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Aeroscraft Begins Flight Testing Following FAA Certification

Posted by samzenpus on from the I'm-floating dept.

Zothecula writes "After a 70-year absence, it appears that a new rigid frame airship will soon be taking to the skies over California. Aeros Corporation, a company based near San Diego, has received experimental airworthiness certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to begin flight testing the Aeroscraft airship, and it appears that the company has wasted no time getting started."

3 of 158 comments (clear)

  1. ground-breaking airship by fustakrakich · · Score: 5, Funny

    What, did they land too hard?

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  2. Re:Windmills do not work that way, Human! by h4rr4r · · Score: 5, Informative

    They compress the helium into fabric bags, then this makes the some of the gas cells/bags inside the rigid frame deflate, that deflated volume is replaced with air. Then when you need to become lighter you allow the Helium to go back into the gas cell/bag and thus the bag inflates pushing the air out of the craft.

    If they could do what you are suspecting is going on they would have no need for helium. They could just have a big rigid bag of vacuum.

  3. a 10 month absence by Geoffrey.landis · · Score: 5, Informative

    ""After a 70-year absence, it appears that a new rigid frame airship will soon be taking to the skies over California..."

    No, not a 70 year absence: a ten month absence. Zeppelin "Eureka" was flying over California from 2008 to 2012.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airship_Ventures

    --couldn't make enough money flying sightseeing cruises to pay its way, alas
    http://mountainview.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/airship-ventures-says-goodbye

    --
    http://www.geoffreylandis.com