These BA are a further development of aerostats (needed as flotation aids) with added power, propulsion, control and other systems for free dirigible (steerable) flight wherever desired. First developed and flown by Henri Giffard 1852 they earned the reputation of being dirigible aircraft following development of internal combustion (IC) engines and their
use by Santos Dumont for his airship developments, where his Number 6 enabled him to win the Deutsch de la Meurthe prize of FF100,000. He achieved this on 19 October 1901 (two years before the Wright Brothers flew) with a lengthy figure 8 flight that rounded the Eiffel Tower.
Since then, airships have been referred to as Dirigibles. An aspect of them realised by the Graf von Zeppelin is that they have ability when scaled up (like ships) to carry outsized heavy loads, where payload scales with volume (length cubed) but aerodynamic drag scales with surface area (length squared). They therefore become more efficient with higher airspeed ability as size increases, proven by many Zeppelins built and flown. They were the first aerial bombers during WW1 and the first to provide regular transatlantic passenger flights with comfort and style. They also were the first long range heavy lift transport aircraft and the first aerial aircraft carriers.
These attributes were natural abilities with least power needs that nonbuoyant aircraft struggle to achieve from limitations of physics without ability to float in air, needing excess power for unnatural high airspeed to actually become airborne and fly. They fundamentally are not sustainable, where carbon emissions are only one of the issues causing climate change. That’s because they also need extensive Earth resources and other ways to provide them, which exacerbate environmental issues. However, airships designed for point to point services with least energy principles are a
way to mitigate such environmental upset! Even so, while traditional UD types were good for long range and long endurance duties they previously fell from grace for various reasons. These reasons are documented and developers subsequently introduced methods to overcome the issues, providing solutions, so need a chance to air them.
With climate change, war and other issues affecting global trade, as well as the numerous proposals for modern airships already underway in other countries, the UK certainly needs to re-consider airships for the benefits possible.
Airships in the 21 st Century benefit from new technology available now to design, analyse and produce them with modern materials and systems that are proven. Technology leaders for them also have new OD, semi-buoyant and automated ways to produce and fly them that solve the issues of the past, including ways for management at ground level. It thus is the right time to press for change that allows airships to return for the benefits possible.
Photo by Tasso Mitsarakis
