FeedsReplying to a comment on Zeppelins today and potential alternatives
Hi Michael:
You and your readers are on the right track in realizing that helium supported aircraft have an inherent benefit because their primary lift is provided by the static lift (ie. you don’t expend energy to stay in the air) of a lighter-than-air (LTA) gas. You’ve also guessed that comparing the efficiency of a notional new transportation system to that of the 100 year old and very mature airplane transport industry is like being in 1919 and comparing the efficiencies of biplane travel to that provided by existing passenger trains. Modern LTA transport (both cargo and passenger) is possible and can be created to serve REAL needs at cost effective prices. I’ve worked in the LTA industry since 1984 and I can tell you it doesn’t take rocket science to develop a useful LTA transport system that is both friendly to the Earth and to the wallet, but it does require serious minded aviation engineers, and financiers. What’s kept LTA vehicles from entering the mainstream of transportation has been the substantial inertia of how things are already being done, and secondly the wild, utopian dreams of airship romantics. The first group sees no need to drastically change the way their business has been working, and the second don’t believe that the laws of business (supply & demand) apply to them but think they can just dream their way into the glorious and profitable LTA future.
While it’s gratifying to see so much good discussion on blogs like yours about the potential benefits of LTA transports, what’s needed is a different type of discussion. We need the few LTA engineering and operational experts to be engaged with the investment community AND those who are concerned about climate change. I believe the real motivator for bringing back serious assessments of LTA craft is their ability to provide air transportation with little to no carbon emissions. What I would like to suggest is for the “Blogosphere” to help energize such a discussion. Would it be possible for one of more of the climate change blogs to support some kind of on-line LTA workshop where the right LTA questions and answers could be exchanged between the groups I’ve mentioned? Anybody got a better idea?
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