It’s created to use less fuel than a plane, but carry heavier loads than conventional airships.
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The company that designed and manufactured the Airlander 10 airship, Hybrid Air Vehicles, was bursting with excitement on their Twitter page. “Testament to a GREAT British innovation and an awesome small company”, read another of their tweets. “It’s a combination of an aircraft that has parts of normal fixed wing aircraft, it’s got helicopter, it’s got airship”, he said. The 300-foot long aircraft is also about 50 feet longer than the world’s biggest passenger planes and features four engines and no internal structure to speak of.
The AP says the Airlander 10 was originally created for the USA military, which wanted to use it “for surveillance in Afghanistan”, but the plan was axed in 2013. Airlander 10 can reach an altitude of 16,000 feet (4,900 meters), travel at up to 90 miles per hour (148 kph) and stay aloft for up to two weeks, according to a Digital Journal story in February this year. According to Hybrid Air Vehicles, it can also withstand “numerous bullet holes” and operate “in all weather conditions”.
Following the unexpected delay of Airlander 10’s maiden voyage, Hybrid Air Vehicles announced on Wednesday that the highly-anticipated aircraft is nearly ready for its first flight.
McGlennan is confident there will be plenty of customers for Airlander – both civilian and military – because of its potential to gather data and conduct surveillance for days on end.
McGlennan said Airlander has numerous assets of a helicopter. This can do the same thing that a helicopter can do – that’s to say, provide air transportation for people and goods without the need for a runway – but this thing can take more over longer distances, it’s cheaper and it’s greener.
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Crowds clapped and cheered as the craft soared above them during its first outing from the First World War hangar where it was revealed in March after undergoing “hundreds” of changes by Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) over two years.
