World's largest aircraft gets ready for take-off

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Three years since work began on the Airlander 10, engineers are putting the final touches on the giant aircraft described as 'part plane, part helicopter.'
The 300ft-long (93 metres) Airlander was originally developed as part of a US Army project but was scrapped by military bosses. It is now being converted to provide business and leisure flights in a hangar in Cardington, Bedfordshire.
The vessel was filled with 1.3million cubic feet of helium - enough to fill 15 Olympic-sized swimming pools -in a test run last October and now the engines and fins are being fitted ahead of next month's flight.

It produces 60 per cent of its lift aerostatically, by being lighter-than-air, and 40 per cent aerodynamically, by being wing-shaped, as well as having the ability to rotate its engines to provide an additional 25 per cent of thrust up or down.
This means the Airlander can hover as well as land on almost any surface, including ice, desert and water.
It will be able to stay in the air for two weeks at a time, cruising at more than 90mph (144km/h), and travel at heights of up to 20,000ft (6,100 metres) with a 10-tonne cargo.

The craft did carry out a test flight in 2012 in New Jersey (pictured) but next month's take-off will be the first under the hybrid aircraft's latest specifications. Some have hailed the Airlander as the future of air travel because, unlike conventional aeroplanes, it emits little pollution and is not noisy enough to disturb people on the ground

 

[Ferrum Master]

Iron Maiden FTW

 

[Frick]

Boooohhh was hoping for an Antonov successor.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Boooohhh was hoping for an Antonov successor.

sorry.......i will keep my eyes peeled for something bigger.



The Airlander's power comes from four 350hp, four-litre V8 diesel engines - two mounted at the front and two at the back.
With a length of 302ft (93 metres), a width of 143ft (44 metres) and a height of 85ft (26 metres), it is officially the world's largest aircraft - the biggest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, is only 240ft (73 metres) long.

Forgot this in the OP
http://www.hybridairvehicles.com/aircraft/airlander-10

 

[silentbogo]

I remember this monster being featured in Popular Mechanics once (before USAF dropped it).
5 times cheaper than 787, half the carrying capacity. Not too bad.
Even though it is almost 8 times slower than an airliner, it might be the future of cheap and entertaining air travel!
It'll take me ~2 days to get to Wales if it flies non-stop at advertised speed, which means I need to get a backpack full of sandwiches and at least 3 bottles of cognac just to get through.

 

[Sasqui]

Wow, 90mph with 10 ton cargo?!? At 20,000 ft, it must also have a pressurized cabin...

 

[RealNeil]

I can see it outfitted as a luxury liner making slow trips while pampering wealthy people.

 

[Sasqui]

I can see it outfitted as a luxury liner making slow trips while pampering wealthy people.

It also kind looks like a vagina from the front

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

It also kind looks like a vagina from the front

you poor thing......you married the wrong "type" of woman.

I can see it outfitted as a luxury liner making slow trips while pampering wealthy people.

Oh yeah......... The Serengeti, Grand Canyon or the Brecon Beacons National Park in comfort and style.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

10 tons of cargo isn't much and 90mph is really slow. Like the blimps before it, I see it being a novelty, not a thing of the future. Oh, can't forget that they can't operate in strong winds nor storms any more than a light drizzle.

By comparison, Boeing 787-8 can carry 124 tons at over 500 MPH.

 

[NdMk2o1o]

"Part plane, part helicopter" ..... er no all blimp...... slow, expensive for what it is, unsafe (helium) would get blown away by a strong fart and take you a week to get across the atlantic, where do I sign?

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

For those who didnt read the link.

Helium is an inert gas and is safe. NASA use helium to purge the fuel tanks in their rockets for example.

Helium is a chemical element with symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table. Its boiling and melting points are the lowest among all the elements.


A Jumbo jet may be bigger and faster but this aircraft is for completely different applications.....try landing a Jumbo on a football pitch.

The largest aircraft currently flying uses innovative technology to combine the best characteristics of fixed wing aircraft and helicopters with lighter-than-air technology to create a new breed of hyper-efficient aircraft. It can stay airborne for up to five days at a time if manned, and for over 2 weeks unmanned. It will fulfil a wide range of communication, cargo carrying and survey roles in both the military and commercial sectors all with a significantly lower carbon footprint than other forms of air transport.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Boeing CH-47 Chinook:
14 ton payload
149 mph cruise speed

Only advantage this has is endurance.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane:
10 ton payload
126 mph

Only advantage this has is endurance.

I think you are missing the point.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

I think the US Army cut off funding because there is no point.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

I think the US Army cut off funding because there is no point.

Thankyou for your valuable contribution....

I am glad the US taxpayer invested money in the project. On the face of it it looks useless for military applications, perhaps the Administration should have thought it through before they invested your money and then pulled out.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

$40 million...isn't bad...considering how the Pentagon throws money around...you know...

 

[silentbogo]

BTW, the official site has a datasheet available for the upcoming Airlander-50.
It will be even bigger (30m length), with a 50T carrying capacity.
Four 350HP V8 engines will be replaced with four 2350 hp gas turbines, which will bump its cruise speed to 195km/h.

http://www.hybridairvehicles.com/downloads/Airlander-77.pdf

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Still slow but at least the cargo capacity is admirable. At the same time, I bet a lot of that is coming from those turbines running at pretty high throttle which greatly lessens their fuel-economy/good-for-environment argument.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

" Flying Bum" gets a tail feather.

The first giant fin has now been attached to the ship, which is officially called the 'Airlander', according to Hybrid Air Vehicles who is constructing the aircraft. Two fins could comfortably cover the playing area of a tennis court.

The fin, measuring 9 x 11 metre, was secured to the hull using a series of cables and clamps.


In a blog post, Hybrid Air Vehicles explained: 'Already this month there have been a number of major attachments under the hull in preparation for the forthcoming First Flight of Airlander, beginning with the fuel module at the rear of the aircraft, followed by the payload beam, (which will support bulky external cargo) and finally, the cockpit and payload bay (which we term the Mission Module) were attached this week.'

 

[Caring1]

It reminds me of the Skinner's butt episode of the Simpsons.

 

[RejZoR]

Eh. Flying Boomer. Or a Flying Bloat if you're a fan of Killing Floor. I was also hoping to see another Antonov just to be disappointed by this. :/

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Eh. Flying Boomer. Or a Flying Bloat if you're a fan of Killing Floor. I was also hoping to see another Antonov just to be disappointed by this. :/

Dictionary definition of Aircraft

any machine supported for flight in the air by buoyancy or by the dynamic action of air on its surfaces, especially powered airplanes, gliders and helicopters.

 

[P4-630]

It reminds me of the Skinner's butt episode of the Simpsons.

Lol, I had to look that up...

 

[RejZoR]

Dictionary definition of Aircraft

any machine supported for flight in the air by buoyancy or by the dynamic action of air on its surfaces, especially powered airplanes, gliders and helicopters.

They should replace helium with hydrogen. It'll be more spectacular