naval-airships.org/the-noon-balloon ​ Modern Airships The Lyncean Group of San Diego (Lynceans) consists of retired and semi- retired technical professionals who meet regularly to discuss subjects associated with science and technology, to learn from one another, to share thoughts and ideas, and to enjoy a mutual interest in science, technology and related fields. One of their regular contributors is Pete Lobner (he is also a member of the Airship association) and he has developed an extensive library of posts about modern airships in three parts which you can find here: Modern Airships Part 1 - www.lynceans.org/all-posts/modern-airships-part-1/ Modern Airships Part 2 - www.lynceans.org/all-posts/modern-airships-part-2/ Modern Airships Part 3 - www.lynceans.org/all-posts/modern-airships-part-3/ Welcome Aboard the R-100 Produced by the Airship Heritage Trust, this excellent You Tube presentation uses a 3D model to take a tour of the inside of the R-100, and see what it was like to travel in the giant airships of the 1920’s. There is a companion presentation for the ill-fated R-101 airship ( www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEDa1dnBLWk ). www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-4P-6b3lFI Skyship stories Episode 1 This is the first episode of an 8 part series looking at Airship industries’ pioneering airship of the 1980s. This first episode looks at how to become a Skyship pilot whilst other entries in the series cover flying, landing, ground handling and operations. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FumgT9RSO2w What it Takes to Fly the Goodye ar Blimp This is one of several excellent You Tube videos about the latest Goodyear ‘blimps’ and provides a great introduction to flying and operating modern airships. www.youtube.com/watch ?v=xDd-weQE0UM ​ ISO Polar Airships Encouraging the development of airship technology for sustainable transportation and logistics applications in northern latitudes. Home of the Airships to the Arctic Conference. Their 'All About Airships' page links to a number of good resources. https://isopolar.com/

< Back Available from amazon, price £11.17 N4 Down Triumphantly returning from the North Pole on May 24, 1928, the world-famous exploring airship Italia—code-named N-4—was struck by a terrible storm and crashed somewhere over the Arctic ice, triggering the largest polar rescue mission in history. Helping lead the search was Roald Amundsen, the poles’ greatest explorer, who himself soon went missing in the frozen wastes. Amundsen’s body has never been found, the last victim of one of the Arctic’s most enduring mysteries. Braiding together the gripping accounts of the survivors and their heroic rescuers, N-4 Down tells the unforgettable true story of what happened when the glamour and restless daring of the zeppelin age collided with the harsh reality of earth’s extremes.

< Back Available from Amazon, price £19.90 Helium This is an exceedingly comprehensive study of the element Helium and a true work of scholarship. John Taylor traces the beginnings of his fascination with Helium to his association with airships and use of the element as a safe lifting gas. Over a period of some six years the author absorbed a very considerable knowledge of all aspects of the element Helium and has rationalised that into an extraordinary detailed six part book. Where visual aids are applied, they are invariably of a high quality as are illustrations depicting various reactions in diagrammatic form. The book is highly educational and it is no exaggeration in describing it as the definitive work on the Helium element.

< Back Available on amazon, price £44.68 Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company This beautifully curated, 260 page photo history covers the broad sweep of Goodyear’s history from it’s founding in 1898 through to 1951, but while there is much that is of only passing interest to the airship enthusiast, two chapters, and one in particular, stand out. Chapter 4 ( Up, Up and Away , 46 pages) covers Goodyear’s balloons from their early barrage and observation balloons to their specialist stratosphere balloons, and includes 37 b&w photos. Chapter 3 ( Gentle Giants , 39 pages) is probably of more interest to the airship aficionado though. Starting with the original Akron (1912) there are some 30 b&w pictures covering every major class of blimp, patrol craft and rigid airship that Goodyear put its name to, including the Shenandoah and the Los Angeles. It is not a cheap book, and the ePub and ePDF versions offer no savings over the cover price which is a shame, but it is undoubtedly a book of great historical interest.

< Back Available from Amazon, price £106.28 Airship Technology Airship Technology is one of the definitive text books about airships, and this second edition includes a lot of new material. I have a copy of the original 1999 edition and it breaks down into into 18 chapters (each written by a subject matter expert) covering every topic from Basic Principles and Aerodynamics through to Piloting, Performance and Roles and Economic Considerations. It’s not a book you read from cover to cover (unless you’re really keen) but it is a valuable reference book that will become ‘well thumbed’ from taking it down to look something up. This new edition (2012) keeps almost all of the original 18 chapters and then adds several new ones covering topics like the Zeppelin NT, Heavy Lift Airships and Disaster & Humanitarian Relief. It is, without doubt, a comprehensive guide to modern airship design and operation. It’s not cheap but with Christmas coming up it may be the perfect time to add a copy to your bookshelf.

< Back Available from Amazon, price £21.50 Principles of Aerostatics Principles of Aerostatics presents the complete theory of static lift for airships, aerostats and balloons. Concepts are laid out, and building on the derivation of temperature, pressure, density and humidity in the atmosphere and the gas laws, formulas for static lift are derived. The variation of lift with atmospheric and airship parameters, climb and descent, and flight above pressure height are then explored. Both SI and United States Customary Units are employed throughout, and worked examples and calculator programs are provided. The mathematical processes can followed by a reader with an understanding of high school algebra. "This is an excellent and unique work bringing the strands of basic theory together and rendering them into a workable series of mathematical expressions which can be used by any individual with a hand held scientific calculator. It is a most significant contribution to the LTA industry."

The AIRSHIP Journal Here is a selection of articles extracted from recent editions of the AIRSHIP Journal. If you like what you read, we invite you to consider joining the Association and getting the next edition of the Journal delivered directly to you, either printed copy by mail or PDF direct to your inbox. Issue 197 Sample Article Issue 200 Sample Article Issue 198 Sample Article Issue 201 Sample Article Issue 199 Sample Article Issue 202 Sample Article