I wrote in an earlier post that I expect airships to be the future of aviation. This article proves it.
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Powered by 12 electric motors and capable of up to 75mph, Pathfinder 1 is 124.5 metres (408ft) in length – longer than three Boeing 737s. "There's a new airship in town," said Morning Brew, after the launch, which is backed by Google co-founder and "dirigible fanatic" Sergey Brin.
It's the largest aircraft since the "gargantuan Hindenburg" airship of the 1930s, said TechCrunch. Although "similar in appearance to that ill-fated airship", Pathfinder 1 was "mostly built from the ground up using new materials and technologies", it added.
And "don't let the Hindenburg put you off the idea", said 2Oceans Vibe, because Pathfinder 1 will use "only non-flammable helium", as opposed to "explosive hydrogen", which was used by the German Hindenburg, which burst into flames and crashed to earth, with the loss of 36 lives, in May 1937.
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LTA (which stands for 'lighter than air') plans to make even bigger airships that could eventually carry 200 tons of cargo each – approximately 10 times as much as a Boeing 737. The company also hopes to use the airships for relief missions in disaster zones.
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The fuel efficiency, cargo capacity, range, and endurance of airships is unbeatable.
Veritasium agrees with me.
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