Out of the shadows: Airlander 10 takes maiden flight

Hybrid Air Vehicles’ 92m long airship is the world’s longest aircraft, and the maiden flight marks a key milestone in its Flight Test Programme. Airlander was originally scheduled to make its debut on Sunday, but a technical issue meant it was unable to fly during daylight hours, which is a prerequisite during flight trials.

The four giant engines, which have been undergoing testing since since February 2015, were started up on Wednesday shortly after 19.00. Airlander 10 then took off at approximately 19.45, landing back at Cardington around 20.00. Chief test pilot David Burns and test pilot Simon Davies kept the airship within a six-mile area around the airfield, flying up to 500 feet and reaching speeds of around 35 knots. According to Burns, everything went as planned once in the sky.

“It was a privilege to fly the Airlander for the first time and it flew wonderfully,” he said. “I’m really excited about getting it airborne. It flew like a dream.”