I love blimps and dirigibles, but I have always wondered about their practicality, particularly in inclement weather. like, when it rain, they get heavier,
For rural or sub-urban logistics I can see how it could work, if you have large enough landing zones, or if you have strong enough station keeping maybe a winching system from a few stories high (then the weight question pops up)
I'm curious about the economics question like what kind of 300 / 600lb shipment is worth the trip, and how much of it are there in a blimp-appropriate weather areas that it justifies the development and deployment of a whole new class of transport? (and how do you plan of safeguarding it against pirates;)
Do you plan to store your airships are a particular location or will the just hang out in the air somewhere waiting for a payload?
Have you considered partnering with earth imaging services to sell them images during trips or serving as relay antenna for them to communicate with their micro-satellites
I also have lots of silly questions:
- if it's sunny, would a black envelope provide better lift?
- A what watt / square meter / kilo / solar prevalence are solar panels on top worth the extra complexity and weight?
- Would there be any advantage to using a pump+compressor to vary the quantity of helium in the envelope? What about heaters / coolers ?
I think the issue about airships being white rather than black is that heating up the envelope is something you don't want. Having too much lift, and not enough ballast, is just as much a problem as too little lift and no ballast to drop. The gas expands when warmed up, and the envelope can stretch to some point, but then you have to vent the gas in order to stop it from bursting. When it gets cooler eventually, you have to refill the gas.
Model airship hobbyists often use a compressor to pump the helium back into a tank, to get the model into a transportable size. That might work here, also. Otherwise an airship must be stored in a hangar, or supervised 24/7 while filled with helium, even when attached to a pole.
For rural or sub-urban logistics I can see how it could work, if you have large enough landing zones, or if you have strong enough station keeping maybe a winching system from a few stories high (then the weight question pops up)
I'm curious about the economics question like what kind of 300 / 600lb shipment is worth the trip, and how much of it are there in a blimp-appropriate weather areas that it justifies the development and deployment of a whole new class of transport? (and how do you plan of safeguarding it against pirates;)
Do you plan to store your airships are a particular location or will the just hang out in the air somewhere waiting for a payload?
Have you considered partnering with earth imaging services to sell them images during trips or serving as relay antenna for them to communicate with their micro-satellites
I also have lots of silly questions:
- if it's sunny, would a black envelope provide better lift?
- A what watt / square meter / kilo / solar prevalence are solar panels on top worth the extra complexity and weight?
- Would there be any advantage to using a pump+compressor to vary the quantity of helium in the envelope? What about heaters / coolers ?