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Manned Blimp Hits Unmanned Balloon, Both Destroyed — Parallax Forums

Manned Blimp Hits Unmanned Balloon, Both Destroyed

ercoerco Posts: 20,260
edited 2010-10-05 18:53 in General Discussion
What are the odds? http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/blimp_collide_aerostat_storm_crash_elizabeth_pilot_203368-1.html

I'm posting just because I have a long-range plan to make an indoor flying autonomous blimp. Apparently there's also a need for better control of the full-sized airships. It's usually the weather that is their undoing.

But occasionally it's the hydrogen.

Comments

  • sylvie369sylvie369 Posts: 1,622
    edited 2010-10-02 11:22
    Moved, and very interesting.

    I wonder if this is a "first-ever" such accident.
  • iDaveiDave Posts: 252
    edited 2010-10-02 12:52
    Huh...the skyship 600 blimp uses 2 Porsche 930 engines . Sweet!

    I do think there will be a resurgence in larger manned blimps..at least i hope.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,260
    edited 2010-10-02 16:41
    There was this photo taken of another tragic aerostat crash last month:

    A pilot at low level with no control over his aircraft narrowly misses a crowd gathered for an airshow and slams into four buildings. One can only imagine the horror of the occupants trapped inside those buildings.
    ballooncrash.jpg
    552 x 729 - 183K
  • localrogerlocalroger Posts: 3,452
    edited 2010-10-02 17:16
    Way back in the 1980's they started having a hot air balloon race in not too far away Baton Rouge, LA. The very first year my gilrfriend and I showed up with cameras and handomely made business cards to sign up for journalist rides. Now normally, our chances of getting chosen over any of the real jouranlists would have been pretty thin, but on the second day of the event there was a crash and death, the first in many years for the event which had just moved to Louisiana. This scared so many of the real journalists off that we got a 4 hr balloon ride out of it. We shared the gondola of the non-competing corporate sponsored observation/show balloon with a real journalist from the local newspaper, who was there with his daughter standing in for the real-real photographer who had chickened out and we had to show him how to use his own camera.

    If you ever have the chance to take a cross-country ride in a hot air balloon I strongly recommend taking it, because there's nothing else quite like it; unlike most forms of flying it's incredibly peaceful and serene. Although landing is something of an adventure...
  • UnknownUnknown
    edited 2010-10-02 20:11
    I can see the FAA making tighter laws against this kind of thing.
  • WBA ConsultingWBA Consulting Posts: 2,935
    edited 2010-10-04 09:59
    erco, so I assume you already know about Festo's Air-ray?

    http://www.festo.com/inetdomino/coorp_sites/en/c79c5d07d5805095c12572b9006f04f5.htm
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,260
    edited 2010-10-04 10:40
    @WBA: Yes, those FESTO airships are incredible, and there are many different types of them. AFAIK, they are R/C. I have built several R/C blimps. I have a pretty cool story about my visit to Zeppelin in Germany if anyone is interested... One of the best days in my life.
  • HumanoidoHumanoido Posts: 5,770
    edited 2010-10-05 18:53
    erco wrote: »
    @WBA: Yes, those FESTO airships are incredible, and there are many different types of them. AFAIK, they are R/C. I have built several R/C blimps. I have a pretty cool story about my visit to Zeppelin in Germany if anyone is interested... One of the best days in my life.
    Erco, I would like to hear your story!
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