The Reason Why US is Testing Brand New $100 Million Gigantic Airships
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Welcome back to the our channel for a discussion about how companies around the world are looking to bring back airships for both military and commercial applications. These activities remind me of the CargoLifter project, which was conducted between 1996 and 2002 in Germany. The prospective was to build and to operate several airships more or less according to Graf Zeppelin's design, which can lift and transport up to 160 tons of load to carry them to remote areas. The project ended because of cost escalation. I got to fly in the Goodyear blimp 2 separate times in Ft Lauderdale Florida as a kid around 96-98. It's AWESOME! Very peaceful especially with the engines off and you're just floating around with time to take in the entire view of the ocean and city's below just 1000'+/- above & so quiet you can hear a pin drop. You can talk quietly/without earphones and a mic like a chopper. It's amazing to see just a handful of people holding this massive object down and moving it from hanger to the field it takes off and lands from. Walking up to get in you realize it's HUGE and back then pre led you could see the individual lights and giant net of cable and cords to make the screen we see from the ground which is pretty neat as they're about 4' apart yet they seem just inches apart from the ground. Obviously it also has an extremely long flight time basically the endurance of the crew, I don't remember a bathroom so I guess it's Gatorade bottles and a camping toilet on flights over ballgames etc. I wasn't worried at all as I really didn't like flying in anything but helicopters prior to it at that time. (I know I'm weird but I like the autorotation and flaring to land in most 100'+/- areas idea not the I need to find a runway, flat 1.5-2 miles, or ocean/lake within gliding distance idea, being there's lots more places to land) It's a terrific experience if you ever get a chance (my mom ran into a friend from school who turned out to be one of the pilots so he got us on.) although sometimes you just have to call the airfield & get onto a waiting list and there's only room for 6-10 passengers if I remember correctly so if you ever get a chance go for it there's nothing else like it! I guess a hot air balloon is the closest but you're in the elements and though the ability to fly in high winds is similar you're limited to fuel in the tank for the balloon.
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