Airlander’s return to flight received a boost over the weekend when it received its first helium fill and was floated for the first time.
Hybrid Air Vehicles’ Airlander is a 92m long platform that combines the characteristics of fixed wing aircraft and helicopters with lighter-than-air technology.
The helium fill and floatation of the world’s largest aircraft mark another step toward return to flight for Airlander, which is housed in a former airship hangar in Cardington, Bedfordshire.
Airlander was moved the length of the 248m hangar to get to the building’s front doors, a procedure that involved four fork lift trucks at each corner of the aircraft, each carrying a 2-tonne block of cement and restraining rope.
Airlander’s engines, fins and Mission Module will be now be finalised and integrated onto the aircraft during November and December. From early 2016 a series of ground tests will take place inside and outside the hangar ready for first flight during the first quarter of 2016.
“Seeing the Airlander come to life and floating was simply breath-taking,” saidMike Durham HAV’s technical director. “This is a key moment for the UK’s aerospace industry in getting this unique aircraft ready for flight.”
Once operational, Airlander will be able to carry up to 10 tonnes of cargo and fly half way round the world on a single tank of fuel. Furthermore, Airlander can take off and land from a range of remote environments including water, desert, ice and fields.
In passenger configuration, Airlander will carry 48 guests and the aircraft is currently undergoing market testing of an overnight luxury passenger service and a business city-centre to city-centre sleeper service.
According to Hybrid Air Vehicles, Airlander is the global leader in a $50bn market for this form environmentally friendly aircraft technology.
So far, Airlander has secured over £60m of customer funding, more than £6m of grants and over £12m of equity funding. Further funding is being raised ahead of a planned Initial Public Offering on Alternative Investment Market (AIM).
Hybrid Air Vehicles is also building an order book of commercial and military orders for trials and demonstrations and for aircraft sales. The company expects that 1,800 new jobs will be created in the UK in the next 5 years.
Great piece of technology: rather pertinent in view of my recent post about the R100 and R101. I really can recommend a review, by those involved in this effort of Nevil Shute’s autobiography, Slide Rule: and indeed another book by John Anderson (a fellow member of the NSN appreciation society) entitled ‘Airship on a shoestring’ Both describe the trials and tribulations of the earliest work in this area. Of course, the primary problem in the 30s was that the USA held the entire world ‘stock’ of helium: and refused to share such with either Zeppelin or Barnes wallis/Shute’s efforts. They were forced to rely upon hydrogen -a highly inflammable substitute, with the inevitable results.
There will have to be a return to hydrogen because helium is running out and can’t be replaced (unless we are willing to wait for a few more million years for radioactive decay to produce it geologically).
I wonder if we will ever be able to realise a vacuum cylinder asvthe lifting mechanism as envisioned by early science fiction writers? It would certainly solve the problem of hydrogen versus helium altogether.
Looks lie Boeing are getting somewhere with that Anon:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11930472/lightest-metal-ever-developed-boeing-microlattice.html
A large volume of this surrounded with an impermeable rubber sheet and then the, interstitial air pumped out might even do it now.