Is it a bird? Is it a plane? The Airlander's unusual shape has earned it an unflattering nickname. Photo / Supplied
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? The Airlander's unusual shape has earned it an unflattering nickname. Photo / Supplied
Green air travel is often dismissed by aeronautical companies as a load of old guff. However, in this case of Airlander's airship, hot air could be just the ticket to a future of sustainable air travel.
The Airlander 10 - dubbed the "flying bum" for reasons apparent – has to be the oddest looking aircraft in history. A recent announcement by the company Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) claims it will now also be the longest.
An update to the design means that the impressive dirigible airship will be 98 metres long - 14 metres longer than the Russian-made Antonov AN-225 Mriya cargo plane.
Bum: The unique aircraft owes its looks to a low-drag design. Photo / Supplied
Fart jokes aside, the Airlander is an impressive airship. Even more impressive is the company's aspirations to produce "clean", electric propelled airships for commercial use.
The updates were announced on January 23, as a way to reduce drag and increase efficiency for what HAV describes as their "goal of delivering zero-carbon aviation".
By increasing the length of the previous prototype by 5 per cent and the use of new hybrid-electric propulsion engines from Collins Aerospace and the University of Nottingham, the company claims it has made a 90 per cent reduction in emissions.
As the aircraft goes into production, the specs are almost as impressive as its shape:
With minimal infrastructure needed to dock and operate the airships, the Airlander can carry a payload of 10 tons and remain airborne for five days.
The Airlander 10 will be the longest production aircraft ever-built. Photo / Supplied
Over a range of 4000 nautical miles – about 77408km, or Auckland to Hawaii - and a maximum operating ceiling of twice the height of Everest, there could be any number of applications. Luxury air travel is one of the leading proposals, with several cabin concepts featuring large panoramic viewing windows.
HAV claims to have ten aircraft on order "with organisations in tourism and clean technology sectors" as this model goes into production.
"Unveiling the aircraft that our first commercial customers will receive is an exciting moment and an important milestone on our path to type certification."
However it has not all been smooth sailing for the new-generation airship. In 2017 a prototype of the aircraft broke its moorings and deflated in a field in the UK, after only six successful test flights. Oh the humanity!
Fortunately due to the inert gases filling the airship, unlike the Hindenberg, the blimp went down with flop and not a bang.
"We learned a lot from maintaining the prototype aircraft - many changes have been made to things like access to improve maintainability and reduce operating costs," a spokesperson said at the time.
NEWS: World's largest aircraft, the Airlander 10, has injured a woman when it broke free from moorings early on Saturday. The airship has been deflated & an investigation has begun into the incident: https://t.co/6mOuuAud5opic.twitter.com/Q49v5nVFal
According to the BBC the company moved out of its UK manufacturing base in August 2016 and is still without a site for production.
Even so, HAV is optimistic, citing 2024 as the year airships return to the skies.
Other aeronautical companies have flirted with the idea of creating new airships. In 2016 Lockheed signed an agreement with Straightline Aviation for delivery of 12 LMH1 airships, valued at $740 million.
