A hybrid airship combines a blimp with plane for reliable speed and performance and greater safety. It can carry up to 8 passengers or 2000 lbs in its spacious cabin, which can easily be reconfigured to enable any number of tasks or payloads. It can travel with a full load at over 80 mph with a range of over 320 miles. With its vertical takeoff and landing it can lift off or touch down just about anywhere. It is filled with helium but the Model J is heavier than air. If turn off or lose the engines, then the Model J gently floats down to the ground. Operational costs are far less than a traditional helicopter.
If you lose the engines or if the blimp portion developed leaks then it would glide down at about the speed of a parachutist.
It uses half the fuel of a plane with comparable capacity.
This hybrid blimp plane was created by Egan Airships are pioneers of a new form of air travel. It can purchased for $1 million/year for four years plus overages.
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Then too–as the man said.
“Blimpin’ aint easy….”
–publiusr
I think the point is that this functions somewhat different than your usual blimp. Think of it more as a fat plane partially filled with lifting gas. That means you get part of the lift from the gas, so you need less power to keep the plane in the air.
At the same time, I’m guessing it’s not quite as fat as your usual blimp, so less air resistance and drag, higher operating speed, etc.
Having built a dozen of similarly sized blimps I have realized Helium costs too much for even RC-scale hobby. It diffuses through any material. A pressurized tank with a half inch thick metal wall lost 50% of helium in 18 months. Unless someone comes with a technique of extracting LTA gasses from the air (in-flight), this concept is doomed from the practicality standpoint.
Very slow limited to specialty tasks. For a general low cost heavy lift that see ConcordLift.com. Viewed on web and at AIAA professional events by 10s of thousands with no identified issues.
Plimp is too close to pimp. They need a new name. How about Little Hindenburg?
Uhhh. Coulda been done any time since 1930s when they stopped using dirigibles. Your argument about needing to deliver a ton of junk to the midpoint of the outback is some exception that doesn’t break the rule that blimps are of limited utility. There are thousands of helicopters and small STOL aircraft in use and one Goodyear blimp that advertises over sports stadiums.
Great CGI & models….looks good on PAPER. Let’s see what happens in the real world…with a slight breeze.
If you need to deliver a ton or 8 passengers to a remote off-road location, 80 mph is great. And if its half the operating cost of a helicopter, even better.
“Its all about efficiency…”
Oh, that must be why DHL, FedEx and UPS have YUUGE blimp fleets.
I’d like one that could work as a crane, when not carrying passengers. Aux gas bags, detachable cabin, and main fuel tanks, remote control to operate from the ground.
In the grand scheme of things cargo ships travel at a snail’s pace. Its all about efficiency.
Isn’t a snail at least 3 Orders of Magnitude slower than 80 mph?
Wow. Did someone not believe that blimps worked and had to see for themselves?
Yes, blimps work… if you want to travel at a snail’s pace, then they are for you.