Curufea Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigereye Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin Cool! The Zeppelin Company has also been back for a while, manufacturing several large blimp-sized Zeppelins for air touring, advertising and scientific research: http://www.zeppelin-nt.com/index_e.htm Still, it's good to know other people are beginning to rediscover the merits of these magnificent (and more importantly, fuel-efficient) aircraft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin Cool. I've been a fan of Zeppelins since I GMed Castle Falkenstein over a decade ago. I miss that campaign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spence Posted January 13, 2008 Report Share Posted January 13, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin I would love to see it. But I'm not getting my hopes up in the near future. There are too many roadblocks right now. Mostly political IMO. But there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorPse Posted January 13, 2008 Report Share Posted January 13, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin Yes... Lighter than air ships are a really, really great idea. Unfortunately there's that famous disaster that everyone knows about. Stupid Hindenburg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curufea Posted January 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin Yes... Lighter than air ships are a really, really great idea. Unfortunately there's that famous disaster that everyone knows about. Stupid Hindenburg. Hmm, yes - How many people died in Zepellins? And how many have died in commercial jets? Oh well, I suppose "classic video footage" is worth a thousand "facts". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comic Posted January 13, 2008 Report Share Posted January 13, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin Now, let's do be fair. Lighter-than-air craft are also slow. Who wants to take a full day traveling in a comfortable, roomy cabin with breathtaking views to cross the country when instead they can wait in a crowded airport for ten hours, zip across the country in three hours at supersonic speeds in a narrow, confining, crowded cattlecar of an airplane, and then spend another ten hours to disembark, get their luggage, and find their way through the maze of airport shuttles, parking, rentals and so on. Okay, so I exaggerate about the ten hour parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spence Posted January 13, 2008 Report Share Posted January 13, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin Now, let's do be fair. Lighter-than-air craft are also slow. Who wants to take a full day traveling in a comfortable, roomy cabin with breathtaking views to cross the country when instead they can wait in a crowded airport for ten hours, zip across the country in three hours at supersonic speeds in a narrow, confining, crowded cattlecar of an airplane, and then spend another ten hours to disembark, get their luggage, and find their way through the maze of airport shuttles, parking, rentals and so on. Okay, so I exaggerate about the ten hour parts. Not to mention that if you are really lucky you can be seated next to a overweight woman who believes bathing is optional and has a birth control failure that screams for the entire time it is on the aircraft (gate to flight to gate). Yep, air travel is soooo wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorPse Posted January 13, 2008 Report Share Posted January 13, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin Hmm, yes - How many people died in Zepellins? And how many have died in commercial jets? Oh well, I suppose "classic video footage" is worth a thousand "facts". "Oh, The Humanity!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorPse Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin I've also heard of plans to use these sorts of craft to haul huge loads of cargo... probably cheaper than an 18-wheeler per unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spence Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin I've also heard of plans to use these sorts of craft to haul huge loads of cargo... probably cheaper than an 18-wheeler per unit. They probably are. But of course you have to overcome politicians and idiot activists who are against things on general principle before we will actually see any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curufea Posted January 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin That's easy - get a celebrity to endorse it. Everyone worships celebrities and believes any stray opinion they ever have on anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spence Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin That's easy - get a celebrity to endorse it. Everyone worships celebrities and believes any stray opinion they ever have on anything. Or we could include some steroids and a dog fighting ring and the "professional" sports types would be all over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin I wuv you man! Airships of the Future ROCK!!! QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin The "potentially revolutionary Control of Static Heaviness system" is called a ballonet and was a standard component of semirigid airships in the late 19th century. Popular Mechanics has been trumpeting the Return of the Zeppelin for at least two decades now. I'm all for it, but please excuse me if I take this particular report with a pillar of salt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Carman Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin Now, let's do be fair. Lighter-than-air craft are also slow. Who wants to take a full day traveling in a comfortable, roomy cabin with breathtaking views to cross the country when instead they can wait in a crowded airport for ten hours, zip across the country in three hours at supersonic speeds in a narrow, confining, crowded cattlecar of an airplane, and then spend another ten hours to disembark, get their luggage, and find their way through the maze of airport shuttles, parking, rentals and so on. Okay, so I exaggerate about the ten hour parts. Hmmm... Disney Air Cruise Lines. "A leisurely cruise down the Eastern seaboard, eight hours from Lakehurst to the Disney World Skyport, then express bus service to your resort. A relaxing sightseeing tour to help you unwind as you start your vacation!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psybolt Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin That's easy - get a celebrity to endorse it. Everyone worships celebrities and believes any stray opinion they ever have on anything. What is Robert Plant doing these days? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSgt Baloo Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin "Oh' date=' The Humanity!"[/quote'] Even better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorPse Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin And THAT'S why I never ride in hydrogen-filled giant sea mammals! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starblaze Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin Now, let's do be fair. Lighter-than-air craft are also slow. Who wants to take a full day traveling in a comfortable, roomy cabin with breathtaking views to cross the country when instead they can wait in a crowded airport for ten hours, zip across the country in three hours at supersonic speeds in a narrow, confining, crowded cattlecar of an airplane, and then spend another ten hours to disembark, get their luggage, and find their way through the maze of airport shuttles, parking, rentals and so on. Okay, so I exaggerate about the ten hour parts. You didn't by any chance travel by air around the holidays last year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spence Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin You didn't by any chance travel by air around the holidays last year? If he didn't, I did. He left out the obliviots (love that word) traveling with kids. You know the ones that say "hey we're traveling on a holiday with children, so let's leave the small compact and light weight stroller at the house" and instead take the "1 million ton mega impress the neighbors look at me" stroller. The three wheeled one that uses full sized bicycle wheels. And when the person at the desk asks all parents traveling with children under 14 to come to the front so she can count them and get a estimated weight. Why, you are an adult with children, so just ignore her because that twinky you are inhaling is much more important than actually getting on the plane. God, it was a nightmare of idiots. If you want to impress the in laws with an SUV sized stroller, check it. You can impress them when you get there. The regular small stroller will fit in the side pouch. I am not exaggerating. The flight was already late getting in from the east (storms and such). Then when we could have been boarding we wasted an entire HOUR while the ticket counter tried to get the idiots with kids rounded up and on the plane. They needed to see how much weight so they could determine how many standbys they could take. Then we discovered, as I was boarding I looked at the strollers, that the average stroller is no longer small and portable. It is huge and weighs more than the Titanic. From my window I could see them trying to load them, some required TWO people to lift. They were actually pulling off luggage to make room. Unbelievable. I expect the industry to impose size limits to strollers that can be used up to the gate. Especially on smaller aircraft. All in all, my Little Rock flight was delayed 1 hour due to weather and 55 minutes due to birth control failure. My Denver connection was delayed 1.5 hours due to weather and a little over an hour due to the same stupidity. All in all due to the inability of the average idiot to pay attention I landed in Seattle at around 1130pm vice 7pm. If it had been just weather delays it woudl have been 9-9:30pm Of course I also got the privilege of listening to the screamer in the next seat for the entire duration of the flight. One would think the parent would discover a pacifier or something, or maybe the kid would have passed out after the first hour of constant screaming. Grrrrr..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midas Posted January 25, 2008 Report Share Posted January 25, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin Yes... Lighter than air ships are a really, really great idea. Unfortunately there's that famous disaster that everyone knows about. Stupid Hindenburg. The problem is, the Hindenburg is only the most well known disaster. The things had a tendency to fall apart every time they were caught in a storm (I exaggerate, somewhat - but the fact remains that every time somebody built one that was more rugged than the last failure, it unfailingly went Titanic). Here is what Wiki says re "airship:" Eventually the US Navy lost all three American-built rigid airships to accidents. USS Shenandoah on a poorly planned publicity flight flew into a severe thunderstorm over Noble County, Ohio on 3 September 1925. It broke into pieces, killing 14 of her crew. USS Akron was caught in a severe storm and flown into the surface of the sea off the shore of New Jersey on April 3, 1933. It carried no life boats and few life vests, so 73 of her 76-men crew died from drowning or hypothermia. USS Macon was lost after suffering a structural failure off the shore of Point Sur, California on 12 February 1935. The failure caused a loss of gas, which was made much worse when the aircraft was driven over pressure height causing it to lose too much helium to maintain flight.[28] Only 2 of her 83-man crew died in the crash thanks to the inclusion of life jackets and inflatable rafts after the Akron disaster... Are the ones they are building now more all weather? BTW, I like Zeppelins. I've always wanted to run the COC campaign Brotherhood of the Beast, just because the villains get an airship as their HQ. Midas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted January 25, 2008 Report Share Posted January 25, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin Thow in the los of the British R101 and the French "Dixmude" and you can see that the loss of "Hindenberg" was simply the most public and spectacular of a series of airship disasters; the last straw as it were ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmadanNaBriona Posted January 25, 2008 Report Share Posted January 25, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin We've come quite a ways since 1935. I'm pretty sure we can do a better airship these days. (The Macon's hangar is a local landmark ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markdoc Posted January 25, 2008 Report Share Posted January 25, 2008 Re: Return of the blimp/zepellin We've come quite a ways since 1935. I'm pretty sure we can do a better airship these days. We can, but simple physics tells us that lighter than air craft are always going to be structurally weaker (and larger in section) than heavier than air craft. That places a limit on rough weather tolerance we can only partially offset. OTOH, lighter than air craft have greater endurance : imagine if there's a storm over Chicago. A jet has the choice of making a bumpy approach or diverting elsewhere. A zeppelin could "hang around" until the storm passed by. Imagine the phone call "Hi honey, we're going to be a little delayed because of the weather. Yeah, I know. It's OK here right now but the captain says it'll probably be a couple of days before we're cleared for approach. Yeah, I know - but even if we diverted to Denver, it'd take a day and then another day home for the train. Probably best to wait 'til it blows over." cheers, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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