Perhaps they will, or are, reconsidering hydrogen since it is lighter than helium. They know the reason for the Hindenburg disaster.
For safety, there is no reason why the pilot cannot be flying the craft from a remote land based position if it is intended for transportation of goods and not people.
Dave
P.S. I wonder if the diameter of the craft could be variable? This might allow the diameter to be based on the weight of the payload. In other words; Light payload --> Smaller diameter --> Faster cruise speed.
Last edited by Dave_Jackson; 19th Nov 2011 at 18:45.
Reason: Added PS