Are airships set for a comeback?
The quest for flight is as old as man itself. Over the last two thousand years, attempts at flight have spanned kites, wings, balloons and aircraft. Airships are lighter-than-air vehicles that can generate their own thrust for maneuvers. The first airship was built by the French engineer Henri Giffard in 1852. However, airships are synonymous with the Hindenberg. These rigid airships were the last such aircraft to be constructed. They were three times longer and twice as tall as a Boeing 747. The Hindenburg was an airship that promised to revolutionize air travel. Two things changed this perception.
- The rise of the fixed wing aircraft.
- The tragic 1937 disaster. 36 people died in this disaster, which became famous due to some of the most tragically iconic images of the burning Hindenberg over Lakehurst, USA.
The disaster was caused by the airship's use of hydrogen to provide buoyancy. Because hydrogen is flammable, the disaster led to the expected demise of airships.
As the world becomes increasingly aware of the environmental impact of fossil fuels, the urgent need for more sustainable air transport methods is being felt. Research is underway to develop airships with lifting capacities surpassing current fixed-wing aircraft and speeds faster than sea ships, offering a potential solution to our environmental challenges.
Airships have definite advantages. These are the low cost of energy consumption. Airships can hover for a long time without refueling. The speed of airships is higher than that of ships, their vibration levels are lower than that of airplanes, and they are not affected by sea state and a corrosive environment. They do not need long runways. This enables them to transport heavy cargo in remote areas. An airship transportation system causes low air and water pollution. These are the drivers of new research into the airship technology.
PICTURE DEPICTS THE HINDENBERG. It was over 800 feet long, 135 feet in diameter, and had a maximum speed of 81 mph.
Airship resurgence is already visible. The blimps we see being used for advertising purposes on cricket fields are non-rigid airships. These are mainly used for more straightforward purposes but can be used for surveillance and monitoring.
Semi-rigid airships have some characteristics similar to rigid and non-rigid airships. The Zeppelin NT7 is already being used to provide sightseeing and exploration for tourists in Germany and South Africa.
A rigid airship’s shape is maintained independent of envelope pressure because a metal framework usually supports the envelope. The length of rigid airships should be large enough to justify a rigid frame.
Newer spherical, lenticular, winged airship, cloud, and double-hull designs are areas of interest for the future. Due to its benign nature, helium is set to replace hydrogen. Work is being done on hot air and Ammonia to provide lifting capacity.
To conquer the cargo market, airships have to be rigid and able to carry 500 tons while traveling at 90 km per hour. The Flying Whales is a company working to fill this space. It plans to develop airships that can haul heavy cargo, delivering material for electricity generation in remote areas, humanitarian aid, industry, and manufacturing.
The airship is definitely seeing an uptick in interest. It is not going to be long before we see these gentle giants in the sky again, but it looks like they will serve only a portion of the aircraft market. That in itself is something to look forward to.
The Author is a 12th-class student at the TBM School.
