"It's very different in pretty much every way," said Goodyear public relations manager Nancy Ray. "The current air ship will have a semi rigid structure, so you'll have structure inside it that maintains the structure itself, and there will be helium and airbags inside."
So, it won't be a blimp.
So ,what to call it then?
David
Still vulnerable to high wind and violent weather, just like it's predecessors.
Still vulnerable to high wind and violent weather, just like it's predecessors. There are some pretty good reasons why no one's used one of these things in 80 years, and the reasons are still there. Nothing like folks who think they're so smart reinventing the wheel.
Airships have found their niche in aerial advertising and as relatively quiet and stable camera and radar platforms. I believe that the idea of a 'heavy lift airship' to move around bridge spans and ship engines is a pipe-dream, but in the advertising and camera arena, there seems to be some benefit to the rigid airship rather than the blimp.
What can a semi-rigid airship (such as the NT) do better than a blimp? How is it better for a camera platform or advertising than a blimp?
Tell me !
For some reason the good people at Goodyear, who know something about blimpology, have decided to go with the semi-rigid design for the time being. From what I can gather, the semi-rigid needs less of a ground-crew.