All About Airships

[Facepiehole]

If I had it my way, we'd all still float around in these things.
I'm real glad popular culture is back to portraying them; suckerpunch, bioshock 3, etc.
I thought we'd ought to have a thread devoted to these beautiful machines filled of helium.


And here is the infamous Hindenburg floating majesticly above the city:

the Captain of the Hindenburg who survived the crash, Max Pruss

Here's the angry German the airship is named after, Mr. Hindenburg:

And finally, the Hindenburg at it's fate:

 

[lord_k]

the Captain of the Hindenburg who survived the crash, Max Pruss...

Sorry, wrong caption. It's a portrait of Dr. Hugo Eckener, the Zeppelin Company CEO.
And here is Max Pruss:

Btw, Airhips.net is highly recommended.

 

[Shangas]

If airships weren't such a darnedly dangerous thing to operate, I would advocate their return to commercial passenger services. But history tells us that a simple thunderstorm can bring down an airship.

 

[lord_k]

... a simple thunderstorm can bring down an airship.

It's true. But Graf Zeppelin and her elder sister USS Los Angeles served for many years with no major accidents.

(Photo: Airships.net)

 

[MPicciotto]

Can you imagine the possibilities for luxury cruises and extreme sports with a rigid airship these days?

How about bungee jumping? Or hang gliding platform? Modern electronics, plastics etc would be able to reduce the weight of so many of the structures and components making it more efficient then before when using helium as a lifting gas. Modern weather forecasting means the ability to stay away from storms (admittedly that might mean not visiting the Eastern or mid-western US from April till Oct. But hey the storms can be dodged

Matt

 

[W4ASZ]

Can you imagine the possibilities for luxury cruises and extreme sports with a rigid airship these days?

How about bungee jumping? Or hang gliding platform? Modern electronics, plastics etc would be able to reduce the weight of so many of the structures and components making it more efficient then before when using helium as a lifting gas. Modern weather forecasting means the ability to stay away from storms (admittedly that might mean not visiting the Eastern or mid-western US from April till Oct. But hey the storms can be dodged

Matt

Lighter-than-air aircraft have a very good safety record. Fishing out actual statistics isolated for blimps, dirigibles, and Zeppelins is more work than I care to undertake, however.

Flying today's airlines is a vile experience, even leaving the TSA out of consideration. But I can wrap my mind around this.

 

[deeoeraclea]

zeppelin airship documentaries