Originally Posted by
Scuffers
Airships/Blimps/etc are constrained by the density of air, ie, you have to displace X M3 of air for every Y g of lift, and unless you can maintain a vacuum where the displaced air was, your then adding weight of Helium or whatever other element you use to displace the air.
What exactly is your point?
They work.
Helium/hydrogen ballons lift things.
Whether they lift things more usefully than heavier than air aircraft is a valid argument, but I think we can all agree that the basic idea works.
Whether Airlander have done their numbers correctly is another valid question and only time will tell.
Originally Posted by
Scuffers
Then we get to using thrust to lift (ala helicopters etc), the amount of power requires is MASSIVE, to then fantasize that this can be powered by solar is just laughable.
Back in the land of reality, this will just end up as yet another one-off white elephant without a genuine application.
As far as I'm aware, the idea is that thrust would only be used for lift during the take-off and landing.
Batteries which can be solar charged are in fact excellent at putting out large amounts of stored power in a small amount of time.
At other times thrust would be used for speed which would give aerodynamic lift.
I hope
that is a configuration we can agree works?
Originally Posted by
Scuffers
Back in the land of reality, this will just end up as yet another one-off white elephant without a genuine application.
Time will tell.
Personally I believe that they have a chance.