BLIMP-TRANSPORT/AIRSHIP-TRANSPORTATION/AIRSHIP-HELICOPTER-DRONE-CARRIERS/AIRSHIP-DRONE-CARRIER/RESOLVED-AIRSHIP-TRANSPORTATION-STABILITY-RESOLUTION/HEXAGON-AIRSHIP/HEXAGON-BUOYANCY-PLACEMENT-AIRSHIP/HEXAGON-UMBRELLA-SHAPED-WEIGHT-SUPPORT/HEXAGON-WEIGHT-DISPLACEMENT-MECHANISM/[HEXAGON-DOME-SHAPED-AIRSHIP/HEXAGON-FORMATION-WEIGHT-DISTRIBUTION-MECHANISMS/HEXAGON-AIRSHIP-CARRIER-AI-AUTOMATED-BUOYANCY-MECHANISM Conventional airship cargo-carriers experience instability issues when loading and offloading cargo. The instability in buoyancy (levels); created by the fluctuating mass of the cargo, as well as unstable air-currents (especially at higher altitude), makes conventional designs for airship cargo-carriers inefficient, unstable and potentially unsafe... when compared to alternative modes of cargo transportation vessels, e.g. conventional cargo-ships that travel via a body of water/sea. When all is said and done... I have come to realize that the technology should be paired with 'vertical', cargo-transport carries, i.e. [droned] helicopters. Helicopter technology should be incorporated with Ai; so that the drones will be outfitted with cargo (of specific weight/mass). With their proven prowess in vertical takeoff, they will be utilized to safely mount cargo on a giant airship (said cargo will [obviously] need to be spaced/tired-down and stationed relative to each other. Inspiration from the hexagon shape should aid the intended 'fair and even [weight] distribution' of mass, across the storage site within the airship). Like an orchestra, when coordinated, the swarms of vertical [helicopter] drones (coordinated & assisted Ai; will take the shape and form of a 'helicopter', for its vertical functionality... they will double and function as integral, and additional transportation-carriers) will 'double and function' as 'construction-pulleys'; in their purpose in safely and relatively steadily mounting cargo onto the large storage site (that will be situated on top of the airship. I envision a small, but functional runway built on the surface of the airship. It is in this additional, supportive function that the airship will resemble an "aircraft carrier, battle ship"). New and emerging technologies will facilitate this mode if cargo transportation. NOTE: When all is said and done... When we take a step back, and observe the construct in action, its coordinated functionalities and mechanisms will resemble the (relationship and transport mechanism) 'worker-bees and their beehive'. Through further research and development of the quantum mechanics; that is at play, and is responsible for buoyancy (its essence is [efficient] mass/weight-distribution within a [specified] medium volume)... It will be possible to reroute/engineer buoyancy (how lighter than air gas behave), i.e. how mass is distributed within a specified [enclosed] medium-volume/volume of a specified medium. REMEMBER: that buoyancy takes the path with the least resistance. Point is, if you can manipulate/[quantum] engineer how lighter-than-air gases behave, you will have an easier time using Ai to coordinate their behaviour (with greater efficiency and precision, e.g. making lighter-than-air gases even lighter; manipulating their mass at the quantum scale). Were such endeavours researched, developed and refined to an art, then what we will be left with are the components to anti-gravity technology and [quantum] know-how. NOTE: There was a successful scientific experiment; where Rubidium was used to give additional mass to the photon. This resulted in slowing down the photo. The experiment supported the feasibility of hard-light technology. The essence of the experiment was that the mass of subatomic particles could be altered/manipulated to bare desirable outcomes. That research should have been concocted with quantum mechanics in mind. Engineering at the quantum scale is exciting and bares monumental possibilities.
I'm seventy and I think every decade or so a new "resurgence of the airship" comes around. So as I think back there were the airships made from old helicopters to haul trees, and then there was a rush of small marketing airships like the Jordash blimp and a Bond film. Then there were concepts of twin-hulled airships that were to be used for cheap transatlantic freight and selling the dream of luxurious passenger cruising airships and on and on and on. Airships seem to be magic and it always seems to grab a player every decade or so.
Pretty much agree, I'm in my 50's and they do seem to have a resurgence every few years. I think their ultimate nemesis is vulnerability to weather conditions.
@@bigratkiller1 Yup, the wind is the real issue for starters as airships are like maneuvering a large yacht but in three space, not just two so accurate close-in maneuvering for loading and unloading cargo as well as stability has always been an issue. For basics, people are easy to load and offload and historically gave rise to the skyscraper "race" for urban terminals but cargo is a whole different "animal." and this has always been the failure over the years. Personally, I have always thought a big warehouse with a retractable roof that an airship could just settle down on and be locked to like a vertical dock would be the answer for cargo and more but no entrepreneur has gone in that direction. Like waterborne ships, it is the "system" that makes them function successfully not just the vessel itself and this seems to be the big failing. People just seem to (always) focus on the vehicle and not the big picture. Just inventing the light bulb is great but without the generators and wired infrastructure, it is just a novelty.
Saved me posting this. Thank you. It is always presented as super credible now. With the price and growing scarcity of helium. They may come back as toys of the billionaires... So we can look up at them and scheme revolution
There are a couple of things that I wish everyone knew about the history of airships. One is that the German Zeppelin Transport Company never had ONE passenger casualty from its formation in the early 1900s until the Hindenburg. Imagine if the world had given up on airplane development because of one airplane crash. In fact, the Germans always made safety and airmanship their top priorities. (Contrast with the USA, which built 3 highly advanced airships, and crashed them all due to poor airmanship.) The second thing is that Dr. Hugo Eckener, who ran the Zeppelin company following the death of Count Zeppelin, was not a Nazi and was ideologically opposed to Adolf Hitler. In fact, Eckener was so popular in Germany that people tried to convince him to run for Chancellor in opposition to Hitler, but Eckener did not want to be in politics. Eventually of course the Nazi regime would paint swastikas on the Hindenburg, but Hitler was disdainful of airships due to Dr. Eckener's involvement, and his regime withheld development money from the company. (Which only makes the company look even better in hindsight.) After WWII, the Zeppelin company operated under the name ZF (Zeppelin Friedrichshafen), and focused on making alumin(i)um components for automobiles, aircraft, and other industries. Decades of manufacturing the gigantic frames of airships had made them world-class experts in aluminum manufacturing. That line of business kept the company prosperous during the many years when they were not making any airships, and it continues to this day -- if your car has a "ZF" transmission, that's them.
Zeppelin in now a foundation under which there many companies namely ZF(zahnradfabrik friedrichshafen) ,luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH, zeppelin Gmbh( zeppelin systems , zeppelin powertrain , zeppelin rentals ...).
Yep, all correct. This was spelled out in detail in the book I referred to in another post. It was a great read with wonderful pictures and detailed illustrations. Picked it up in an antique store
I am 70 years old and was born in Akron when my dad worked at Goodyear he was the one who drew up plans for the air ventilation system on their first airship.
I remember when the last airship, a German model, flew over SF at $500 a seat (it didn’t last long). It was only slightly longer than a blimp but that was enough to impress. To see one of these in the sky, at the length of a larger liner, like the Canberra or Lurline. will be breathtaking.
I often see the Zeppelin NT, when I visit my homeland at Lake Constance. I see it with conflicting feelings. I like the sight of the airship. But I always have to think about the airship, they could have built instead. Bigger, slimmer, elegant, not this "pimped out blimp" for a dozen of sightseers on seats. Just dreaming - It's a little bit like romanticizing old steam locomotives. Or ocean liners.
the Zeppelin [German Made by Zeppelin] you are referring to over SanFrancisco was a Farmers Insurance advertising venture with some folks from California....it was the length of a 747 Boeing, and had 300,000 cu feet of helium...and 3 engines....it was about 2 times the size of most Blimps or Airships as they are known in the trade, which do not have a rigid hull, only a gas bag, the Zeppelin has an aluminum frame within, I did welding repair [2012] on the Farmers Zeppelin here in Florida, and got an hour ride over Miami and Ft Lauderdale, the Goodyear company now uses the same model, they are more maneuverable due to the 3 engines and of course, more reliable......they are really something to admire, Slient, cruising along at 35 to 45 mph....very cool....best wishes, Paul in Orlando,FL
I used to live in Mountain View and always drove past the airfield wondering if they had anything going on in the old Zeppelin docks, to know they had started building this thing when I lived there is so cool!
Flying in an airship is on my bucket list! I’ve flown in airplanes and in helicopters but never in a light as an airship. It would be a one in s lifetime experience. To do something both cool and fun! I hope the airship makes a comeback. 😊
Zeppelins did, in fact, serve as airliners for years in Germany, with no casualties, in the interwar period. The weather there is less unpredictable than in the US, and these airships were smaller than the USS Macon or Akron.
Hi Thomas. Weather unpredictability always means "timetable unpredictability" with airships. That makes it impossible to make a predictable business model, a predictable profit/loss balance sheet, and a predictable return to the shareholders. A predictable bank manager won't touch them. I predict they remain as "fair weather toys" for the super-rich. Cheers, P.R.
@@philliprobinson7724 Larger, more modern airships are less susceptible to drag than smaller ones (due to the square-cube law) so there could be a much larger niche.
@@sino_diogenes Hi Diogenes. A great name from Greek history. Modern airships will be superior to the old Zeppelins and have a place, but I doubt they have the "great future" the video title claims. In a strong breeze they cannot be manoevred in or out of a hangar, the side forces during gusts are huge and unpredictable. The nearest valid comparison I can think of, is with the old sailing ships which reefed their sails in high winds and entered harbours under topsails only. Needless to say no airship, no matter how low its coefficient of drag, can shed any of its "sail area". Both types of vessel are at the mercy of the weather, but the airship more so. The 1920's airship hangars at Cardington in the UK are still standing because they were built to withstand wind-gusts of over 100 mph. The airships themselves were less robust, therein lies another problem. Today the hangars are used for flying ultra-lightweight model aeroplanes. From a start protecting flying whales, they're now protecting flying minnows. Quite appropriate really. Cheers, P.R.
BLIMP-TRANSPORT/AIRSHIP-TRANSPORTATION/AIRSHIP-HELICOPTER-DRONE-CARRIERS/AIRSHIP-DRONE-CARRIER/RESOLVED-AIRSHIP-TRANSPORTATION-STABILITY-RESOLUTION/HEXAGON-AIRSHIP/HEXAGON-BUOYANCY-PLACEMENT-AIRSHIP/HEXAGON-UMBRELLA-SHAPED-WEIGHT-SUPPORT/HEXAGON-WEIGHT-DISPLACEMENT-MECHANISM/[HEXAGON-DOME-SHAPED-AIRSHIP/HEXAGON-FORMATION-WEIGHT-DISTRIBUTION-MECHANISMS/HEXAGON-AIRSHIP-CARRIER-AI-AUTOMATED-BUOYANCY-MECHANISM Conventional airship cargo-carriers experience instability issues when loading and offloading cargo. The instability in buoyancy (levels); created by the fluctuating mass of the cargo, as well as unstable air-currents (especially at higher altitude), makes conventional designs for airship cargo-carriers inefficient, unstable and potentially unsafe... when compared to alternative modes of cargo transportation vessels, e.g. conventional cargo-ships that travel via a body of water/sea. When all is said and done... I have come to realize that the technology should be paired with 'vertical', cargo-transport carries, i.e. [droned] helicopters. Helicopter technology should be incorporated with Ai; so that the drones will be outfitted with cargo (of specific weight/mass). With their proven prowess in vertical takeoff, they will be utilized to safely mount cargo on a giant airship (said cargo will [obviously] need to be spaced/tired-down and stationed relative to each other. Inspiration from the hexagon shape should aid the intended 'fair and even [weight] distribution' of mass, across the storage site within the airship). Like an orchestra, when coordinated, the swarms of vertical [helicopter] drones (coordinated & assisted Ai; will take the shape and form of a 'helicopter', for its vertical functionality... they will double and function as integral, and additional transportation-carriers) will 'double and function' as 'construction-pulleys'; in their purpose in safely and relatively steadily mounting cargo onto the large storage site (that will be situated on top of the airship. I envision a small, but functional runway built on the surface of the airship. It is in this additional, supportive function that the airship will resemble an "aircraft carrier, battle ship"). New and emerging technologies will facilitate this mode if cargo transportation. NOTE: When all is said and done... When we take a step back, and observe the construct in action, its coordinated functionalities and mechanisms will resemble the (relationship and transport mechanism) 'worker-bees and their beehive'. Through further research and development of the quantum mechanics; that is at play, and is responsible for buoyancy (its essence is [efficient] mass/weight-distribution within a [specified] medium volume)... It will be possible to reroute/engineer buoyancy (how lighter than air gas behave), i.e. how mass is distributed within a specified [enclosed] medium-volume/volume of a specified medium. REMEMBER: that buoyancy takes the path with the least resistance. Point is, if you can manipulate/[quantum] engineer how lighter-than-air gases behave, you will have an easier time using Ai to coordinate their behaviour (with greater efficiency and precision, e.g. making lighter-than-air gases even lighter; manipulating their mass at the quantum scale). Were such endeavours researched, developed and refined to an art, then what we will be left with are the components to anti-gravity technology and [quantum] know-how. NOTE: There was a successful scientific experiment; where Rubidium was used to give additional mass to the photon. This resulted in slowing down the photo. The experiment supported the feasibility of hard-light technology. The essence of the experiment was that the mass of subatomic particles could be altered/manipulated to bare desirable outcomes. That research should have been concocted with quantum mechanics in mind. Engineering at the quantum scale is exciting and bares monumental possibilities.
Great video. I spent 12 yrs in the U.S.M.C., and I think 6 or 7 yrs. of it was in Marine Corps Air Station (H) in Tustin Ca. There are 2 Blimp hangers there converted to Helicopter hangers. I spent many hrs. on the floors looking up (wishing for the trip you took to the Walkway at the top). Thank You again for a GREAT trip into the Past and hopefully the Future.
The Goodyear blimp passed over my town a number of times when I was young. Always so excited to see it. I seen them in various media growing up as well, and I believe they are an untapped market and technology. The crashes were deadly but airships are not even expressly more dangerous than planes when the pilots are trained. Aviation as a whole and its safety standards were so young back then. The Hindenburg disaster sure was gripping on film, because it was already being filmed as it landed. It was the shock that did them in. As someone who enjoys operating various small to massive vehicles in simulators, the fact that the airship pilot mentioned that control is fly-by-feel as opposed to fly-by-numbers (as in instruments/displays/autopilot assists) made me overjoyed. They must have a lot of fun with such a niche job. If skill in controlling such an unwieldy machine is a factor in holding back airships resurgence then I would be the one crazy enough to fly them into a disaster zone haha.
Beautiful video! I recommend Alexander Rose’s excellent book “Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World“. It wasn’t the zeppelins’ excessive flammability that doomed them; rather, it was their lack of profitability.
Thanks for this topic! I am a fan of this type of aviation, I think that airships have great potential for use. Especially their macro and hybrid options. I have my own ideas regarding the design features and application of such transport of various specializations: cargo ships, sky yachts, mobile nomadic apartments, scientific laboratories, etc.
As a young lad in the early sixties, I had a chance to walk around inside an old airship hanger located at a naval air base, just south of Boston Ma. At that time it only served an aircraft storage and maintenance facility and not to long after torn down. I was totally awestruck by the huge space inside. I’ve always hoped for a big airship comeback. Even if technology and capital investments can be brought to bare, I fear that wind and weather will have the final say for both structure and craft.
I grew up in a small town between Goodyear, Arizona and Los Angeles, California. We could always expect the Goodyear Blimp to be flying overhead, along Interstate 10, on its way west on a Friday afternoon for the upcoming football game, somewhere on the west coast. They flew daily low, in my opinion. And when they were flying into the wind, they had to dive down, then dive up to keep forward motion. It was a grand sight for a kid in Elementary School. When they were heading over during recess, we didn’t want to go back to class until it was out of sight. A teach actually once allowed this. Then when we returned to class we recieved science class about aerodynamics. Well, what a kid could understand.
Oddly, no mention was made of the unique advantages offered by airships. There are many so I'll mention a few of them. Very long loitering time would be useful in many scenarios. Disaster recovery is one such example. When the affected area is utterly destroyed, no roads, everything is destroyed. Many coastal towns were utterly wiped out by the Fukushima earthquake. Bring in the airship it doesn't even need to land so it could be a source of support and recovery based on how it is configured. A mobile medical facility for example. Long duration rescue missions is another possible use.
Likely uses offshore construction as they can move multiple repeating loads from shore to site quickly. Like helicopters setting power poles, etc., think assembled offshore windmills.
There are niche slots which an airship could easily fit into, such as surveillance and customs control. The great restriction for airships has been that hydrogen is flammable and while helium is not... it's a finite resource. Like oil, once the available supply of helium is exhausted it cannot be replaced. I've loved the concept of lighter than air technology since I was a child. BUT, until the issue of helium replacement is resolved I really don't see a future in which they can thrive.
It’s a small fraction of the operating expense, the total of which is itself a small fraction of the cost of operating a comparable helicopter. Thankfully, helium refineries using new reverse osmosis technology are also being developed in order to make even that cheaper.
I think Hydrogen would be used. Airships aren't for passengers anymore, but for heavy transport. Think of giant wind turbine rotor blades no truck could transport. Even if all the H2 goes up in flames, it would still be worth it overall ...
Weird how there is no mention of limited helium. Helium is a finite resource - so far - and the country's helium reserves are so precious that they are owned and protected by the US military. That doesn't' sound like a resource we can make a 1000 airships with.
BLIMP-TRANSPORT/AIRSHIP-TRANSPORTATION/AIRSHIP-HELICOPTER-DRONE-CARRIERS/AIRSHIP-DRONE-CARRIER/RESOLVED-AIRSHIP-TRANSPORTATION-STABILITY-RESOLUTION/HEXAGON-AIRSHIP/HEXAGON-BUOYANCY-PLACEMENT-AIRSHIP/HEXAGON-UMBRELLA-SHAPED-WEIGHT-SUPPORT/HEXAGON-WEIGHT-DISPLACEMENT-MECHANISM/[HEXAGON-DOME-SHAPED-AIRSHIP/HEXAGON-FORMATION-WEIGHT-DISTRIBUTION-MECHANISMS/HEXAGON-AIRSHIP-CARRIER-AI-AUTOMATED-BUOYANCY-MECHANISM Conventional airship cargo-carriers experience instability issues when loading and offloading cargo. The instability in buoyancy (levels); created by the fluctuating mass of the cargo, as well as unstable air-currents (especially at higher altitude), makes conventional designs for airship cargo-carriers inefficient, unstable and potentially unsafe... when compared to alternative modes of cargo transportation vessels, e.g. conventional cargo-ships that travel via a body of water/sea. When all is said and done... I have come to realize that the technology should be paired with 'vertical', cargo-transport carries, i.e. [droned] helicopters. Helicopter technology should be incorporated with Ai; so that the drones will be outfitted with cargo (of specific weight/mass). With their proven prowess in vertical takeoff, they will be utilized to safely mount cargo on a giant airship (said cargo will [obviously] need to be spaced/tired-down and stationed relative to each other. Inspiration from the hexagon shape should aid the intended 'fair and even [weight] distribution' of mass, across the storage site within the airship). Like an orchestra, when coordinated, the swarms of vertical [helicopter] drones (coordinated & assisted Ai; will take the shape and form of a 'helicopter', for its vertical functionality... they will double and function as integral, and additional transportation-carriers) will 'double and function' as 'construction-pulleys'; in their purpose in safely and relatively steadily mounting cargo onto the large storage site (that will be situated on top of the airship. I envision a small, but functional runway built on the surface of the airship. It is in this additional, supportive function that the airship will resemble an "aircraft carrier, battle ship"). New and emerging technologies will facilitate this mode if cargo transportation. NOTE: When all is said and done... When we take a step back, and observe the construct in action, its coordinated functionalities and mechanisms will resemble the (relationship and transport mechanism) 'worker-bees and their beehive'. Through further research and development of the quantum mechanics; that is at play, and is responsible for buoyancy (its essence is [efficient] mass/weight-distribution within a [specified] medium volume)... It will be possible to reroute/engineer buoyancy (how lighter than air gas behave), i.e. how mass is distributed within a specified [enclosed] medium-volume/volume of a specified medium. REMEMBER: that buoyancy takes the path with the least resistance. Point is, if you can manipulate/[quantum] engineer how lighter-than-air gases behave, you will have an easier time using Ai to coordinate their behaviour (with greater efficiency and precision, e.g. making lighter-than-air gases even lighter; manipulating their mass at the quantum scale). Were such endeavours researched, developed and refined to an art, then what we will be left with are the components to anti-gravity technology and [quantum] know-how. NOTE: There was a successful scientific experiment; where Rubidium was used to give additional mass to the photon. This resulted in slowing down the photo. The experiment supported the feasibility of hard-light technology. The essence of the experiment was that the mass of subatomic particles could be altered/manipulated to bare desirable outcomes. That research should have been concocted with quantum mechanics in mind. Engineering at the quantum scale is exciting and bares monumental possibilities.
Airships must SURELY be the future of medium to long range travel for all but the most important and impatient individuals in society. They are clean, quiet, civilised, sustainable, elegant, and promote curiosity. More importantly, from either perspective, they put a smile on your face.
Even just going up in the Goodyear blimp is a big treat, the true feeling of being free of gravity in an almost magical way...and a cool feeling being able to stick your head out the window. Totally different experience from flying in a closed-in, cramped plane where the idea of opening a "window" is insane!
I flew often enough as a child with a WW2 fighter pilot, that he knew my brothers and my name. He was an ace twice over and famously got a Zero that was attacking him, with a bomb. The plane he flew us in was a Grumman Goose, or sometimes a Widgeon and not only did he fly with the window open on occasion, he also used to "bomb" newspapers and mail into peoples backyard as he flew or ACTUALLY glided over, WITH THE ENGINE TURNED OFF momentarily so after he had dropped the "bomb" , he could reach over his head and smash the throttles forward and open her up with a roar as he passed over their rooftop. When I was about 6 or 7 I was sick in the plane once, into a sickbag. He said to my mum, EXCITED AS A CHILD HIMSELF, "I see a yacht down there, give me the bag and we will surprise them" and even though my dad told mum no, and said "Freddie, you shouldn't, you will get in trouble again" he just laughed and opened up the window, aimed the plane, and tried to drop a bag of sick on it from a thousand meters. I am the only person alive now, who was in the plane !. Fredrick Patrick Ladd, RNZAF 30 Squadron, Order of the British Empire
0:07: ! Google co-founder Sergey Brin is building an airship in Mountain View, California. 4:55: 🚀 A tour of a modern airship that combines old and new technology to bring back the glory of airship travel. 15:01: 🛩 The speaker describes the experience of flying in an aircraft and compares it to being on a boat. 20:00: ! The airdock holds a special place in the hearts of locals, but there is uncertainty about its future. Recap by Tammy AI
For some years the southern part of Denmark had become German, after an unfortunate war in 1864, and the now again Danish town of Toender became a Base for German airships during WW1! They still have a museum with several, extremely light parts parts used in Zeppelins, of which some became used during attacks on England. And for years we had frequent visits from Goodyear Blimps in Denmark.
Thanks @@valleyhack! I am really curious how LTA will handle the ballast issue when cargo is offloaded. Compressing helium? Water loaded on? Props pushing down?
@@I-0-0-I You hit right on one of the things I'm most skeptical about. Al has talked to me about taking on water or sand. You'd have to replace thousands of tons . . . .
@@valleyhack Huh, sand could work! On the somewhat positive side, China just showed us that you can fly an airship powered by solar panels all the way over here. Super low carbon. Would be cool if automated airships could ride the jet streams to ship goods. Project Loon did a lot of work on the air current stuff.
According to Flying Whales CEO, the technology to compress helium with equipment that is not too heavy is being developped and should be there in a decade or so... This is to be taken with a grain of salt of course.@@I-0-0-I
Airships are a fascinating idea. There's something about watching one move slowly and gracefully through the air. Sergei Brin is not the first person in recent times to try out this idea. Lockheed was working on an airship that relies on a combination of LTA lift and an envelope that is shaped like an airfoil. There are some very real logistical hurdles though. First, the world's supply of helium has always been severely limited and it's mostly controlled by the United States. Dr. Hugo Eckener, the man who designed the Hindenburg, approached the United States government and asked for helium which is what he actually wanted the Hindenburg to fly with. He was turned down and was forced to rely on hydrogen instead. Hydrogen is actually more buoyant than helium but as we all know, it comes with very, very serious risks. So if you're going to do these "heavy lift" LTA applications, helium is safe but it's not practical. Hydrogen "might" be an alternative for UAV-type airships but even that has risks for people on the ground. Another problem is weather. Airships don't do very well in high winds and storms. The R101 was a British airship that was built to take passengers from England across long distances to India. The ship barely made it to France when it crashed in the French countryside in a storm. The USS Macon, a navy airship, was torn apart off the coast near Monterey, California in 1935 due to wind shear. Airships just can't deal with bad weather. It's as simple as that. So while the idea of airships is intriguing, some reality-based perspective is in order. So far, none of these ambitious design ideas has made it past the "experimental" or research phase. And to date, the only economically viable airships are in marketing and advertising. Even tourist-based airship companies in the United States haven't survived. If I had to guess, Sergei Brin already knows that this won't work. He's simply putting his money into a "business" venture for tax reasons. But it sure is fun! Sorry, but this thing is going nowhere and I think that this CEO knows it.
Same old myths regurgitated every time. Airships are extremely resilient, tell a british biplane pilot in WWI that airship is fragile and frail and he will smack you in the face because they absolutely could not bring the german Zeppelins down. As for the weather, none of the airships was brought down by "wind" or "windshear", what they were brought down was the accumulation of rainwater on and in the envelope material, as hydrophobic materials were not greatly developed back then and not practical for such a large area. Airships actually survived horrible weather, some airships made journeys through mountain ranges where airplane pilots would not dare to go. The only actual problem of airships is huge cost, but i'm absolutely sure that engineering genius can bring the cost down. There is absolutely no reason to build airships today the way there were built a 100 years ago, and there is not a whole lot of sense in making those large hundreds of meters long and wide modern airships have a rigid hull with today's envelope materials.
@@georgewashington1621 I say, well observed and laid out. Yet, as I understand it, vessels of greater size are indeed desirable as, the larger the ship is, the more stable it is in the air. (Of course, my knowledge comes partly from speculative fiction and is therefore not to be trusted totally.) 🤓
@@georgewashington1621 Well, not quite. Strong wind shear (i.e. gradients of velocity) are deadly for airships (e.g. wreck of the too lightly built "Shenandoah" almost a century ago), and microbursts can drive them into the ground or water (R101, "Akron"and "Macon"). However, well built and well-flown airships such as Hugo Eckener's "Graf Zeppelin" and "Los Angeles" survived a lot of service, even with technology inferior to that of today, so the true vulnerability or invulnerability remains to be determined.
I've had a subscription to Popular Mechanice for the last 60 years. Every 4 or 5 years they have articles about the *New Future* of airships and it never happens so I'm not holding my breath.
there is no helium, storages are strategic and protected, for important scientific or military uses. And everyone is scared of hydrogen because of safety uses. If helium was avilable, there would be possible to build couple of times bigger airships than Hinderburg very cheap. No need for use some advanced materials for construction, it could lift heavy steel beams construction when scaling up and a lot of fuel for today build motors. It would be the easiest and most epic thing to build if we have helium.
Ridged airships were fascinating machines. I have seen so many of these stories since the 50’s about a person who is going to bring back the glory days of flight in huge airships. Good luck.
The current drought in the Amazon would be a perfect occasion for a publicity campaign for the return of the airships. Roads are scarce and boats are stuck and there are thousands of people isolated now in areas near Manaus and upstream in the Amazon region.
Beautiful things ... Graceful . bring them back !! These would also be superb for heavy cargo delivered to areas where there is no long runway or rough country ...
Very interesting video . Thanks . I won a couple tickets to take ride in a Goodyear Blimp here in Florida . I took my dad with me . The just floating along part is such a nice feeling . I hope this all works out with these new airships .
If you try to build something like this, you have to be a believer, an optimist otherwise defeatism may get you before you get them up in the air. I am glad that there are still dreamers willing to try, otherwise so many of our technological marvels would not exist.
Been to Friedrichshafen a couple of times. I love airships. It’s just fascinating. Can’t wait for the opportunity to go on a flight. I guess I have to start saving money now. Please don’t make it too expensive!
Helium should arguably be far more expensive than it actually is based on the fact that it's a non-renewable resource and when it escapes, it floats up into the upper atmosphere and then literally leaves the planet. When it's gone, it's gone. It's not long before it becomes a highly controlled resource and party balloons no longer float.
Yes, it is "Tropical Islands" near Berlin and I can recommend it. I' ve been there for two days and slept by night at the sandy beech inside, for five Euros in 2010. There are beeches, waterfalls, ponds with fishes, a real tropical forest with living birds, a village with restaurants, lodges, tree houses and tents to spend the night, a gigantic slide and lots of different steambathes and saunas. It is located in the idyllic Spreewald Region near Berlin. Spent a day there when you visit Berlin ... as long as it exists.
The Macon was an "" Aircraft Carrier "" It packed a dozen or two small biplanes , It had a hook slung from the bottom which could gab a loop on top of the plane then reel it in to park in a large hangar on the bottom of the airship , Sadly , the Macon went down at sea off California and sank ( Late 30s , I think)
There is a small company developing airships in the United Kingdom useing the old building at what was RAF Cardington near Bedford .The R101 were built and flown from this location.
As a kid, I used to drive past the Navy blimps at Lakehurst, on the way to the New Jersey beach. On the beach I watched the blimps cruise the shoreline. Possibly watching for sharks or endangered swimmers?
The main problem is there's a huge "Sail Area" with these things. Any high winds make it hard to make it go precisely where you want it to go. If it can make 30 knots and there's a 15 knot headwind, well you're Not going to go anywhere fast.
Unless the wind can be harnessed like in a yacht... MUCH more difficult, I know, because you don't have a second, high density medium to stabilize yourself with ... But kite-based sails are becoming progressively more reliable and effective...?
I rather liked in the Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' books that the fictional Earth in the dimensional next to ours uses airships. Whilst I didn't think much of 2007 film adaptation 'The Golden Compass', I certainly think the scene with the luxury airship trip from Oxford to London is really quite memorable!
While the Hindenburg may have famously exploded, in part because the US wouldn’t allow Germany to import helium; all of the US airships met sorry ends, mostly due to wind. Being concerned about a fiery death in an airship is a lot like fearing a bear in Yosemite when most people killed and injured by wildlife there are kicked to death by deer (or attacked by squirrels).
I lived in MT View and didnt realuze the main hanger was being used to build the air ship...As a child living in pre Slicone Valley bay area I remember seeing Navy Blimps flying over San Francisco..
AirShips are fine as a limited production for specific purposes, however, not for mass passenger transport or mass scale intertaining travellers. Just too prone to wind flactuations and sudden current that can slam it to ground. For hauling bulky load for specified area and for definite research and for some business utility is just fine. Too many is danger.
I just finished a large book about the Hindenburg that covered the entire history of airships. Amazing devices, but the reality is that their time as machines of usefulness is gone. There is a reason that hanger they are in has sat without an airship for almost 100 years.
Dávid Schwarz, inventor of the steerable airship, was born in Keszthely (Hungary) on 7 December 1850. Dávid Schwarz died on 13 January 1897. Ferdinand Zeppelin bought the plans from his widow cca a year later and, in collaboration with Carl Berg, built the first "Zeppelin" airship, which took off from the shores of Lake Constance in 1900. The rest, is history.
Ähnliches wurde auch wieder in D-Land versucht. Davon ist die große Halle des Cargo-Lifters noch zu sehen. Jetzt ist dort ein Schwimmbad enthalten. Ich finde solche Projekte wirklich interessant und wünsche dem Unternehmen Erfolg!
Great episode! Love that Count Zeppline’s legacy is still benefitting his town’s folk more than a century after he’s gone. Great man!
@@formxshape Right now we're facing a much bigger threat, which is you ruining this comment section.
He started a great band as well.
BLIMP-TRANSPORT/AIRSHIP-TRANSPORTATION/AIRSHIP-HELICOPTER-DRONE-CARRIERS/AIRSHIP-DRONE-CARRIER/RESOLVED-AIRSHIP-TRANSPORTATION-STABILITY-RESOLUTION/HEXAGON-AIRSHIP/HEXAGON-BUOYANCY-PLACEMENT-AIRSHIP/HEXAGON-UMBRELLA-SHAPED-WEIGHT-SUPPORT/HEXAGON-WEIGHT-DISPLACEMENT-MECHANISM/[HEXAGON-DOME-SHAPED-AIRSHIP/HEXAGON-FORMATION-WEIGHT-DISTRIBUTION-MECHANISMS/HEXAGON-AIRSHIP-CARRIER-AI-AUTOMATED-BUOYANCY-MECHANISM
Conventional airship cargo-carriers experience instability issues when loading and offloading cargo. The instability in buoyancy (levels); created by the fluctuating mass of the cargo, as well as unstable air-currents (especially at higher altitude), makes conventional designs for airship cargo-carriers inefficient, unstable and potentially unsafe... when compared to alternative modes of cargo transportation vessels, e.g. conventional cargo-ships that travel via a body of water/sea.
When all is said and done... I have come to realize that the technology should be paired with 'vertical', cargo-transport carries, i.e. [droned] helicopters. Helicopter technology should be incorporated with Ai; so that the drones will be outfitted with cargo (of specific weight/mass). With their proven prowess in vertical takeoff, they will be utilized to safely mount cargo on a giant airship (said cargo will [obviously] need to be spaced/tired-down and stationed relative to each other. Inspiration from the hexagon shape should aid the intended 'fair and even [weight] distribution' of mass, across the storage site within the airship). Like an orchestra, when coordinated, the swarms of vertical [helicopter] drones (coordinated & assisted Ai; will take the shape and form of a 'helicopter', for its vertical functionality... they will double and function as integral, and additional transportation-carriers) will 'double and function' as 'construction-pulleys'; in their purpose in safely and relatively steadily mounting cargo onto the large storage site (that will be situated on top of the airship. I envision a small, but functional runway built on the surface of the airship. It is in this additional, supportive function that the airship will resemble an "aircraft carrier, battle ship"). New and emerging technologies will facilitate this mode if cargo transportation.
NOTE: When all is said and done... When we take a step back, and observe the construct in action, its coordinated functionalities and mechanisms will resemble the (relationship and transport mechanism) 'worker-bees and their beehive'. Through further research and development of the quantum mechanics; that is at play, and is responsible for buoyancy (its essence is [efficient] mass/weight-distribution within a [specified] medium volume)... It will be possible to reroute/engineer buoyancy (how lighter than air gas behave), i.e. how mass is distributed within a specified [enclosed] medium-volume/volume of a specified medium.
REMEMBER: that buoyancy takes the path with the least resistance. Point is, if you can manipulate/[quantum] engineer how lighter-than-air gases behave, you will have an easier time using Ai to coordinate their behaviour (with greater efficiency and precision, e.g. making lighter-than-air gases even lighter; manipulating their mass at the quantum scale). Were such endeavours researched, developed and refined to an art, then what we will be left with are the components to anti-gravity technology and [quantum] know-how.
NOTE: There was a successful scientific experiment; where Rubidium was used to give additional mass to the photon. This resulted in slowing down the photo. The experiment supported the feasibility of hard-light technology. The essence of the experiment was that the mass of subatomic particles could be altered/manipulated to bare desirable outcomes. That research should have been concocted with quantum mechanics in mind. Engineering at the quantum scale is exciting and bares monumental possibilities.
I'm seventy and I think every decade or so a new "resurgence of the airship" comes around. So as I think back there were the airships made from old helicopters to haul trees, and then there was a rush of small marketing airships like the Jordash blimp and a Bond film. Then there were concepts of twin-hulled airships that were to be used for cheap transatlantic freight and selling the dream of luxurious passenger cruising airships and on and on and on. Airships seem to be magic and it always seems to grab a player every decade or so.
Fair
I'm 20 now and while I agree with you I still believe airships are gonna make a comeback in a big way once the fourth industrial revolution takes off.
Pretty much agree, I'm in my 50's and they do seem to have a resurgence every few years. I think their ultimate nemesis is vulnerability to weather conditions.
@@bigratkiller1 Yup, the wind is the real issue for starters as airships are like maneuvering a large yacht but in three space, not just two so accurate close-in maneuvering for loading and unloading cargo as well as stability has always been an issue. For basics, people are easy to load and offload and historically gave rise to the skyscraper "race" for urban terminals but cargo is a whole different "animal." and this has always been the failure over the years.
Personally, I have always thought a big warehouse with a retractable roof that an airship could just settle down on and be locked to like a vertical dock would be the answer for cargo and more but no entrepreneur has gone in that direction.
Like waterborne ships, it is the "system" that makes them function successfully not just the vessel itself and this seems to be the big failing. People just seem to (always) focus on the vehicle and not the big picture. Just inventing the light bulb is great but without the generators and wired infrastructure, it is just a novelty.
Saved me posting this. Thank you. It is always presented as super credible now. With the price and growing scarcity of helium. They may come back as toys of the billionaires... So we can look up at them and scheme revolution
There are a couple of things that I wish everyone knew about the history of airships. One is that the German Zeppelin Transport Company never had ONE passenger casualty from its formation in the early 1900s until the Hindenburg. Imagine if the world had given up on airplane development because of one airplane crash. In fact, the Germans always made safety and airmanship their top priorities. (Contrast with the USA, which built 3 highly advanced airships, and crashed them all due to poor airmanship.)
The second thing is that Dr. Hugo Eckener, who ran the Zeppelin company following the death of Count Zeppelin, was not a Nazi and was ideologically opposed to Adolf Hitler. In fact, Eckener was so popular in Germany that people tried to convince him to run for Chancellor in opposition to Hitler, but Eckener did not want to be in politics. Eventually of course the Nazi regime would paint swastikas on the Hindenburg, but Hitler was disdainful of airships due to Dr. Eckener's involvement, and his regime withheld development money from the company. (Which only makes the company look even better in hindsight.)
After WWII, the Zeppelin company operated under the name ZF (Zeppelin Friedrichshafen), and focused on making alumin(i)um components for automobiles, aircraft, and other industries. Decades of manufacturing the gigantic frames of airships had made them world-class experts in aluminum manufacturing. That line of business kept the company prosperous during the many years when they were not making any airships, and it continues to this day -- if your car has a "ZF" transmission, that's them.
Zeppelin in now a foundation under which there many companies namely ZF(zahnradfabrik friedrichshafen) ,luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH, zeppelin Gmbh( zeppelin systems , zeppelin powertrain , zeppelin rentals ...).
Great background, thanks!
I wish to add something you didn't mention...all airships look like giant suppositories....
you're welcome
Yep, all correct. This was spelled out in detail in the book I referred to in another post. It was a great read with wonderful pictures and detailed illustrations. Picked it up in an antique store
You said it, you simply said it!
I am 70 years old and was born in Akron when my dad worked at Goodyear he was the one who drew up plans for the air ventilation system on their first airship.
So, how many years before, it was when your dad told you about airships?
@@Jamesdoc23I think I was probably about 4 or 5 years old when he took me to see it I was born in 1953.
@@Jamesdoc23 It was some years later however I do remember him taking me to see it I would have been about 3 or 4 years of age I was born in 1953.
I remember when the last airship, a German model, flew over SF at $500 a seat (it didn’t last long). It was only slightly longer than a blimp but that was enough to impress. To see one of these in the sky, at the length of a larger liner, like the Canberra or Lurline. will be breathtaking.
I often see the Zeppelin NT, when I visit my homeland at Lake Constance.
I see it with conflicting feelings. I like the sight of the airship. But I always have to think about the airship, they could have built instead. Bigger, slimmer, elegant, not this "pimped out blimp" for a dozen of sightseers on seats.
Just dreaming - It's a little bit like romanticizing old steam locomotives. Or ocean liners.
WHOA THERE BUDDY !, you are not talking siht about Steam Trains I hope?.@@701983
the Zeppelin [German Made by Zeppelin] you are referring to over SanFrancisco was a Farmers Insurance advertising venture with some folks from California....it was the length of a 747 Boeing,
and had 300,000 cu feet of helium...and 3 engines....it was about 2 times the size of most Blimps or Airships as they are known in the trade, which do not have a rigid hull, only a gas bag,
the Zeppelin has an aluminum frame within,
I did welding repair [2012] on the Farmers Zeppelin here in Florida, and got an hour ride over Miami and Ft Lauderdale, the Goodyear company now uses the same model, they are more maneuverable due to the 3 engines and of course, more reliable......they are really something to admire, Slient, cruising along at 35 to 45 mph....very cool....best wishes, Paul in Orlando,FL
I used to live in Mountain View and always drove past the airfield wondering if they had anything going on in the old Zeppelin docks, to know they had started building this thing when I lived there is so cool!
Flying in an airship is on my bucket list! I’ve flown in airplanes and in helicopters but never in a light as an airship. It would be a one in s lifetime experience. To do something both cool and fun! I hope the airship makes a comeback. 😊
Zeppelins did, in fact, serve as airliners for years in Germany, with no casualties, in the interwar period. The weather there is less unpredictable than in the US, and these airships were smaller than the USS Macon or Akron.
Hi Thomas. Weather unpredictability always means "timetable unpredictability" with airships. That makes it impossible to make a predictable business model, a predictable profit/loss balance sheet, and a predictable return to the shareholders. A predictable bank manager won't touch them. I predict they remain as "fair weather toys" for the super-rich. Cheers, P.R.
@@philliprobinson7724 Larger, more modern airships are less susceptible to drag than smaller ones (due to the square-cube law) so there could be a much larger niche.
@@sino_diogenes Hi Diogenes. A great name from Greek history. Modern airships will be superior to the old Zeppelins and have a place, but I doubt they have the "great future" the video title claims. In a strong breeze they cannot be manoevred in or out of a hangar, the side forces during gusts are huge and unpredictable. The nearest valid comparison I can think of, is with the old sailing ships which reefed their sails in high winds and entered harbours under topsails only. Needless to say no airship, no matter how low its coefficient of drag, can shed any of its "sail area". Both types of vessel are at the mercy of the weather, but the airship more so.
The 1920's airship hangars at Cardington in the UK are still standing because they were built to withstand wind-gusts of over 100 mph. The airships themselves were less robust, therein lies another problem. Today the hangars are used for flying ultra-lightweight model aeroplanes. From a start protecting flying whales, they're now protecting flying minnows. Quite appropriate really. Cheers, P.R.
BLIMP-TRANSPORT/AIRSHIP-TRANSPORTATION/AIRSHIP-HELICOPTER-DRONE-CARRIERS/AIRSHIP-DRONE-CARRIER/RESOLVED-AIRSHIP-TRANSPORTATION-STABILITY-RESOLUTION/HEXAGON-AIRSHIP/HEXAGON-BUOYANCY-PLACEMENT-AIRSHIP/HEXAGON-UMBRELLA-SHAPED-WEIGHT-SUPPORT/HEXAGON-WEIGHT-DISPLACEMENT-MECHANISM/[HEXAGON-DOME-SHAPED-AIRSHIP/HEXAGON-FORMATION-WEIGHT-DISTRIBUTION-MECHANISMS/HEXAGON-AIRSHIP-CARRIER-AI-AUTOMATED-BUOYANCY-MECHANISM
Conventional airship cargo-carriers experience instability issues when loading and offloading cargo. The instability in buoyancy (levels); created by the fluctuating mass of the cargo, as well as unstable air-currents (especially at higher altitude), makes conventional designs for airship cargo-carriers inefficient, unstable and potentially unsafe... when compared to alternative modes of cargo transportation vessels, e.g. conventional cargo-ships that travel via a body of water/sea.
When all is said and done... I have come to realize that the technology should be paired with 'vertical', cargo-transport carries, i.e. [droned] helicopters. Helicopter technology should be incorporated with Ai; so that the drones will be outfitted with cargo (of specific weight/mass). With their proven prowess in vertical takeoff, they will be utilized to safely mount cargo on a giant airship (said cargo will [obviously] need to be spaced/tired-down and stationed relative to each other. Inspiration from the hexagon shape should aid the intended 'fair and even [weight] distribution' of mass, across the storage site within the airship). Like an orchestra, when coordinated, the swarms of vertical [helicopter] drones (coordinated & assisted Ai; will take the shape and form of a 'helicopter', for its vertical functionality... they will double and function as integral, and additional transportation-carriers) will 'double and function' as 'construction-pulleys'; in their purpose in safely and relatively steadily mounting cargo onto the large storage site (that will be situated on top of the airship. I envision a small, but functional runway built on the surface of the airship. It is in this additional, supportive function that the airship will resemble an "aircraft carrier, battle ship"). New and emerging technologies will facilitate this mode if cargo transportation.
NOTE: When all is said and done... When we take a step back, and observe the construct in action, its coordinated functionalities and mechanisms will resemble the (relationship and transport mechanism) 'worker-bees and their beehive'. Through further research and development of the quantum mechanics; that is at play, and is responsible for buoyancy (its essence is [efficient] mass/weight-distribution within a [specified] medium volume)... It will be possible to reroute/engineer buoyancy (how lighter than air gas behave), i.e. how mass is distributed within a specified [enclosed] medium-volume/volume of a specified medium.
REMEMBER: that buoyancy takes the path with the least resistance. Point is, if you can manipulate/[quantum] engineer how lighter-than-air gases behave, you will have an easier time using Ai to coordinate their behaviour (with greater efficiency and precision, e.g. making lighter-than-air gases even lighter; manipulating their mass at the quantum scale). Were such endeavours researched, developed and refined to an art, then what we will be left with are the components to anti-gravity technology and [quantum] know-how.
NOTE: There was a successful scientific experiment; where Rubidium was used to give additional mass to the photon. This resulted in slowing down the photo. The experiment supported the feasibility of hard-light technology. The essence of the experiment was that the mass of subatomic particles could be altered/manipulated to bare desirable outcomes. That research should have been concocted with quantum mechanics in mind. Engineering at the quantum scale is exciting and bares monumental possibilities.
Must acknowledge weather conditions. Still, they did fill a role beyond entertainment and advertising.
I got to fly on one of the GoodYear blimps in Michigan when I was a kid and it's definitely an experience I will never forget!
"I'm going to poke my head out the window" 🤣 I would also do that if I had the opportunity!
This is a special video you have made. For the dreamers like me
I was fortunate to have flown on the Zeppelin NT from Moffett Field in Sunnyvale CA several years ago. Thanks for this video.
Glad to see that much of this work is being done in Akron, Ohio at the Akron Airdock.
Great video. I spent 12 yrs in the U.S.M.C., and I think 6 or 7 yrs. of it was in Marine Corps Air Station (H) in Tustin Ca. There are 2 Blimp hangers there converted to Helicopter hangers. I spent many hrs. on the floors looking up (wishing for the trip you took to the Walkway at the top). Thank You again for a GREAT trip into the Past and hopefully the Future.
Great production team, producers, DoPs, Editor, and host that pulled it off.
The Goodyear blimp passed over my town a number of times when I was young. Always so excited to see it. I seen them in various media growing up as well, and I believe they are an untapped market and technology. The crashes were deadly but airships are not even expressly more dangerous than planes when the pilots are trained. Aviation as a whole and its safety standards were so young back then. The Hindenburg disaster sure was gripping on film, because it was already being filmed as it landed. It was the shock that did them in.
As someone who enjoys operating various small to massive vehicles in simulators, the fact that the airship pilot mentioned that control is fly-by-feel as opposed to fly-by-numbers (as in instruments/displays/autopilot assists) made me overjoyed. They must have a lot of fun with such a niche job. If skill in controlling such an unwieldy machine is a factor in holding back airships resurgence then I would be the one crazy enough to fly them into a disaster zone haha.
A truly wonderful presentation. Thanks for bringing me up to speed on airship development. Great video.
Beautiful video! I recommend Alexander Rose’s excellent book “Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World“. It wasn’t the zeppelins’ excessive flammability that doomed them; rather, it was their lack of profitability.
Thanks for this topic! I am a fan of this type of aviation, I think that airships have great potential for use. Especially their macro and hybrid options. I have my own ideas regarding the design features and application of such transport of various specializations: cargo ships, sky yachts, mobile nomadic apartments, scientific laboratories, etc.
As a young lad in the early sixties, I had a chance to walk around inside an old airship hanger located at a naval air base, just south of Boston Ma. At that time it only served an aircraft storage and maintenance facility and not to long after torn down. I was totally awestruck by the huge space inside. I’ve always hoped for a big airship comeback. Even if technology and capital investments can be brought to bare, I fear that wind and weather will have the final say for both structure and craft.
WCB Mr Vance. It's always a pleasure 😎👍
I grew up in a small town between Goodyear, Arizona and Los Angeles, California. We could always expect the Goodyear Blimp to be flying overhead, along Interstate 10, on its way west on a Friday afternoon for the upcoming football game, somewhere on the west coast. They flew daily low, in my opinion. And when they were flying into the wind, they had to dive down, then dive up to keep forward motion. It was a grand sight for a kid in Elementary School. When they were heading over during recess, we didn’t want to go back to class until it was out of sight. A teach actually once allowed this. Then when we returned to class we recieved science class about aerodynamics. Well, what a kid could understand.
This is the one of the best thing i ever see
Love watching "Hello World" with ash.
Thx!!!
Oddly, no mention was made of the unique advantages offered by airships. There are many so I'll mention a few of them. Very long loitering time would be useful in many scenarios. Disaster recovery is one such example. When the affected area is utterly destroyed, no roads, everything is destroyed. Many coastal towns were utterly wiped out by the Fukushima earthquake. Bring in the airship it doesn't even need to land so it could be a source of support and recovery based on how it is configured. A mobile medical facility for example. Long duration rescue missions is another possible use.
Also it uses a fraction of fuel that a conventional jet would use.
Likely uses offshore construction as they can move multiple repeating loads from shore to site quickly. Like helicopters setting power poles, etc., think assembled offshore windmills.
Absolutely OUTSTANDING!
There are niche slots which an airship could easily fit into, such as surveillance and customs control. The great restriction for airships has been that hydrogen is flammable and while helium is not... it's a finite resource. Like oil, once the available supply of helium is exhausted it cannot be replaced. I've loved the concept of lighter than air technology since I was a child. BUT, until the issue of helium replacement is resolved I really don't see a future in which they can thrive.
Since helium reserves are running low, I don't think it would be economically wise to use helium for airships.
Yeah, as difficult as hydrogen is to work with, I don't see how you do a large rigid body airship without it.
It’s a small fraction of the operating expense, the total of which is itself a small fraction of the cost of operating a comparable helicopter. Thankfully, helium refineries using new reverse osmosis technology are also being developed in order to make even that cheaper.
Considering the amount of helium wasted on toy balloons every day, I must say I have my doubts about the supply meeting the demand. 😕
I think Hydrogen would be used. Airships aren't for passengers anymore, but for heavy transport. Think of giant wind turbine rotor blades no truck could transport. Even if all the H2 goes up in flames, it would still be worth it overall ...
@@TimCortesi H2O f.e.
Weird how there is no mention of limited helium. Helium is a finite resource - so far - and the country's helium reserves are so precious that they are owned and protected by the US military. That doesn't' sound like a resource we can make a 1000 airships with.
true that, there is no future in scaling up numbers when you use helium.
there would be two alternatives.
BLIMP-TRANSPORT/AIRSHIP-TRANSPORTATION/AIRSHIP-HELICOPTER-DRONE-CARRIERS/AIRSHIP-DRONE-CARRIER/RESOLVED-AIRSHIP-TRANSPORTATION-STABILITY-RESOLUTION/HEXAGON-AIRSHIP/HEXAGON-BUOYANCY-PLACEMENT-AIRSHIP/HEXAGON-UMBRELLA-SHAPED-WEIGHT-SUPPORT/HEXAGON-WEIGHT-DISPLACEMENT-MECHANISM/[HEXAGON-DOME-SHAPED-AIRSHIP/HEXAGON-FORMATION-WEIGHT-DISTRIBUTION-MECHANISMS/HEXAGON-AIRSHIP-CARRIER-AI-AUTOMATED-BUOYANCY-MECHANISM
Conventional airship cargo-carriers experience instability issues when loading and offloading cargo. The instability in buoyancy (levels); created by the fluctuating mass of the cargo, as well as unstable air-currents (especially at higher altitude), makes conventional designs for airship cargo-carriers inefficient, unstable and potentially unsafe... when compared to alternative modes of cargo transportation vessels, e.g. conventional cargo-ships that travel via a body of water/sea.
When all is said and done... I have come to realize that the technology should be paired with 'vertical', cargo-transport carries, i.e. [droned] helicopters. Helicopter technology should be incorporated with Ai; so that the drones will be outfitted with cargo (of specific weight/mass). With their proven prowess in vertical takeoff, they will be utilized to safely mount cargo on a giant airship (said cargo will [obviously] need to be spaced/tired-down and stationed relative to each other. Inspiration from the hexagon shape should aid the intended 'fair and even [weight] distribution' of mass, across the storage site within the airship). Like an orchestra, when coordinated, the swarms of vertical [helicopter] drones (coordinated & assisted Ai; will take the shape and form of a 'helicopter', for its vertical functionality... they will double and function as integral, and additional transportation-carriers) will 'double and function' as 'construction-pulleys'; in their purpose in safely and relatively steadily mounting cargo onto the large storage site (that will be situated on top of the airship. I envision a small, but functional runway built on the surface of the airship. It is in this additional, supportive function that the airship will resemble an "aircraft carrier, battle ship"). New and emerging technologies will facilitate this mode if cargo transportation.
NOTE: When all is said and done... When we take a step back, and observe the construct in action, its coordinated functionalities and mechanisms will resemble the (relationship and transport mechanism) 'worker-bees and their beehive'. Through further research and development of the quantum mechanics; that is at play, and is responsible for buoyancy (its essence is [efficient] mass/weight-distribution within a [specified] medium volume)... It will be possible to reroute/engineer buoyancy (how lighter than air gas behave), i.e. how mass is distributed within a specified [enclosed] medium-volume/volume of a specified medium.
REMEMBER: that buoyancy takes the path with the least resistance. Point is, if you can manipulate/[quantum] engineer how lighter-than-air gases behave, you will have an easier time using Ai to coordinate their behaviour (with greater efficiency and precision, e.g. making lighter-than-air gases even lighter; manipulating their mass at the quantum scale). Were such endeavours researched, developed and refined to an art, then what we will be left with are the components to anti-gravity technology and [quantum] know-how.
NOTE: There was a successful scientific experiment; where Rubidium was used to give additional mass to the photon. This resulted in slowing down the photo. The experiment supported the feasibility of hard-light technology. The essence of the experiment was that the mass of subatomic particles could be altered/manipulated to bare desirable outcomes. That research should have been concocted with quantum mechanics in mind. Engineering at the quantum scale is exciting and bares monumental possibilities.
We could go back to hydrogen. What could go wrong?
@@pisstinpete4700 that id one option, and we know what could go wrong, and could account for it.
@@pisstinpete4700 that is one of the two options. and we know what could go wrong. And we can account for it.
Airships must SURELY be the future of medium to long range travel for all but the most important and impatient individuals in society. They are clean, quiet, civilised, sustainable, elegant, and promote curiosity. More importantly, from either perspective, they put a smile on your face.
Even just going up in the Goodyear blimp is a big treat, the true feeling of being free of gravity in an almost magical way...and a cool feeling being able to stick your head out the window. Totally different experience from flying in a closed-in, cramped plane where the idea of opening a "window" is insane!
I flew often enough as a child with a WW2 fighter pilot, that he knew my brothers and my name. He was an ace twice over and famously got a Zero that was attacking him, with a bomb. The plane he flew us in was a Grumman Goose, or sometimes a Widgeon and not only did he fly with the window open on occasion, he also used to "bomb" newspapers and mail into peoples backyard as he flew or ACTUALLY glided over, WITH THE ENGINE TURNED OFF momentarily so after he had dropped the "bomb" , he could reach over his head and smash the throttles forward and open her up with a roar as he passed over their rooftop.
When I was about 6 or 7 I was sick in the plane once, into a sickbag. He said to my mum, EXCITED AS A CHILD HIMSELF, "I see a yacht down there, give me the bag and we will surprise them" and even though my dad told mum no, and said "Freddie, you shouldn't, you will get in trouble again" he just laughed and opened up the window, aimed the plane, and tried to drop a bag of sick on it from a thousand meters. I am the only person alive now, who was in the plane !.
Fredrick Patrick Ladd, RNZAF 30 Squadron, Order of the British Empire
0:07: ! Google co-founder Sergey Brin is building an airship in Mountain View, California.
4:55: 🚀 A tour of a modern airship that combines old and new technology to bring back the glory of airship travel.
15:01: 🛩 The speaker describes the experience of flying in an aircraft and compares it to being on a boat.
20:00: ! The airdock holds a special place in the hearts of locals, but there is uncertainty about its future.
Recap by Tammy AI
Nice how do i visit and see it
Would be awesome to see airships again.
I would love to fly long distance in one one day/days ✌️
For some years the southern part of Denmark had become German, after an unfortunate war in 1864, and the now again Danish town of Toender became a Base for German airships during WW1! They still have a museum with several, extremely light parts parts used in Zeppelins, of which some became used during attacks on England. And for years we had frequent visits from Goodyear Blimps in Denmark.
Didn't Hugo Eckener settle on the German side of the border in this region after WWII? (Pity the video didn't mention him...).
This is crazy idea. I love it! :)
Very nice, but if you need a mast trailer at the disaster site, you're in trouble. The Airlander 10 can land on flat ground, like a field.
Great series this one. Congrats.
The return of the airship is an evergreen story -- because it never happens!
Great to see you back.
It's 2023 we need Final Fantasy style airships lol
WHY does it make a grown man giggle ?
OMG, it's Ashlee Vance, my favorite Off Nominal guest!
Welcome, friend!
Thanks @@valleyhack!
I am really curious how LTA will handle the ballast issue when cargo is offloaded. Compressing helium? Water loaded on? Props pushing down?
@@I-0-0-I You hit right on one of the things I'm most skeptical about. Al has talked to me about taking on water or sand. You'd have to replace thousands of tons . . . .
@@valleyhack Huh, sand could work! On the somewhat positive side, China just showed us that you can fly an airship powered by solar panels all the way over here. Super low carbon. Would be cool if automated airships could ride the jet streams to ship goods. Project Loon did a lot of work on the air current stuff.
According to Flying Whales CEO, the technology to compress helium with equipment that is not too heavy is being developped and should be there in a decade or so... This is to be taken with a grain of salt of course.@@I-0-0-I
Amazing documentary! Greetings from Friedrichshafen
Brilliant video, but it's another Jurassic Park idea to me - "just because we can, doesn't mean that we should.."
Very very interesting and educacional so to speak! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
What a great video ... combine this with zipline drone tech and wow
I am almost done reading Clive Clusser novel, CONDOR'S FURY, written by Graham Brown. Fascinating air and cargo travel
Way to go Katharine Board. Refreshing to hear honest thoughts.
🤗THANKS ASHLEE,FOR SHARING THE DREAM WITH US …WE GREW UP WITH THE AIRSHIPS IN AKRON, OHIO 💚💚💚
Thanks for watchin!
👍🤗WELCOME
the bouncer at 13:24 is the best! woof
My grandfather actually was an original designer of the Akron and the Macon.
That's amazing! You still in Ohio?
I’ve always loved the idea of airships and love that they’re making a comeback. But I’ve read recently that there’s a shortage of Helium?
Airships are a fascinating idea. There's something about watching one move slowly and gracefully through the air. Sergei Brin is not the first person in recent times to try out this idea. Lockheed was working on an airship that relies on a combination of LTA lift and an envelope that is shaped like an airfoil. There are some very real logistical hurdles though.
First, the world's supply of helium has always been severely limited and it's mostly controlled by the United States. Dr. Hugo Eckener, the man who designed the Hindenburg, approached the United States government and asked for helium which is what he actually wanted the Hindenburg to fly with. He was turned down and was forced to rely on hydrogen instead. Hydrogen is actually more buoyant than helium but as we all know, it comes with very, very serious risks. So if you're going to do these "heavy lift" LTA applications, helium is safe but it's not practical. Hydrogen "might" be an alternative for UAV-type airships but even that has risks for people on the ground.
Another problem is weather. Airships don't do very well in high winds and storms. The R101 was a British airship that was built to take passengers from England across long distances to India. The ship barely made it to France when it crashed in the French countryside in a storm. The USS Macon, a navy airship, was torn apart off the coast near Monterey, California in 1935 due to wind shear. Airships just can't deal with bad weather. It's as simple as that.
So while the idea of airships is intriguing, some reality-based perspective is in order. So far, none of these ambitious design ideas has made it past the "experimental" or research phase. And to date, the only economically viable airships are in marketing and advertising. Even tourist-based airship companies in the United States haven't survived.
If I had to guess, Sergei Brin already knows that this won't work. He's simply putting his money into a "business" venture for tax reasons. But it sure is fun!
Sorry, but this thing is going nowhere and I think that this CEO knows it.
Ah...but would you greatly mind if, by chance, you were to be proven incorrect on that assertion? ☺️ 😏 🙄
Macon’s sister ship, Akron, suffered the same fate, again due to wind shear.
Same old myths regurgitated every time. Airships are extremely resilient, tell a british biplane pilot in WWI that airship is fragile and frail and he will smack you in the face because they absolutely could not bring the german Zeppelins down. As for the weather, none of the airships was brought down by "wind" or "windshear", what they were brought down was the accumulation of rainwater on and in the envelope material, as hydrophobic materials were not greatly developed back then and not practical for such a large area. Airships actually survived horrible weather, some airships made journeys through mountain ranges where airplane pilots would not dare to go. The only actual problem of airships is huge cost, but i'm absolutely sure that engineering genius can bring the cost down. There is absolutely no reason to build airships today the way there were built a 100 years ago, and there is not a whole lot of sense in making those large hundreds of meters long and wide modern airships have a rigid hull with today's envelope materials.
@@georgewashington1621
I say, well observed and laid out. Yet, as I understand it, vessels of greater size are indeed desirable as, the larger the ship is, the more stable it is in the air. (Of course, my knowledge comes partly from speculative fiction and is therefore not to be trusted totally.) 🤓
@@georgewashington1621 Well, not quite. Strong wind shear (i.e. gradients of velocity) are deadly for airships (e.g. wreck of the too lightly built "Shenandoah" almost a century ago), and microbursts can drive them into the ground or water (R101, "Akron"and "Macon"). However, well built and well-flown airships such as Hugo Eckener's "Graf Zeppelin" and "Los Angeles" survived a lot of service, even with technology inferior to that of today, so the true vulnerability or invulnerability remains to be determined.
I've had a subscription to Popular Mechanice for the last 60 years. Every 4 or 5 years they have articles about the *New Future* of airships and it never happens so I'm not holding my breath.
like in Popular mechanic from september 1974
I have seen stories every few years since the 80's talking about how in the near future this is gonna be a game changer . Never happened
there is no helium, storages are strategic and protected, for important scientific or military uses.
And everyone is scared of hydrogen because of safety uses.
If helium was avilable, there would be possible to build couple of times bigger airships than Hinderburg very cheap. No need for use some advanced materials for construction, it could lift heavy steel beams construction when scaling up and a lot of fuel for today build motors. It would be the easiest and most epic thing to build if we have helium.
@@teodormajewski3566Perhaps when we build Atomic Fusion Reactors we will have Helium.
Fascinating topic, excellent video.
good timing with veritasium video)
That’s Moffett Field. NASA Ames is next door. Two completely separate facilities. NAS Sunnyvale became Moffett Field after Adm Moffett died.
Ridged airships were fascinating machines. I have seen so many of these stories since the 50’s about a person who is going to bring back the glory days of flight in huge airships. Good luck.
The german experience with heavy load air ships is long over. It was the cargolifter story
So cool.. best of luck to the team!
I like how he nods his head at 11:37 as if he understands, when in fact, he probably doesn't understand a word she is saying.
HELLO from Thailand Ashlee! So enjoyed this video....Norm
Norm!!! Thx for watching, man.
The current drought in the Amazon would be a perfect occasion for a publicity campaign for the return of the airships. Roads are scarce and boats are stuck and there are thousands of people isolated now in areas near Manaus and upstream in the Amazon region.
Fascinating.
love it what ever he is doing bring it back
I have always wanted to travel on a Zeppelin. Wonderful.
Beautiful things ... Graceful . bring them back !! These would also be superb for heavy cargo delivered to areas where there is no long runway or rough country ...
Awesome video 🥳 Great presentation and production 👌
Very interesting video . Thanks . I won a couple tickets to take ride in a Goodyear Blimp here in Florida . I took my dad with me . The just floating along part is such a nice feeling . I hope this all works out with these new airships .
Meteorology and proper flight planning for safety is a helluva drug.
If you try to build something like this, you have to be a believer, an optimist otherwise defeatism may get you before you get them up in the air. I am glad that there are still dreamers willing to try, otherwise so many of our technological marvels would not exist.
Been to Friedrichshafen a couple of times. I love airships. It’s just fascinating. Can’t wait for the opportunity to go on a flight. I guess I have to start saving money now. Please don’t make it too expensive!
320 € minimum 1/2 hour
I love the idea of a 2-3 day cruise over the Mediterranean or Europe in an airship like the graf zeppelin
Just couldn't help throwing in that Goodyear blimp footage, could ya?
In 🇩🇪 Germany?
Big projects like this are more likely to succeed with Congressional support.
Very interesting! . . Im looking forward when people can cross the Atlantic and further. . . 😁👍 🇺🇲 🎈
This is fabthinking! Exciting
they didn't said how much producing of helium costs, but Wiki says - 1cubic meter oh He (costs ~$40) can lift 1kg of stuff, so do the math.
Helium should arguably be far more expensive than it actually is based on the fact that it's a non-renewable resource and when it escapes, it floats up into the upper atmosphere and then literally leaves the planet. When it's gone, it's gone. It's not long before it becomes a highly controlled resource and party balloons no longer float.
fun fact: There was a larger project in Germany two decades ago. The hangar that was built is now a tropical swimming pool with cafes and restaurants.
Yes, it is "Tropical Islands" near Berlin and I can recommend it. I' ve been there for two days and slept by night at the sandy beech inside, for five Euros in 2010. There are beeches, waterfalls, ponds with fishes, a real tropical forest with living birds, a village with restaurants, lodges, tree houses and tents to spend the night, a gigantic slide and lots of different steambathes and saunas.
It is located in the idyllic Spreewald Region near Berlin. Spent a day there when you visit Berlin
... as long as it exists.
I feel like this would be perfect for tours in parks and massive areas in general.
Safaris?
Holst - Saturn was a nice touch 👏🏻
The Macon was an "" Aircraft Carrier "" It packed a dozen or two small biplanes , It had a hook slung from the bottom which could gab a loop on top of the plane then reel it in to park in a large hangar on the bottom of the airship , Sadly , the Macon went down at sea off California and sank ( Late 30s , I think)
The Macon could carry at most 5 Sparrowhawks, and was only carrying 4 when it went down iirc.
Not quite a dozen but still super cool imo.
It is a fancy tourist ride.
There is a small company developing airships in the United Kingdom useing the old building at what was RAF Cardington near Bedford .The R101 were built and flown from this location.
Great fan of rigid airship from the time I was ten, am now 65 still dream of one day flying in a airship
Isn't the world facing a helium shortage? And your new plan is to bring back huge airships that require huge amounts of helium... Genius
Liked and subscribed. Thank you!
Used to love taking the sleeper Zep to Muncie back in the day...
As a kid, I used to drive past the Navy blimps at Lakehurst, on the way to the New Jersey beach. On the beach I watched the blimps cruise the shoreline. Possibly watching for sharks or endangered swimmers?
Excellent program!
The main problem is there's a huge "Sail Area" with these things. Any high winds make it hard to make it go precisely where you want it to go. If it can make 30 knots and there's a 15 knot headwind, well you're Not going to go anywhere fast.
Unless the wind can be harnessed like in a yacht... MUCH more difficult, I know, because you don't have a second, high density medium to stabilize yourself with ... But kite-based sails are becoming progressively more reliable and effective...?
Wooooooow I am shook gagged gooped , luuuuuuuvvvvv this air ship balloon yaaaaaaaassss old times are coming back yaaaaaaaaay ❤❤😊
I rather liked in the Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' books that the fictional Earth in the dimensional next to ours uses airships. Whilst I didn't think much of 2007 film adaptation 'The Golden Compass', I certainly think the scene with the luxury airship trip from Oxford to London is really quite memorable!
While the Hindenburg may have famously exploded, in part because the US wouldn’t allow Germany to import helium; all of the US airships met sorry ends, mostly due to wind.
Being concerned about a fiery death in an airship is a lot like fearing a bear in Yosemite when most people killed and injured by wildlife there are kicked to death by deer (or attacked by squirrels).
The USS Los Angeles, built in Germany, was quietly laid up and scrapped in the late 1930s. Just too small,old and obsolete by that time.
It was the only one of the US Navy's five rigid airships not to crash.@@gormanaogormanao2511
I lived in MT View and didnt realuze the main hanger was being used to build the air ship...As a child living in pre Slicone Valley bay area I remember seeing Navy Blimps flying over San Francisco..
AirShips are fine as a limited production for specific purposes, however, not for mass passenger transport or mass scale intertaining travellers. Just too prone to wind flactuations and sudden current that can slam it to ground. For hauling bulky load for specified area and for definite research and for some business utility is just fine. Too many is danger.
I just finished a large book about the Hindenburg that covered the entire history of airships. Amazing devices, but the reality is that their time as machines of usefulness is gone. There is a reason that hanger they are in has sat without an airship for almost 100 years.
Everything seems right and beautiful ❤ . So beautiful .
As a Led Zeppelin fan, I approve of this fascinating video.
Ramble on
We love them because they are so Steam-Punk and they appear in every good alternate timeline sci-fi.
Dávid Schwarz, inventor of the steerable airship, was born in Keszthely (Hungary) on 7 December 1850.
Dávid Schwarz died on 13 January 1897.
Ferdinand Zeppelin bought the plans from his widow cca a year later and, in collaboration with Carl Berg, built the first "Zeppelin" airship, which took off from the shores of Lake Constance in 1900.
The rest, is history.
Ähnliches wurde auch wieder in D-Land versucht. Davon ist die große Halle des Cargo-Lifters noch zu sehen. Jetzt ist dort ein Schwimmbad enthalten. Ich finde solche Projekte wirklich interessant und wünsche dem Unternehmen Erfolg!