Slashdot Mirror
Goodyear's New State-of-the-Art Airship Makes Its First Flight
Zothecula (1870348) writes "The Goodyear blimp may have been flying around for almost 90 years, but it still manages to turn heads. On Friday, there was another reason to look beyond nostalgia for the days of the great airships of old as Goodyear unveiled its new state-of-the-art blimp to the media, Goodyear associates and dealers at its Wingfoot Lake hangar in Suffield, Ohio. Built in partnership with the Zeppelin company, the new craft that replaces the 45-year old GZ-20 blimp fleet is not only larger and faster, it isn't even a blimp, but a semi-rigid airship."
Maneuver props engaged
They haven't named it yet. I'm guessing they won't be going with "Hindenburg II"
In a band? Use WheresTheGig for free.
In a few decades, flying a blimp might become a bit difficult.
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
It's a Zeppelin NT. One was based in Silicon Valley for several years, but didn't make money after the price of helium doubled. It cost $400 for a sightseeing tour of the Bay Area.
I've heard a talk by the company CEO, who'd piloted the thing. It handles much better than the classic Goodyear blimp, which he'd also flown. With three steerable props and computer coordination, it's much more controllable during landing. It doesn't require a large ground crew hanging onto ropes to get the thing tied down. That's why Goodyear is going with the NT, even though it's more expensive than their classic blimp. There are videos on Youtube of both types landing.
If you want to see what it's like to fly one, the open source FlightGear simulator has a good model of the NT, including the mobile docking truck.
Article fails to mention the company's previous attempt at semi-rigid airship design. Goodyear unveiled the GZ-22 with similar fanfare in 1989, then quietly crashed it a few months later.
Haven't you ever seen "the rocketeer"?
This means that the craft is technically no longer a blimp or dirigible because the structure of the envelope is no longer supported entirely by the gas inside.
Any aircraft that obtains lift from a lighter than air gas is an airship or aerostat. An airship that has the ability to propel itself is a dirigible, one that cannot is a balloon. An airship that contains no rigid support structure for the envelope can be called either a blimp or non-rigid. An airship that has the envelope supported entirely by a solid structure is considered a rigid dirigible or a Zepplin, named after the person that developed that style of craft and the company that bears his name that built them.
Since these new Goodyear airships are semi-rigid and built by the Zeppelin company I would tend to call this type of airship a Zeppelin. Perhaps my tendency might conflict with others as it might be more correctly be called a semi-rigid dirigible that happened to be made by Zeppelin.
I agree that these new aircraft are not blimps but they are most certainly dirigibles.
With that said I'm not going to beat anyone over the head for calling them "blimps", everyone will know generally what they are talking about. I might even call them a blimp just because I've heard people using the words "Goodyear" and "blimp" together for so long that I'd have to be reminded that these new crafts are not blimps.
What gets crazy is that some airships are not technically lighter than air. They contain gasses in the envelope that is lighter than air but not enough to provide sufficient buoyancy for lifting the entire weight of the craft. They'd technically be still heavier than air and would require the engines running to leave the ground. I don't know if the Goodyear airships are lighter or heavier than air.
Whatever people want to call them I think these airships are cool. I believe this is a technology that will allow for some very large and heavy lifting aircraft that could compete with many other forms of transport over land, air, or sea.
I am armed because I am free. I am free because I am armed.
It's 90 years in blimp years.
Although, to be fair, zeppelin safety has improved tremendously.
I have seen many blimps about the place so this is not amazing news, they are becoming more and more common...but I thought that McDs was behind it?
Blimps don't live to 90.....heart Disease or diabetes takes them long before then.
Three Blimps walk into a bar....thank god there wasn't a fire or everybody would have died.
I am a horrible disgusting "fat shamer".....and I will be here weekends and friday nights folks!
The older versions of that thing included free skydive from a fireball .
Actually, the older version of *this* thing is called Zeppelin NT and flies now for about 20 years all around the Lake Constance region. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeppelin_NT
You know it's time for the next revolution when your rulers' names end with roman numerals.
Beefheart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
nah .. i'm talkin about hitlers baloons .
So logically this new one would be Zeppelin XP. I predict it will be a more successful, after which we will see Zeppelin Vista, which will use the lighter and more easily available hydrogen. They promise improved security and safety this time.
I suspect the fact that these things traveled about 50 MPH had more to do with their demise than a few high-profile accidents.
Of course it is that way. The moron was just being sarcastic ( or is dumb as hell )
---- Booth was a patriot ----
I think with the appropriate paint job, and a larger gondola for cargo, there could be airship pirates in our future! Anyone feel like signing up for a (short) life of adventure and riches?
When you want something built, come see me. If you want correct grammar and spelling, get a F*ing liberal arts student.