Giant Firefighting Blimp

bgood writes: "MSNBC has an article about a California firm's plans for building a firefighting airship. Wetzone Engineering is working on a prototype and hopes to have a production craft in use within three years." Looks like a great way to water the lawn, too.

Comments

First Pick! (Nitpick that is.)

[fm6]

A blimp is a nonrigid airship. This would be a semirigid airship.

Re:Why this love with airships?

[Martin Blank]

Airships can stay up for far longer periods of time than can a heavier-than-air vehicle. Consider that the Hindenburg took three *days* to cross from Berlin to New Jersey. Airships can also hover, and are very stable. There are few limits on size (Hindenburg was 804 feet in length), and can keep sufficient supplies on board for a small crew for days or longer.

Because they can stay longer than fixed-wing and have more room and carrying capacity than helicopters, they can mount water cannon allowing for more directed targeting.

As for your assertion on the reliability of the technology, aircraft technology in general was very undeveloped then, and several countries (and even companies) around the world use airships that have been around for a very long time with a very high safety record.