She's walked out

[JohnD]

Yesterday at 4am Airlander 10 was walked out of hanger 1 and moored on the airfield at Cardington.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/823 ... on%202.jpg

Here she is at about 9:45am. Dwarfing the trees and bushes on the airfield.

Being over 300 feet long it is the largest aircraft in the world.

Registration G-PHRG (Chairman's initials) and named The Martha Gwynn (Chairmans wife).

Here is a link to the Hybrid Air Vehicles web site https://www.hybridairvehicles.com

Looking forward to the first flight shortly. Will post photo when it happens, although there will be plenty of news coverage I expect.

John

[cstorey]

Well , it's a very peculiar looking thing, and I am surprised that it has received a Certificate ( or is it only just beginning testing ) if it is really not possible to see to the side out of the control cabin, as appears to be the case . It is amazing , given their undistinguished record, that people keep trying airships of one sort or another

[JohnD]

Here is a front view photo that I took a few months ago.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/823 ... 20view.jpg

The US Army flew this aircraft for a test but the programme was cancelled. HAV purchased the airframe and components and brought it back to the UK. It has been rebuilt for civilian use. Test flights are due to start after the usual ground tests.

John

[Chris Trott]

Well , it's a very peculiar looking thing, and I am surprised that it has received a Certificate ( or is it only just beginning testing ) if it is really not possible to see to the side out of the control cabin, as appears to be the case .

Looks like you can see just fine out the sides -

http://i1.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article ... -Burns.jpg

http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/chi ... d516831158

http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/dav ... d516829850

One of Mr. Bruce Dickinson just for the heck of it -
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/as ... er-169.jpg

[Dev One]

Interesting - a R H drive job without a big fan.
Keith

[Paul K]

The latest 'revival of the airship' - I wonder how long this one will last. ( Sorry to be a miserable old git. )

[511Flyer]

One day, when the petrol runs out, as it surely will, maybe airships will be the only things able to fly. Apart from birds of course. Grandchildren will ask the question, "did you ever see an aeroplane?"

[blanston12]

Not sure airships will ever replace the airplane. First we are already using bio-fuels for aircraft.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviation_biofuel
Second I am not sure if Helium will be more plentiful than petrol, given all the shortage stories, but then they could use hydrogen, that's been used before and it went over well.

[Vancouver]

I am sure I read a thing not too long ago which was bemoaning the fact that Earth's Helium supply is running out (or floating off to space more accurately). And here we are wasting it on party balloons and funny voices.