Would You Set Sail in an Airship?
It sounds like science fiction, but Christopher Ottersbach’s concept airship may one day become a reality. The aerodynamic ship seats 2 to 4 people and could potentially travel for two weeks filled with helium. No infrastructure is necessary. Additional thrust and steering is provided by the crew’s pedal-powered propulsion.
- » See also: Southwest Airlines Debuts Prototype Green Airplane
- » Get CleanTechnica by RSS or sign up by email.
The airship’s vertical shape and fold-out stand allows it to land almost anywhere— no airport needed.
And since helium is both non-flammable and non-toxic, airship navigators don’t have to worry about carbon emissions.
The only potential caveat is the rarity of helium— while the element is the second most abundant element in the universe, it is both scarce and finite on Earth. Additionally, it can only be extracted using low temperature gas liquefaction or recovered from natural gas. This pitfall will probably prevent the airship from ever going mainstream, but the ship could provide a hobby for green flying enthusiasts.
Photo Credit: Aeolus
Great airship. May be that’s the solution. I like This Airship One
http://www.stichtingmilieunet.nl/andersbekekenblog/?p=3086
But this is my favorite:
http://www.stichtingmilieunet.nl/andersbekekenblog/?p=3515
Eh, just use hydrogen, I’m not too concerned about it blowing up. I like the idea of it being pedal powered. I can imagine 3 friends and I going on a sight-seeing trip along the coast line, nice and slow (could hit 25 mph I bet), just pedaling along a few hundred feet up in the air. View and exercise, no danger of cars hitting you!
I can’t help but wonder about frontal area, drag coefficients, and the the problems of flying into any kind of a headwind, and as a hang glider pilot for more than 25 years, I am keenly aware that aviation is not always as simple as it seems… but it sure looks cool!
Though I must admit I go more for the retro look myself — hence http://airships.paulgazis.com/