*Can Ospreys keep from crashing?
* DHS “brain drain“
* Predator 3, IED-planters 0
* Coal = jet fuel?
“Kinder, gentler explosives“
* Stealth robo-sub unveiled
* Drone budget, broken down
* Warthog, upgraded
* Downed pilot beacon flicks on
* Blimp/plane mashup
* Remembering the original RF jammers
(Big ups: HT, RC)
The DynaLifter hybrid airship idea (design) originated with Howard Hughes, moved on through old Lockheed, and now lives in Ohio.
I commend Ohio Airships’ efforts.
Their design is damned from the outset by the fact that their craft still needs a runway. No “airship” should need one, and so called “hybrids” are far to susceptible to winds while on the surface or during take off/landings; just as airplanes are subject to winds also. except, airplanes at least have some weight advantages, and NOT the huge amount of “sail” presented to ground level wind effects.
campbell: they have big dreams, but I don’t think anyone is going to replace trucks with airships. It would simply be infinitely easier to build more roads than to try to create a massive new infrastructure using an alternate technology. After all, lots of companies and people know how to build trucks and roads. They don’t even have their technology off the ground yet and billions would have to be spent ramping up mass-production. Not likely. And once the goodies were delivered, they would have to be transferred to trucks anyway unless the airships plan to deliver to every factory and retail outlet.
That’s another cargo transfer in an age where shippers go to great lengths to avoid handling anything more often than they have to. If I had billions to invest in Third World transportation I would build toll roads. Problem solved.
Themes like it lookk at my russianlanguage blog-page of LIVEJOURNAL. Soon I’ll set polemic text about Dynalifter