Uses for Airships There have been many uses proposed for Lighter-Than-Air Vehicles (LTAV), some eminently practical, and some which are the stuff of fantasy. While the advances of technologies, techniques and materials may continue to expand the capabilities of LTAV, they will remain a marginal technology until the key decision makers in government and industry can see the clear benefits of using LTAV in a given role. The politics of economics also plays a major part in the broad acceptance of LTA vehicles. While the design and construction of conventional aircraft can support tens of thousands of jobs across the economy, the comparative simplicity and small range of roles that LTA vehicles can currently undertake, will probably only support a small industry. However, the drive for low- and then zero-emission aviation, and the need for low-energy aviation solutions as the world transitions away from fossil fuels and onto renewable energy, has bought airships back into sharp focus. Their use of free-lift from their lifting gas, together with their internal space and low energy requirements, make airships a good platform for early deployment of hybrid engines, fully electric propulsors, and ultimately hydrogen fuel-cell. Airships have the capability of being zero-emission long before conventional Heavier-Than-Air aviation. In the opinion of the Airship Association, the following roles can be best fulfilled by LTAV which are currently in production, or are in the design phase from reputable/proven manufacturers or engineering houses. Surveillance related tasks, using manned, optionally manned or unmanned vehicles, include: Persistent Surveillance: Conventional Airships have proven cost effective in this role particularly in the maritime environment, although it was also used with some success in Northern Ireland in the mid 1990's. This past success has been due to a number of factors: the long endurance of LTAV when compared to other aerial platforms; the low vibration environment; fuel economy. Use of tethered Aerostats in Iraq, Afghanistan and along the southern border of the USA has also raised the comparative economy of LTA platforms as an airborne platform for area surveillance Security Surveillance (event security such as the Olympics) Maritime Surveillance: although there are no LTAV currently flying that can match the multi-day endurance of the US Navy Airships of the 1959's and 1960's, the concept of increasing the horizon of a naval task force that has no access to carrier or land-borne aircraft, with a low-cost force-multiplier should be fairly attractive in certain areas. For example, the radar of a frigate at 30m above sea level can cover some 21.6 KM to its horizon, giving it a coverage of @ 1,464 sq km. A radar at 1660m above sea level, would have a horizon at 148km and a coverage of some 68841sq km. Conservation Work: whether complimenting the work of anti-poaching patrols in the world’s nature reserves, or working with the authorities to stop illegal logging operations in the Amazon rain forrest, or illegal strip mining in Africa, airships are uniquely positioned to make a difference in this critical area by using their long endurance and ability to carry sophisticated sensor loads. Point to Point Heavy Lift Transport. The current crop of Hybrid designs seems to hold a great deal of promise to overcome many of the weaknesses of earlier generations of LTAV. In particular some of the ground-handling and load-exchange problems that have dogged LTA designs over the decades have been addressed. Some of the hybrid designs are claimed to be capable of transporting up to 200 tons over a range of 3200 miles, with a trade-off between increasing range and reducing the disposable payload. Humanitarian Relief Operations. Some of the newer designs for heavy-lift airships such as the Airlander 50, Pathfinder-3, Flying Whales and ATLANT vehicle lend themselves to carrying emergency relief supplies into disaster areas because of their ability to land in unprepared landing sites close to the point of need, or, if circumstances dictate otherwise, to hover while they off-load cargoes. In this role they combine the heavy-lift capabilities for the ubiquitous C130 Hercules with the versatility of a helicopter. One company wants to go further and equip their heavy-lift cargo airships with a fully fitted emergency clinic an trauma centre (complete with staff) that can be flown directly to the point of need. Eco-Tourism. There are many beautiful areas of the world where increasing levels of tourism are damaging the environment, or where it is simply not possible to build the kind of infrastructure needed to support tourism, where the airship's zero-emissions and ability to operate without infrastructure, offer viable alternatives. The adage that visitors should ’take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints’ is fully realised by airship-enable tourism. Whether observing the wild-life in Africa whilst flying almost silently over them at 400’, or visiting previously inaccessible places like the arctic or antartic, eco-tourism is now likely to be one of the first commercial roles for airships.

< 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 £20.61 When Giants Ruled the Sky Exclusive excerpt for AIRSHIP from, When Giants Ruled the Sky: The Brief Reign and Tragic Demise of the American Rigid Airship by John J. Geoghegan. Copyright John J. Geoghegan Rear Admiral William A. Moffett, Chief of the U.S. Navy’s Bureau of Aeronautics, departed Washington, D.C. accompanied by his naval aide early Monday afternoon, April 3rd, 1933. Normally, Moffett preferred flying to Lakehurst, New Jersey where his newest rigid airship, the USS Akron (ZRS-4) was based. After all, he was head of naval aviation. But the weather was sketchy, so he made the long drive in his staff car instead not wanting to risk being grounded. When the Admiral arrived at Lakehurst Naval Air Station nearly six hours later the huge slab-like doors of Hangar No. 1 were already open. Inside, the Akron , her airframe poking through her canvas-covered hull like the ribs of a steer, hovered off the concrete floor. That something larger than a battleship could float in the air seemed counterintuitive--as if the airship were thumbing her nose at gravity. And yet there she was illuminated by overhead lights with a shadow beneath her proving it was no magic trick. Moffett’s car pulled into the Akron’s hangar followed by a shrill whistle alerting the crew to fall in place. While the men came to attention, their breath visible in the chilly night air, the Akron’s captain, Commander Frank C. McCord, greeted Moffett with a smart salute. NAS-Lakehurst was the heart of Moffett’s rigid airship program. Still, Moffett wasn’t satisfied with having a dirigible base on the east coast of the United States. He was building a second one in California as well. In the meantime, the culmination of everything America knew about big rigids operated just a few miles south of New York City. There was nothing small about Moffett’s rigid airship program. From the size of its budget to the thousands of miles the Akron could fly without having to land, no string of superlatives quite did it justice. There’s no denying the Akron was a window into the future. A miracle of modern engineering, she was state-of-the-art for the U.S. Navy when commissioned in 1931. Seven hundred and eighty-five feet long and 140 feet tall, she dwarfed everything around her including her crew which looked Lilliputian by comparison. Even King Kong, the giant ape in a new movie released the previous month was a chimp by comparison. Size didn’t mean she was slow, however. The Akron was the fastest dirigible the Navy had ever flown. Her eight Maybach engines generated a top speed of more than 80 miles per hour. That wasn’t as fast as airplanes of the day, but the Akron didn’t need to be. Her job wasn’t to get some place in a hurry, but to scout thousands of square miles for days at 1 a time. This required range not speed. Able to travel more than 10,000 miles without refueling, the Akron was a marathoner not a sprinter. Incredibly, she was also a self-contained city in the sky with everything she needed to keep her 80 man crew aloft for days on end. This included three separate mess halls plus a galley; three separate sleeping quarters for her officers, Chief Petty Officers, and enlisted men; “heads” with toilets and sinks (if not showers); navigation and radio rooms; a weather center; sick bay, smoking room, and captain’s cabin all residing inside her enormous hull connected by a labyrinth of catwalks, stairs and ladders. Additionally, the Akron not only had running water, but her own power plant to generate electricity. Eighteen telephones spread throughout the ship assisted communication while eight machine gun emplacements helped repel attack. There was even a sub cloud observation car that could be lowered on a cable to spy on the enemy below. If that wasn’t impressive, the Akron was also a flying aircraft carrier. She not only carried two airplanes inside her belly, which could be deployed and retrieved in mid-flight, but a third which hung from a trapeze outside the airship. The world had seen nothing like it. Unfortunately, the Akron also suffered from the same high hopes so many first born are saddled with. Although she’d only been flying 18 months, there was the feeling she wasn’t living up to expectations. Having experienced a series of mishaps as well as judged vulnerable to being shot down, the Akron had a long ways to go before proving herself an effective ocean-going scout. One flight wasn’t going to change that, but Rear Admiral Moffett wanted to be on board that night if for no other reason than to demonstrate she could fly even in inclement weather. As if being a wunderkind weren’t enough, the future of America’s airship industry depended on how the Akron performed. If she did well then the financial community would feel comfortable investing in passenger-carrying airships, but if the Akron failed to live up to expectations then the financial markets would steer clear of what they deemed a risky investment. In other words, Moffett to show the Akron could fly in poor weather if he wanted the financial community to invest in America’s nascent airship manufacturing industry. That’s why he didn’t want a fewstorm clouds preventing the Akron from taking off that night. Unfortunately, that decision would cost Moffett his life.

< 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 €190,00 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.

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.

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/

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

< 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 £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.

Welcome "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." 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. 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. 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. 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