California firm working on a “Luxury Liner of the Sky.”
That’s too damned cool.
The company’s website has proposals for military, cargo and commuter applications of the airship as well.
The Meme-Mandated, Semi-Regularly-Updated, Occasionally Coherent Thoughts of G.M. Skarka
That is very cool.
I have to wonder, though, how it would fair in inclement weather, particularly high winds. Do you suppose the engines will provide enough thrust to counter cross-winds effectively? I know they say it will have a top speed of 174 mph, but I think a strong head- or cross-wind could hamper its progress or maneuverability significantly.
Man, I always get my hopes up when I hear about new airships, and then they get cruelly dashed.
Which won’t stop me hoping this time either. Damn that looks cool. And such a civilized way to travel.
Battletech dropships, Mk I.
There’s a couple of companies (at least) working on this concept. One of them that I read about a few years ago is actually only about 30 miles away from where I live so I keep glancing up at the sky in hope! :p
New Scientist had a really interesting article on this idea 2-3 years ago too which I enjoyed so much I’ve incorportaed it into a game I’m working on/off on.
I would _so_ fly in that thing everywhere, even if it took five times as long, instead of in a fixed-wing plane. Saw it in Popular Science last month, too. Cool!
Oh.Fuck.Yes! I wanna see the sky full of those.
It’s not a zeppelin, it’s a neo-zeppelin. You either get it, or you don’t :D
That IS damned cool tho.
The Times last week had an article on two firms in Akron Ohio that are working on airships. It included a picture of a small prototype being built by a large aerospace firm in a corner of the very large blimp hanger and another of the scale prototype being built in a field by two enthusiasts. The second prototype looked similiar to the design above, only with more fins and without the directional thrusters aft.
Apparently the military has a renewed interest in airships as high elevation electronics platforms. I have heard reports of the blimps over Baghdad, but I haven’t seen any pictures.