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

AAIC 2024 Join Us for an Unforgettable Experience | 24-27th October ​ Kapitän-Lehmannstr. 2, 63263 Neu-Isenburg/Zeppelinheim, Germany TICKETS A range of online and offline tickets are already on sale, with various discounts. REGISTER INTEREST Programme & Partner Hotel to be announced soon Airships in a fast changing world We look forward to welcoming you to AAIC (Airship Association International Conference) 2024, a premier gathering for thinkers, leaders, and enthusiasts in LTA community. Hosted at the iconic Zeppelin Museum Zeppelinheim, this event promises two days filled with inspiring papers, dynamic panel discussions, and exciting networking opportunities. Event Highlights Welcome Drinks Reception: Kick off the event in style with our Welcome Drinks Reception. Mingle with fellow attendees, speakers, and visionaries in a casual and welcoming atmosphere. 2-Day Conference Programme: Embark on a journey of discovery with our carefully curated conference programme. Explore innovative research, engage in thought-provoking discussions, and gain insights from leading experts and enthusiasts from the LTA community. Papers & Panel Discussions: Delve deeper into the topics that matter most to you with our wide range of papers and panel discussions. Whether you're looking to challenge your perspectives or broaden your knowledge, there's something for everyone. Gala Dinner (26th October): Conclude your journey with a gala dinner in association with the Zeppelin Museum Zeppelinheim. Enjoy an evening of fine dining, entertainment, and conversation in a stunning setting. Why Join Us? AAIC is more than a simple gathering; it's a unique chance to be together in person and share a journey of discovery and fun. You'll meet people who share your interests, dive into discussions that spark your curiosity, and come away feeling inspired. Whether you're deeply knowledgeable in this area or just looking to explore something new, this event promises something for everyone, offering a space to explore diverse topics and experiences together. In Association With In association with the Zeppelin Museum Zeppelinheim, The Airship Association International Conference 2024 is set to be an event that uniquely combines the past, present, and future.

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. Semi-rigid Airship The semi-rigid airship differs from the non-rigid in having a load-bearing keel (sometimes running the whole length of the ship) below the envelope, or a frame within the envelope. The keel or frame provides the primary attachment for the gondola(s), engines etc. The semi-rigid airship maintains its shape mainly by the pressure of the lifting gas in the envelope. In the 1920s an Italian semi-rigid airship flew from Norway to Alaska and is now recognised as the first aircraft to fly over the North Pole. The Zeppelin NT airship, designed and constructed in the late 1990s but still in active service today, incorporates an internal load-carrying frame constructed of carbon fibre. This frame is used to carry the engines and gondola, but it does not give the shape of the envelope. This construction, while it has been successful, was chosen to fulfill very specific criteria, and may not have been selected without those customer requirements. The CargoLifter design from the turn of the new century also contained a rigid keel, and while this was never completed it would have been the largest semi-rigid constructed. Rigid Airships The rigid airship contained an internal framework constructed of a lightweight but strong material providing a rigid structure within which were the lifting gas cells; machinery; fuel and living/working space. A separate cover went over the outside of the framework to provide streamlining and weatherproofing. On a typical rigid airship, the hull structure was built upon a row of coaxial circular transverse frames, each kept in shape by a diaphragm of wire bracing which also served to divide the hull internally into compartments, each housing a gasbag. Longitudinal girders connected the peripheries of these frames and were in turn stabilised against axial buckling by further light intermediate transverse frames, which had open centres to clear the gasbags. The intersecting girders and frames divided the outer shell into rectangular panels, each of which was then wire braced to confer adequate rigidity upon the whole assembly. Despite its essential simplicity, this structure presented unprecedented problems in stress analysis at the design stage. Never before had such large space structures been contemplated within the context of a rigorous weight limitation allied to highly speculative loading requirements. New techniques for load analysis were developed, based upon iterative procedures that still form the basis of much computer methodology; in the absence of such devices at the time, however, teams of analysts had to toil with slide rules and drawing boards for weeks on end, like the hypothetical host of monkeys typing Shakespeare, to unravel the load distributions and wire tensions for the assumed flight cases. As the wire bracing threw virtually all the structural members into compression, important advances were also initiated in the design of light-weight compression girders. ​ In construction, as well as in analysis and design, the rigid airship framework was labour-intensive to a degree that might now be dismissed as economically prohibitive; welding techniques for light alloys were still not commercially applicable, so the complex and fragile girders had to be riveted at thousands of small joints, while the whole grid of wire-braced panels had finally to be tuned like some vast piano in pursuit of an optimum load distribution. ​ The first rigid airships were built in the early 1900s, most famously by Ferdinand Count von Zeppelin, whose success with the type led to the name Zeppelin becoming synonymous with the concept of large airships built around an internal skeleton. Rigid airships were used to create the first scheduled passenger air-routes before the First World War, but were then expropriated for military purposes to become the first bombers. Due to the use of hydrogen as a lifting gas, the rigid airships were relatively easy to destroy with aeroplanes and made spectacular victories. After 1918, rigid airships were used both for military purposes by the Americans, and for civilian passenger transport by the Zeppelin Company. ​ Rigid Airships made the first east-west crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, the first aerial circumnavigation of the globe and were planned by the British government to open air-routes to India, Canada and South America. The British experiment with rigid airships, as a means of connecting the empire, took the form of a public/private competition. The competition was held to see who could build a more suitable vehicle for trans-imperial routes private industry of government departments. Tragically, this competition came to an inglorious conclusion after the loss of the government built R 101.Despite the successful flights of the privately built R-100, the government terminated the Imperial Airship programme, and forced the scrapping of R-100 . ​ The Germans continued to build Zeppelins up until 1939, with the very successful Graf Zeppelin LZ-127, the Hindenburg LZ-129 and the later Graf Zeppelin II LZ-130, operating a scheduled transatlantic service up to 1938. The use of Rigid Airships for passenger transport came to an end with the Hindenburg disaster of 1937. The last designs of the pre-war Zeppelin company were intended to use helium as a lifting gas, but America (at the time the only supplier of helium) declined to sell supplies to Nazi Germany. Subsequent development of the aeroplane during the Second World War meant that further construction of rigid airships became uneconomical. The U.S. Navy experimented with Rigid Airships throughout the 1920s and 1930s, culminating in the construction of two airship aircraft carriers USS Akron and USS Macon, each carrying five scout planes. These were used as airborne scouts for the American Fleet, but the conventional Navy never accepted the concept, and the destruction of both airships in accidents terminated any further official interest in the programme. ​ Pathfinder-1, being developed by LTA Research in the U.S.A., is a great example of a modern rigid airship but with carbon fibre struts and modern hull fabrics replacing the aluminium girders and doped canvas of the classic rigid airships from the 1920s and 30s. Hybrid Airships Hybrid Airships attempt to combine aerostatic lift, from the conventional Lighter Than Air (LTA) concept, with various aerodynamic lift capabilities derived from the heavier-than-air industry. Hybrid airships have been proposed for many years, and there are a variety of projects that have attempted to marry the technologies together. ​ Piasecki Helistat (USA) - Rotary lift Aeron Lifting body (USA) Skycat/Hybrid Air Vehicles (UK) - Lifting body Lockheed Martin (USA) - Lifting body Boeing Skyhook (USA) - Rotary Lift RosAeros (Russia) - Variable buoyancy by gas compression Varialift (UK) - Variable buoyancy by gas compression Aeroscraft (USA) - Variable buoyancy by gas compression The Soviet Thermoplane - a helium/hot air cargo transport Lockheed Martin were the first organisation to fly a manned proof of concept vehicle with their P791, which first flew in January 2006. Although video of the first flight shows, what appears to be, alarming instability, Lockheed Martin stated in late 2011 that they have resolved any stability issues using avionics software. ​ Hybrid Air Vehicles were sub-contracted by Northrop Grumman to build a vehicle for the US Army under very tight time constraints. The Long Endurance Multi-intelligence Vehicle made its maiden flight on 7 Aug 2012 but was then scrapped by the DoD and the ship was purchased by Hybrid Air and returned to the UK. After flying a prototype in 2016, plans are now well advanced to build a 10 ton capacity/100 passenger production model (Airlander 10) for a range of missions including persistent surveillance, air mobility and luxury tourism. A 50 ton vehicle is also being planned (Airlander 50). For more information please see the Hybrid Air Vehicles entry on the manufacturers page. Plans to develop a heavy lift transport varient, now rebranded the Airlander, are on-going. The Boeing Skyhook project apparently progressed to design freeze, but there were insufficient backers to take the project to the prototype stage, and it was subsequently shelved. In addition to aerodynamic lift, there is also the potential, initially proposed by Jean-Francois de Roziere, of heating the lifting gas to increase available lift. The principle has been used in the Ballooning world for several world records, but has not yet (to our knowledge) been successfully applied to a Helium airship. There is currently a renewed interest in the Hybrid concept, both for heavy lift and for surveillance purposes from the US Military. Metal-clad Airships The concept for metal-clad airships has been around since the mid-19th century, but the materials sciences of the time was unable to support such a concept. Only one truly metal-clad airship has actually been built, the ZMC-2 built for the US Navy in 1929. ZMC02 used thin aluminium panels (2 mm thick) on internal supporting rings, stitched together with 3.5 million alloy rivets, giving a durable gas-tight construction. The structure, however, needed to be pressurised to sustain flight loads. Additionally, to increase stability of the shell the design gave a double curvature to virtually all points of the skin so the overall design resulted in a short, fat profile. Despite eight tail fins, the chaotic airflow pattern at the rear of the vehicle resulting from the low length/diameter ratio gave an unsteady flight path, and despite ten years successful service the design has not been repeated. Designs for other metal-clads using similar techniques to the ZMC-2, have frequently been proposed. These include the Wren Skyships RS1, and the current proposal by Varialift of the UK. Note: the initial Varialift proposal is planned to test a buoyancy control mechanism. ​ An evolution of the metal-clad, is the composite-clad hull, of the type proposed by Worldwide Aeros. This proposal comprises a framework of composite construction, covered with a gas-tight composite shell. Work on the prototype is underway, funded by the US Military under the Pelican Programme. This project is intended for the Heavy Lift Transport segment. Source: 'An introduction to the Airship' - Edwin Mowforth

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 200 Sample Article Issue 203 Sample Article Issue 201 Sample Article Issue 204 Sample Article Issue 202 Sample Article Issue 205 Sample Article

Privacy Policy About this Policy This policy explains when and why the Airship Association collects personal information about our members and how we use it, keep it secure and club member’s rights in relation to it. The Association will collect, use and store personal data, as described in this Privacy Policy when people engage in activities within the Association. Normally this will be through some level of membership. We reserve the right to amend this Privacy Policy from time to time without prior notice. You are advised to check the Association’s web-site (www.airship-association.org) and/or e-mail news service for any amendments. We will only share your personal data with any third parties as outlined below. We will always comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) when dealing with your personal data. Further details on the GDPR can be found at the website for the Information Commissioner (www.ico.gov.uk ). Responsible person For the purposes of the GDPR, the Membership Secretary will be the “controller” of all personal data we hold about club members and others. The Membership Secretary is responsible for making sure the club complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which applies from 25 May 2018. The Association will review its compliance with GDPR on a regular basis. Member’s rights You have rights under the GDPR: • To access your personal data • To be provided with information about how your personal data is processed • To have your personal data corrected • To have your personal data erased in certain circumstances • To object to or restrict how your personal data is processed in certain circumstances For more details, please address any questions, comments and requests regarding our data processing practices to the Membership secretary (membership@airship-association.org ). The Lawful reasons for processing your data. We have two lawful reasons for processing your data, which is: (a) processing of your data is necessary for the administration of your membership contract (b) processing of your data is necessary to manage the delivery of the printed AIRSHIP Journal and electronic LTA News service. The table below gives further explanation of which lawful reason applies to which data, why we collect it and who we may be required to share it with. The Association will make every effort to ensure data is only shared with organisations that are GDPR compliant. What Information we collect, why we collect it, and who we share it with In addition to the reasons stated below, the Association may have to disclose your data where we have an inescapable legal obligation, and the Association will also capture, and temporarily keep, minimal personal data about non-members who are attending conferences, webinars and other events. ​ ​ Enquiries and other communications with the Association When enquiring about the Association we may hold your details for a period of time to deal with the enquiry. Any e-mails and other communications with the Association will only be retained for a period of time appropriate to the content or request. Association e-mails will be purged on a regular basis. How we protect your personal data The Data Controller will process membership information electronically and hold all information on a database using the Membermojo system. An electronic backup of this information will be managed by Membermojo as part of their service delivery to the Association. A Mailing List will be generated from the database for each edition of AIRSHIP and provided electronically to the Association’s appointed Distributor. An e-mail List will be generated from the database for each LTA News mail-shot and provided to the Association’s Editor. Paper copes of data will be not be held anywhere. If it is necessary to transport data it will be via secured storage media. Any on-line payments we take from members will use a recognised online secure payment system (STRIPE). In the unlikely event of a breach of the security of data we will notify members promptly and we will never sell or pass on your personal data. Request to see your personal information If you wish to know what personal data the Association holds please login to the Membermojo system and view your personal record, or email the Membership Secretary (membership@airshipassociation.org ) and he/she will respond within 14 days of the request. Accuracy and retention of data Individual members are responsible for informing the Association of any changes to their personal data (e.g. address or telephone number changes) and can do this by logging on to the Membermojo system and making the changes to their membership record directly. If you do not wish to do this, it is possible to e-mail any changes to the Membership Secretary (membership@airship-association.org ) and the Secretary will make the change for you. Members will be asked to check and confirm their personal data at each renewal date. All data is kept electronically in the Association’s membership database managed by Membermojo. Your personal data will be kept for the duration of your membership of the Association, and for a period of 3 years after your membership lapses, or is terminated by you, in case you should wish to re-join at a later date. You may, of course, request this data to be deleted sooner. Some data may be unavoidably kept for longer periods in backup copies of the database. In some circumstances, data may be kept for a longer period for reasons of legal and civil action, or other ongoing case management. ​ Policy Review This Privacy Policy was last reviewed in July 2023.

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

Contact Us First name Last name Email Write a message Submit Thanks for submitting! You can email officers of the Airship Association using the following addresses: Chairman for Policy matters only chairman@airship-association.org Treasurer for financial and membership subscription information treasurer@airship-association.org Editor of AIRSHIP The Journal of the Airship Association editor@airship-association.org Information for information concerning modern airship technology info@airship-association.org Papers to submit papers for the Airship Association conference papers@airship-association.org Press all press and similar enquiries press@airship-association.org

< 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.

Manufacturers On this page you will find a list of airship manufacturers that we have reported on in the pages of the AIRSHIP Journal, together with a link to each manufacturer's web-sites. These web-sites are good sources of additional information carrying imagery, latest news stories and, in some cases, detailed technical content. The LTA Research web-site is particularly good and has a 3D model of Pathfinder-1 for you to explore. If you are a current airship manufacturer and would like to be featured on this page then please contact our editor at editor@airship-association.org Atlas LTA Based in Israel Visit website Flying Whales Based in France & Canada Visit website Galaxy US LLC Based in the U.S.A. Visit website Hybrid Air Vehicles Based in the U.K. Visit website LTA Research Based in the U.S.A. Visit website SCEYE Based in the U.S.A. Visit website Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH Based in Germany Visit website

Operators On this page you will find a short list of airship operators that we have reported on in the pages of the AIRSHIP Journal, together with a link to each operator's web-sites. These web-sites are good sources of additional information carrying imagery, latest news stories, and, in some cases, booking functionality where commercial flights are already available. Zeppelin NT and Goodyear both operate tourist flights, and OceanSky Cruises are taking advance bookings for their proposed North Pole expeditions. If you are a current airship operator and would like to be featured on this page then please contact our editor at editor@airship-association.org Air Nostrum Based in Spain Visit website Airsign Airship Group Based in the U.S.A. Visit website Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei GmbH Based in Germany Visit website Galaxy US LLC Based in the U.S.A. Visit website Goodyear Tyre & Rubber Co. Based in the U.S.A. Visit website OceanSky Cruises Based in Sweden Visit website