Worlds largest aircraft.

Can you imagine spraying soapy water on that thing to try and find the leak? It's gonna happen.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Can you imagine spraying soapy water on that thing to try and find the leak? It's gonna happen.
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Don't have to, they put dye in the helium so if there is a leak it will Show up. Just an FYI, kids balloons aren't really different colors, they are all white or a transparent color. It is in fact the helium inside that is colored.
 
Acrodustertoo said:
Don't have to, they put dye in the helium so if there is a leak it will Show up. Just an FYI, kids balloons aren't really different colors, they are all white or a transparent color. It is in fact the helium inside that is colored.
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For now I am going to call BS on this. Can you show some documentation on this?
 
I dunno. I've never seen a deflated balloon before. When I do, ill know
 
Those wacky Brits. Still inventing new forms of sealing wax.
What's the old saying?
If it's weird it's British,If it's ugly it's French, and if it's weird and ugly it's Russian.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Can you imagine spraying soapy water on that thing to try and find the leak? It's gonna happen.
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Naw, the mechanics just walk the bags talking. When their voices go funny they have found the leak.
 
"traffic, 12 o'clock, 1 mile, type unknown"

"no joy, looking"
 
Heavy lift balloons are pretty cool, but seems to answer a question that no one is asking anymore and speed is an issue. The "Flying Bum" unfortunate popular moniker...probably has the marketing folks cringing. :D

How about this non-starter project called the Halo:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/travel/89253/halo-the-330-million-airship-of-the-future.html

Now that is ridiculous notice they didn't predict airspeed. If the Airlander only does 90 km/h and the Hindenburg had a cruise speed of about 125 km/h, as large as this thing is, I can't imagine it would approach that speed. Wouldn't it be faster just to pilot the yacht to where you want to go? Imagine trying to fly into a headwind in that thing. :rolleyes:
 
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Shopshirt said:
Heavy lift balloons are pretty cool, but seems to answer a question that no one is asking anymore and speed is an issue. The "Flying Bum" unfortunate popular moniker...probably has the marketing folks cringing. :D

How about this non-starter project called the Halo:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/travel/89253/halo-the-330-million-airship-of-the-future.html

Now that is ridiculous notice they didn't predict airspeed. If the Airlander only does 90kts and the Hindenburg had a cruise speed of about 125 kts , as large as this thing is, I can't imagine it would approach that speed. Wouldn't it be faster just to pilot the yacht to where you want to go? Imagine trying to fly into a headwind in that thing. :rolleyes:
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According to the internet, the hindenburgs top speed was 84mph
 
DavidWhite said:
According to the internet, the hindenburgs top speed was 84mph
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My fault...typed kts instead of km/h which the site i went to said 125 km/h cruise you are correct went back and corrected the post.
 
Shopshirt said:
Heavy lift balloons are pretty cool, but seems to answer a question that no one is asking anymore
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Yep. I have a friend who's been involved in several semi-rigid LTA projects. The jobs paid him, but I couldn't see any realistic market for them other than as advertising vehicles.

The whole LTA (or close) thing seems to be a dead end, stifled by their physical size and their impracticality in even modest winds.
 
All I know is that I now want a t shirt with "flying bum" on it. Come to think, this could make a great add campaign. The outline of Ingrid Bergman bent over with the slogan "the flying bum" !
 
kyleb said:
Yep. I have a friend who's been involved in several semi-rigid LTA projects. The jobs paid him, but I couldn't see any realistic market for them other than as advertising vehicles.

The whole LTA (or close) thing seems to be a dead end, stifled by their physical size and their impracticality in even modest winds.
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I don't see any value in them as advertising any more either. The biggest advertising you get with a blimp is showing up to a sporting event, to have a TV camera that you provide the network with TV feed, in exchange for your name on the broadcast. Except now, you can do the same thing with a sUAV that costs fractions of much to purchase and operate and the TV picture will be the same thing.
 
This thing had flown before, as the US Army's LEMV. It flew once, before the army pulled the plug because it was too expensive to keep funding. That should say a lot.
 
They say it will be used for surveillance. Considering it's the "World's Biggest Aircraft," I hope they weren't planning on covert surveillance.
 
You put it at altitude over the domiciles of people who you want to know are under surveillance. Just to remind them, you maneuver the thing to create an eclipse about 8 hours a day.
 
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