Airlander Airship Emerges From Hangar
LONDON—The first prototype of Hybrid Air Vehicles’
(HAV) Airlander 10 hybrid airship has emerged from its
hangar at Cardington, England, for the first time, marking
a significant step towards the craft’s return to flight.
The Airlander was pulled out of the giant hangars during the
early morning of August 6 and installed on its towable moving mast,
allowing the airship to weathervane nose into the wind. According
to HAV, the Airlander also has been fitted with shoes on its landing
skids to reduce wear and environmental impact.
The company is now preparing to begin the final ground tests
before its first flight, post rebuild. The target date for the flight has
not been announced.
The 302-ft.-long airship flew once before back in August 2012
under the U.S. Army’s Long-Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle
(LEMV) program, which was cancelled in 2013. HAV then purchased
the aircraft from the Army and has reassembled it in Cardington as a prototype for a future family of hybrid airships.
The tests include full-power engine runs, electromagnetic interference
checks and what the company calls an overall vehicle systems
checkout.
HAV says the aircraft will be able to withstand wind speeds of up
to 85 kt while on the mast, making it resilient to most weather systems
that pass through the area.
“At the end of these tests the team will assess the need for either a
brief return to the hangar for final inspections or, subject to weather,
those inspections may be carried out on the mast,” the company says.
The company had hoped that the Airlander would have been ready
to make a series of fly-bys at last months Farnborough International
Airshow, however the company was unable to complete testing in time.
In April the company was granted permissions from both the
European Aviation Safety Agency and the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority
to conduct test flights. HAV says it now hopes to get government
support for a trial to “demonstrate the potential” of the aircraft; it
also wants to get further support from investors to fund some aspects
of the flight test program.
—Tony Osborne