Preliminary numbers are encouraging: While initial seat fares for trans-Atlantic dirigible crossings can be expected to rival the exclusive, $1,000+ ticket prices for the Concorde supersonic transport, as more dirigibles come on-stream and environmentally-regulated airlines continue to face untenable and rising fuel costs, the respective price of passenger tickets for “jumbo” airliners and 100 to 150-passenger dirigibles can be expected to soon intersect in the $400 to $500-a-seat range. When they do - and perhaps long before, given the inherent luxuriousness of airship travel - long-haul viability will shift in favor of airships.
Infoweekly suggests a very slow, 4,339 kilometer flight from Boston to San Francisco using the ZT 12-seater. Assuming no headwind, or speed-boosting tailwinds, the 54-hour train-like flight will burn 1,184 gallons of aviation gasoline. Adjusted for May 2008 Avgas prices, and excluding the costs of maintenance, pilots and ground crew, minimum ticket prices would be about $600 per person. (Actual sight-seeing flights of several hours duration already approach or exceed this figure.)
But a slightly faster-flying dirigible carrying 162 passengers would cut this fare to about $225 per person. Even with additional costs and profit factored in, $400 seat prices are possible.
Take away fossil fuel costs and profitability - to coin a phrase - soars.
“Of course, this calculation is missing the economy of scale. Right now we don't have huge zeppelins because nobody will pay to build them. But what if we did? Well, the useful load grows proportional to volume, i.e. like the cube of the radius. On the other hand, the drag force (which is what the engines are fighting) grows like the area, i.e. like the square of the radius,” Infoweekly reports. The “sweet spot” of profitability lies somewhere in between.
[infoweekly.blogspot.com]
Why not consult the airship experts who have already crunched the numbers based on extensive design testing and actual flight experience? Here is a quick overview of the leading airship manufacturers/operators today, complete with contact information:
AIRSHIP VENTURES
Los Gatos, California
Having recently secured $8 million to purchase as $7 million 12-passenger Zeppelin NT (see below), Airship Ventures has taken delivery of their 246-foot-long NT07 airship from Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik. With FAA certification now completed at Moffat Field, the company is on-track to commence sight-seeing flights 1,000 feet over San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge and Napa Valley “wine country” in September 2008.
While unable to sell tickets until the NT07 is in operation, the Los Gatos startup is offering a priority waiting list and gift certificate purchase on-line. and. The few thousand tickets available for the 70 flights scheduled in the first year of operations are expected to go quickly.
The first Zeppelin NT has flown more than 60,000 passengers and 100,000 flight hours over Germany without incident over the past seven years.
Brainchild of Brian Hall, the founder of the software company Mark/Space successfully negotiated with city council and NASA to use former Navy wooden blimp Hangar Two at Moffett Field. Hangar One housed the 785-foot USS Macon in 1934.
To be christened either "Spirit of California" or "Spirit of San Francisco", the California zeppelin will offer rides for $250 to $300 per person. "It's like sitting in an armchair and realizing you're hundreds of feet in the air," Hall says. "It's smooth and you float over everything."
Another ZLT is causing a stir on YouTube with sightseeing flights over Tokyo's, where Nippon Airship is offering 90-minute weekend and holiday flights low over the city's skyscrapers for $1,100 per passenger -slightly more for a special Christmas night flight, and a sunrise excursion on New Year's Day. Japan Travel Bureau hopes to offer services in other parts of Japan in the spring, possibly to include trips over imperial burial mounds in Osaka and Buddhist temples in the ancient capital of Kyoto.
A fourth ZLT is being chartered by DeBeers Diamonds in South Africa. A fifth is scheduled to begin flying over London later this year.
“One can't help but be inspired by the historic setting -- the past home to the Macon and fleets of Navy blimps - and how appropriate for it to become the future home to modern high-tech airships on the eve of its 75th birthday," said Brian Hall, president of Airship Ventures. [infoweekly.blogspot.com; californiadaytrips.blogspot.com May 7/08; paloaltodailynews.com Sep 9/07; Mountainview Voice Feb 22/08; airshiptimes.com May 11/08; Sunnyvale Sun April 8/208; Guardian Nov 20/07; fz-juelich.de]
Airship Ventures' “top flight” management team includes:
President Brian Hall's “passionate interest in space, aviation and airships” was stoked after a Zeppelin NT07 flight over Germany convinced him that “this was the perfect vehicle for operations in the USA.” Responsible for the strategic direction of Airship Ventures, Hall is experienced in start ups, and “particularly excited about the future potential for airship technology.”
As a former CEO in charge of a visitor attraction/science center, CEO Alexandra Hall's background in business, management and fundraising are capped by an understanding of what the public wants - “and delivering it with exceptional customer service.” An astrophysics major, and former BBC television host, Hall also boasts a “large network of contacts in local, state and federal agencies, as well as within aerospace and aviation academic background.”
Interim CFO Lynn Roulo brings 15 years of professional experience in accounting, finance, and operations for venture capital, high technology and healthcare companies.
Retired U.S. Navy Captain and helicopter pilot. Dwayne Oslund will integrate airship operations, maintenance and facility requirements at Moffat Field and satellite bases around the USA and abroad.
CXO Communication is a strategic communication consultancy will align the Airship ventures brand with their business strategy.
Morrison and Foerster LLP will offer client services and deal with any legal challenges. They will be assisted by Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, one of the oldest and broadest aviation practices, representing clients - “including the largest aerospace companies” -on all continents.
Airship Consultant and Zeppelin Pilot J. Scott Danneker has 22 years experience as an airship pilot, and is licensed to pilot commercial airships, conduct flight training and certification flight testing by the FAA, the LBA in Germany. He is also licensed by the CAA in Great Britain and the JCAB in Japan.
While employed by Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik as chief test pilot, Danneker “introduced new operational techniques and procedures necessary to maximize the effectiveness of the airship's unique thrust vector steering arrangement.” He demonstrated the capabilities of the NT at the 2001 Paris Air show, and served with the Zeppelin/DeBeers survey team in Jwaneng, Botswana. In 2003, he was awarded the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Lighter-Than-Air Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Zeppelins kick ass. Those graceful, beautiful airships of the past… are there to stay.” -
witigonen.com
UP SHIP!
AIRSHIP INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
By William Thomas
Dirigibles are happening! Airship fever is once again infecting Popular Mechanics, and usually staid news services like the BBC are waxing ecstatic over the return of lighter-than-air travel. East, West, North and South - the world is awakening to the benefits of luxurious, stress free, fuel-efficient, low pollution, low noise, short-haul and long distance aerial conveyances that can deliver passengers and cargo point-to-point virtually anywhere on Earth without the need for large airports, terminals and related infrastructure.
Investors in Europe, Africa, Japan and the United States are already stepping forward to purchase 12-passenger, reincarnated Zeppelin NT's for “flightseeing”, scientific charters, diamond prospecting and flying billboards.
But so far, no one has seized the moment to inaugurate a short-haul airshipline using these proven, off-the-shelf “ZNT” airships scaled up to seat 19 passengers and crew. While these slow-flying, extremely fuel-efficient airships - which derive almost all of their lift from nonflammable helium gas -cannot yet compete with turbo-prop airplanes, the aerial playing field is changing as fast as rising fuel costs force big commercial carriers into higher fares - and insolvency.
For those with deeper pockets and a bolder vision, as evinced by more than $1 billion in advance orders for Ohio Airship's unique, heavy-lift “Dynalifters”, opportunities in providing long-haul (transoceanic) cargo charters “point-to-point” without the need for roads, wharves or airports already abound in burgeoning yet underdeveloped countries in Africa, as well as South America and the Middle East.
Even in the United States, decrepit rail service and a trucking industry already going into spasm over escalating diesel fuel costs, will soon open markets in medium-haul, as well as coast-to-coast airship cargo delivery.
Very large rigid airships bring modern materials and technological innovations to the outmoded but still fabulously successful zeppelin concept. With major world airlines in near-panic following the recent oil price run-up to $130/barrel, timing is ideal to inaugurate heavy lift airships already in development and prototype testing for long-distance scheduled passenger service. This investment climate can only improve as oil prices continue to soar toward $200/barrel - especially if conventional petroleum-powered airship engines for far more efficient solar-hydrogen electric motors.
Driven by hydrogen fuel cells storing electricity provided by solar energy from collectors arrayed atop the ship's 900-foot-long hull, these engines would require very little hydrogen fuel. Hydrogen consumed in already-developed fuel cells could be easily replenished from the millions of cubic feet of helium-hydrogen gas mix already carried onboard. Instead of having to valve off this valuable lifting gas to prevent the ship from rising as fuel is burned off, the same amount of hydrogen could be burned for propulsion - offering a virtual “free ride”. (Since water vapor in the atmosphere traps much more heat than carbon dioxide, the pure water vapor exhaust emitted by hydrogen-burning engines can be easily recaptured for onboard use.)
Alternately, a small portion of water ballast carried onboard can be converted into hydrogen as needed, using solar energy.
In all cases, investors who insist on powering their airships with available technology that does not burn fossil fuels will enjoy a large and growing lead over their “fossilized” competition.
CONTACT:
Airship Ventures, Inc.
NASA Research Park
P O Box 345
Moffett Field, CA 94035-0345
Leave a message at 1 650 969 8100
Send a fax to 1 650 969 8101
Visitors come to:
Airship Ventures, Inc
NASA Research Park
Building 156
Moffett Field, CA 94035
“What we need are zeppelins. To be specific, what we need are modern, advanced, badass zeppelins.” -
witigonen.com
ALOFT WITH THE NT
“When was the last time you actually enjoyed flying?” asks the BBC's Anthony Smith. “Last week I flew in a Zeppelin. We just cruised for 40 minutes, but could open the windows, speak without effort, enjoy watching the world go by 1,000 feet below, and tell ourselves what it must have been like when far bigger airships were having their heyday…
“What a flight, with meals in the dining room, cabins to sleep in, and our beautiful planet… usually a mere 1,500 feet below. Perhaps down to Rio in one hop, dancing if you felt like it, walking about… And then stopping above your destination, watching the sun come up… disembarking without the used-rag feeling which modern aircraft induce but refreshed, invigorated, well-fed, well-slept and delighted to be alive.
“The one thing everyone knows about airships is that Hindenburg spectacularly caught fire when landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey after a flight from Germany. The Hindenburg crashed along with the airship industry in 1937. What is less well known is that two-thirds of those on board, 62 out of the 97 passengers and crew, survived the disaster. Non-flammable helium is more inert than water. It certainly cannot catch fire.
“Imagine taking off in an airship from Heathrow, ascending far more quietly and steeply than everything else, before setting off for, say, Rome at the entrancing height of 1,500 feet… Watch Kent and its orchards go by, then Dover's white cliffs, and the busy English Channel. Cruise over French chateaux, admire their vineyards, and then repair - as they say - to the dining area.
“Then drop down to the famous Cote d'Azur, have a look at all those Anglais on their promenade, perhaps speaking with them through an open window after halting in mid-air with the engines no more than idling. Then out, lower still, over the Mediterranean - say at 500 feet above the waves - until it is time for supper, for a final drink at the bar, and then to bed.
“Wake up east of Corsica and cruise down Italy's coast, past Elba, past Orbetello and Civitavecchia while you breakfast before touching down at Rome, not with a solid thump plus a flurry of brakes and reverse thrust, but gently and perhaps even unnoticeably as a ground-crew catch hold of the landing lines.
“On my German flight there were 14 on board, one pilot, one stewardess, and 12 punters. Yes, it cost 250 euros ($350) per person, and London to Rome would be rather more, but what joy would be possible, perhaps only once in a lifetime… That single accident 70 years ago should not blind us to the fact that airship flying is total joy from beginning to end and in between. [BBC Oct 13/07]
The Zeppelin NT ("Neue Technologie") is manufactured by Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH (ZLT) in Friedrichshafen, Germany - home of the first successful airship company founded by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin early in the 20th century.
Initially funded with money left over from the earlier Zeppelin company under the trusteeship of the Mayor of Friedrichshafen, the initial design study was completed in 1989. ZLT was formally founded as a spin-off of the Zeppelin company in September 1993. Prototype construction began in 1995, and first flew in September 1997. By 2001, the company was manufacturing the Zeppelin NT series. On October 27, 2004, Steve Fossett and Paul Stroehle set the current speed record for airships over a distance of one kilometer with a speed of 69.5 mph.
Inflated exclusively with the non-flammable noble gas helium, in standard operations with a maximum payload, the gas cells do not create enough buoyancy to make the whole ship "lighter-than-air." Instead, the ship's negative buoyancy is overcome with the “vectored thrust” of three tilting 200-horsepower Lycoming aircraft engines.
Unlike the original Zeppelins with their rigid skeletons, and non-rigid blimps, the Zeppelin NT's is built around three longitudinal aluminum girders connecting triangular trusses made of graphite-reinforced plastic. Engines, control car, frame and steering fins weighs only 2,200 pounds.
The hull of the Zeppelin NT serves as a single gas cell. It's three-layer Tedlar, polyester and polyurethane laminate is kept inflated to a slight overpressure using traditional ballonets. These small cells hold air that automatically varies in density with changes in pressure (altitude).
Tilting propellers provide helicopter-like takeoff and landing, as well as outstanding maneuverability. Steering in three dimensions using “fly-by-wire” technology connected to a joystick, the pilot can even pivot the aft engine sideways, “vectoring thrust” like the lateral side-thrusters used on ships. Only three ground crew are required.
The ZNT has a normal range of some 500 nautical miles at 78 mph. Standard operational altitude is 1,000 feet, with a service ceiling of 8,500 feet. Maximum permitted takeoff weight of 10,690 kg includes a 1,900 kg payload mostly taken up by fuel, amenities, 12 passengers and 2 crew.
A larger, 19 seat LZT aircraft has levitated successfully, and will begin commercial flights in Autumn 2008. The NT14 designation comes from the 14,000 cubic meters of envelope volume. [en.wikipedia.org; willthomasonline.net]
VOYAGER AIRSHIP CANADA
Located in Ontario, 21st Century Airships is utilizing extensive Canadian airship development experience to offer Voyager airships for “the ultimate sightseeing experience”.
On track to begin service by late summer 2009, following a 30-month Type Certification process, Voyager's modern gondola accommodates 19 passengers “plenty of walk-around space” to and from the onboard bar, as well as “magnificent panoramic views” through a glass-bottom floor and “the finest window seats in the world.”
Powered by 4 turbo-diesel engines, mounted in ducts away from the gondola to assure “a low noise profile both inside and outside the airship,” the ship's 65 mph promises “a leisurely pace to give passengers more time to take in the sights.”
Outflying the ZNT in passenger payload, as well as an onboard room with a view, 21st Century Airships promises “the ultimate sightseeing experience. Imagine... viewing the New York skyline, Niagara Falls, Grand Canyon, or maybe even the Taj Mahal from the comfort of a Voyager Airship window seat. Imagine... a bird's-eye view over the wildlife in Africa.”
A 130-foot scale version Voyager was successfully flight tested during August and September 2007, proving many advantages over "ancient" airship technology. As the company explains:
“On today's traditional airships, steering and altitude controls are mainly achieved through the rudders and elevators, mounted on the fins at the rear. For the rudders to work properly, it is necessary to have airflow over the fins' control surfaces. Rudders and elevators become ineffectual below a speed of approximately 15 km/h. Since the steering and altitude controls do not work effectively during the slow speeds at take-off and landing, a large ground crew, of up to 20 people, is required to assist the pilot with every launch and landing.
“A Voyager Airship also has fins but without control surfaces and their sole purpose is to stabilize the airship during flight. Steering and altitude controls are achieved through differential and directed thrust from the engines/propellers. This makes a Voyager Airship extremely manoeuverable at any speed from zero to full. It can even accomplish vertical take-offs and landings (VTOL) similar to a helicopter. A Voyager Airship requires only one or two ground crew members to assist during landing and take-off.”
Additionally, traditional airships attached their engines to the gondola, hung under the envelope.
With the powerplants' thrust-line far below the airship's center-line, those noisy ships pitched up every time the pilot throttled-up, and lurched down when throttling-down.
By mounting engines and propellers in ducts located near the front and rear of the envelope, Voyager Airships promise a very quiet passenger cabin, with centerline thrust making for exceptional stability at all power settings.
Another disadvantage of traditional airship can during loading and unloading, when equal weight had to be simultaneously removed or added to maintain an even keel. 21st Century Airships' patented technology does not require load replacement, and can be scaled up heavy-lift, “flying crane” applications to transport 50-tons or more. A one-ton proof-of-concept demonstration airship is currently under developed. [zimbio.com]
CONTACT
Fax: 905-898-7245
21st Century Airships Team Inc.
P.O. Box 177,
Main Station
Newmarket, Ontario,
Canada,
L3Y 4X1
Or visit:
21st Century Airships Inc.
1188-B Gorham Street
Newmarket, Ontario,
Canada, L3Y 8W4
info@21stcenturyairships.com
OHIO AIRSHIPS
Incorporated in 1999, Ohio Airships about to begin production of its revolutionary Dynalifter. Generating lift from a combination of lifting body, canard wings and non-flammable helium gas, this heavier-than-air craft allows “unprecedented volumes of cargo to be moved” between far-flung “unimproved” landing sites” using very short, rough runways.
Realizing that “most of the skepticism surrounding new airship concepts focuses on ground-handling under windy conditions, all Dynalifters have been designed to land without a mooring crew and do not require a weight transfer system under normal conditions.”
Under extreme conditions - winds in excess of 30 knots - huge 990-foot Dynalifter freighters can use their winchable cargo pods to anchor them safely into the wind.
Conventional airships required more than 100 ground crew to catch mooring lines during landing and attach the ship to a tall mooring mast. But by carrying much of its weight carried through aerodynamic lift generated by the forward-moving wings and hull, heavier-than-air Dynalifters land very slowly and sit quietly on the ground in gusty side winds.
Ohio Airships also improved upon Howard Hughes' Megalifter concept with a patented internal frame. Borrowed from modern bridge construction, this weight-saving “stay bridge construction” can distribute high, discrete loads without buckling.
Dynalifters' detachable cargo pods eliminate the need for a weight transfer system. Rapid loading and off-loading can be followed by winching fresh pods loaded with fuel, supplies equipment for the next mission back into the ship. Instead of having to reconfigure the aircraft for special missions, the cargo pods can be modified instead. Dropped off like building blocks, detachable pods can also provide instant modular infrastructure at the destination point, allowing a small base with service and habitat to be assembled remotely with unprecedented speed.
Over nine years in development, patents and numerous design and feasibility studies have been followed by a manned prototype that has brought capital, customers and qualified subcontractors together to produce Dynalifters.
The group initially hired Dr. Daniel Raymer, former Director of Advanced Design at Lockheed Martin, and Rockwell's "Engineer of the Year" to examine the feasibility of their Dynalifter dreamship. Before beginning work, Dr. Raymer warned investors that his findings would be unbiased and potentially unfavorable to the project.
His six-month, phase-1 study covered: performance requirements, airframe layout, helium vs. wing lift optimization, engine selection, initial structural recommendations and preliminary cost estimations - and answered the critical "Go/No Go" decision to proceed with the project.
A follow-on six-month study sought to confirm or challenge the previous findings using completely different approaches. Two reputable aerospace contractors were brought onboard to provide greater details on aerodynamic and structural feasibility, as well as a preliminary materials and components lists, a detailed production cost estimation and operational cost estimates. The FAA certification process was also studied, a small manned prototype designed - and the project's "Go/No Go" decision once again reviewed.
When Dr. Raymer's second study concluded that the Dynalifter concept was technically and economically feasible, much of the “heavy lifting” for these hybrid dirigibles had been done.
After receiving an FAA Experimental Airworthiness Certificate, a 120 foot, 2-seat prototype has undergone 11 operational tests. The company is currently subcontracting two independent sales firms - Agilecast for U.S. military Strategic Lift applications through Boeing's Advanced Design group.
A British sales firm has obtained potential orders for more than 600 commercial Dynalifter variants in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Ranked according to their level of interest, five customers are “most likely” to place the first orders totaling $4.09 billion in aircraft sales alone - excluding service contracts, parts and aircrew training.
To handle Dynalifter orders, Ohio Airships will subcontract production to existing companies that have assembly lines and a skilled workforce in place. Several defense contractors - including “major airframe companies” - have shown interest in immediately assisting with aircraft production.
Aeros, “the world's leading producer of airships,” has shown an interest in Dynalifter hull fabrication following collaboration with Ohio Airships during the DARPA Walrus competition.
ILC Dover, “the world's leading producer of fabric helium cells,” will produce the Dynalifter's internal gas cells and hull fabric.
Boeing Corporation has already met with Ohio Airships, showing interest “in principal” for “complete Dynalifter production, pending further sales development.”
Now in final development phase, Ohio Airships is finalizing its prototype for “practical flight”, and finalizing initial sales contracts.
Prototype Fabrication - Manpower Estimates: $713,280
Production Major Component Fabrication Subcontractor Cost Summary: $6,300,000
After receiving production cost estimates for Dynalifter Freighters from Composite Engineering, Inc., the company has not yet decided whether to construct the internal structure with inexpensive aluminum, or extremely lightweight composites derived from petroleum.
Dates Goals Funding
Apr - Jun 2007
Administration Group Formed Management/ Production Group formed $2M
July - Nov 2007
Approval of Master Designs/Design Freeze $10M
Dec 2007- Jun 2008
Design and Fabrication Studies
Jun 1, 2008
Construction Starts on the PSC-2 Freighter $20M
Dec 1, 2008
Completion of the Dynalifter PSC-2 Freighter FAA Airworthiness Certificate for Testing
Dec 10, 2008
Production Schedule of the PSC-2 Starts Customer Down Payments $1.3 billion
CONTACT
Ohio Airships, Inc.
PO Box 70
Mantua, OH 44255
330-428-3192
ContactUs@dynalifter.com
AEROS
Another aggressive California airship company is already flying their advanced airships in the USA and China. FAA Type Certified for TV broadcasting, aerial advertising and tourist flights, the Aeros-40D Sky Dragon rigid blimp features robust construction simplicity, exceptional maneuverability and control, a minimum number of ground handling crew, and low cost twin-engine operation.
In addition, the company provides airship owners and operators with a comprehensive training program, including training courses for pilots, ground crew chiefs and ground crew personnel. An intensive airship maintenance course consists of envelope, power plant, instruments and avionics, electrical, pneumatic and pressure system overview.
Calling itself “the world's leading lighter-than-air, FAA-certified aircraft manufacturing company,” Aeros has already designed and manufactured several different airships.
The Tarzana, California company website points out:
“Passengers in helicopters or airplanes may enjoy comparable views but they will never experience the gentle pace of the airship, nor its spaciousness. The flight characteristics are smooth and unlikely to upset even the most delicate of stomachs. Another surprise is the sound, or rather the lack of it. Engines can cut for gentle and smooth ballooning over scenic landscapes or sporting events.
“Scenic tours present a unique opportunity for the revenue generation. This activity can be combined with major corporate sponsorship, doubling the earning potential. The high profile of the airship is self advertising. The ride in an airship has been noted as one of the rarest, most sought after and memorable experiences in a person's life.”
Aeros airships incorporate “the latest breakthrough technologies” - including ZNT-type fly-by-wire electronic control system, strong new envelope material, digital flight management system and a rapid deflation system, which make Aeros airships the most technologically advanced on the market today.
A “revolutionary” dynamic buoyancy management system utilizes direct pressure management of the partially buoyant, rigid hull craft offering vertical takeoff and landing capability, extended hovering, all-weather operations, and complete independence from airport facilities.
The brutal suppression of Buddhist monks in Tibet, however, will not be covered.
According to Shenny Yao, Aeros Project Manager, “The Aeros 40D is an ideal airborne platform for such tasks, keeping the cost of operation to a minimum.”
According to Aeros, “Advertising with the Aeros 40D airship is all about Name Recognition. People always remember the blimp they saw in the sky and the message it carried.”
Aeros pilots say the Sky Dragon airship handles unlike any other airship, reducing the pilots' workload. “I thoroughly enjoy every minute flying the Aeros 40D and entirely appreciate the comforts and user friendly systems,” says Aeros Chief Pilot, Jim Miller.
As Jonathan Silverstein writes, the company is also working on a much bigger “flying cruise liner.”
"It's not a blimp, it's not an airship, it's a totally new vehicle," insists Edward Pevzner, business development manager for Worldwide Aeros Corp.
Roughly the size of two football fields, the latest Aeroscraft can be used as a cargo transport service “in the spirit of Federal Express or UPS”, as a commuter transport service, and a luxury travel option.
A coast-to-coast trip would take about 18 hours, significantly faster than the German ZNT. Tor the luxury traveler or businessman willing to pay the high price of a first-class airline ticket, it's not about getting there fast; it's about enjoying the trip, Pevzner said.
"The Aeroscraft is not going to take you to New York in six hours - it'll take you to New York in 18 hours - but you'll have your own room to sleep and rest in during the flight, you'll have a meal in a restaurant. It'll be a restaurant meal instead of airplane food," he said. "You'll be able to work if you need to in a normal environment, and once you reach New York you will not need a 10-hour rest for your next meeting, so you'll come out of the Aeroscraft and you'll be able to conduct business right away."
When configured as a cruise ship, the craft would able to offer about 250 people an in-flight restaurant, nightclub, spa, casino and sleep cabins.
And commuters in places like Hawaii could make their daily trek to work without losing their breakfast en route. "Currently, they just have these little boats," Pevzner said. "The Aeroscraft will provide not just the commuting service. It also will provide a very nice cruise adventure where you fly over all these beautiful places, and it flies relatively low, so it'll provide you with nice views and a nice travel experience."
Because the craft can takeoff and land vertically - just like a helicopter - there are many more places it can land, unlike an airplane, which needs a runway, or a cruise ship, which needs a dock.
"The idea is to build a vehicle that is going to transport 500 tons of cargo," Pevzner said. "It'll go 12,000 nautical miles in seven days.” And land “on an unprepared field” with obstacles up to five feet.
“Right now, we are in prototype development, so probably within 18 months we'll have the prototype ready," he added.
"We're developing the Aeroscraft as a commercial vehicle, one that can carry commercial cargo with point-to-point delivery," the business development manager for Aeros Aeronautical Systems also told CNN.
According to the company, several more companies - from leisure travel to shipping - have expressed interest in Aeroscraft.
[CNN Feb 2/07]
According to the cable news broadcaster, “As a concept, airships seem perfect for the task of solving some heavy problems such as carrying cargo to remote areas with little or no infrastructure. Called the Aeroscraft it is unlike anything else in the sky, with a rigid structure and aerodynamic designs that could provide luxury passenger travel and super-sized cargo freighters of the future.”
CNN learned that if an airship's length is doubled, the surface area - and weight - go up by four-times. But its lifting capacity volume rises by eight.
But “pure lift” airships can pose a nightmarish juggling act as heavy cargo, or passengers are embarked and offloaded.
"There have been plenty of models to deal with this problem, but nearly all are completely unworkable,” Pevzner said. Using ballast to manage an airship just gives you more headaches than anything else."
Like the Dynalifter, and other advanced airships, the Aeroscraft is a heavier-than-air vehicle employing helium to lift only 70% of the loaded craft. “Enormous rear-mounted propellers provide the rest of the lift,” as well as exceptional maneuverability, CNN reported. “Pevzner estimates the top speed of these future monsters of the sky to be around 140 mph.”
“As a concept super cruise liner, it would be able to hover over landmarks and cities, offering incredible views. It would be a huge sight in the sky as well” - the biggest Aeroscraft measure almost 600-feet in length and could carry 500-ton payloads.
CONTACT
Edward Pevzner
Business Development Manager
Tel. 818 344-3999 x 106
Edward@AerosML.com
Aeros Corporation
8411 Canoga Avenue, Canoga Park, CA 91304
Phone 818-993-5533, Fax 818-993-9435
Worldwide Aeros Corp.
1734 Gage Road, Montebello, CA 90640
Tel (818) 344-3999 Fax (323) 201-8383
info@aerosml.com
