Boeing-Skyhook Airship Faces Technical Challenges

waderoush writes "Since the Hindenburg disaster, dreams of giant airships capable of lifting heavy cargo have been restricted mainly to Popular Science covers (with the notable exception of the Cargolifter AG failure) — until Boeing and a Canadian company called Skyhook announced on July 8 that they're building a 300-foot-long, helium-filled craft that will lift loads of up to 40 tons and carry them 200 miles. But an aeronautical engineer at the University of Washington cautions that there are still some big problems to be worked out with mega-airships, including their stability in turbulent weather."

Comments

RTFA

[mosb1000]

You need to read the article. This is a neutrally buoyant craft when it's under no load. It uses rotors (like a helicopter) to lift the cargo itself. So when it's not carrying anything it is neutrally buoyant, but when it has a load it needs it's rotors to generate lift.

Obviously, the craft would be useless if it had the problems you describe, but the engineers at Boeing aren't as brainless as you imagine them to be.

I usually don't mind when people don't RTFA, but you just look really stupid right now and I think in the future you might want to consider it.