Zeppelin coming to London 2008

[diddy1234]

This looks good :-

http://www.zeppelintours.com/#/londonzeppelin/4522632442

I wonder how much this will cost.
When I was out in Friedrichshafen I watched these on pleasure flights.
The take off was quite impressive and steep !

Shame it cost too much to do !

I am just wondering where the Zeppelin NT would be based ?
Anyone know ?

RD

[Seloco]

Fairoaks has been used before as an airship base (Airship Industries days). Otherwise Cardington?

[treadigraph]

Also White Waltham and Biggin have hosted airships that I can recall. Still remember watching Goodyear's Europa operating at Biggin during the British Grand Prix when it was held at the other BH many years ago. From the air we saw one of the German WDL (?) ships in a Fuji scheme moored at White Waltham around 1995.

Those flights (voyages?) do look very expensive, I guess quick blasts around the circuit a la Dragon Rapide are a little difficult to arrange. Still, I shall go and see it though I suspect it will be easy enough to see from afar if one happens to live near The Smoke.

[WHBM]

This will be a hoot for Thames Radar when London City is on easterlies.

[diddy1234]

Thats what does concern me a little.

there is alot of fast moving metal over the sky of London.
Im sure this could be a logistical nightmare for ATC to handle.

[ATCO Two]

This will be a hoot for Thames Radar when London City is on easterlies.

Nah! Class D airspace, VFR, traffic information to both aircraft = job done! A Zeppelin is pretty difficult to miss!

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

<<there is alot of fast moving metal over the sky of London.
Im sure this could be a logistical nightmare for ATC to handle.>>

Diddy... don't worry yourself; ATC is most capable and nobody is going to have any nightmares. In extreme cases the word "no" comes into play.

Airships have flown around London on and off for 20 years or more. I remember when one was used as a camera ship for a cup final - must have been late 80s, early 90s when Approach Control was still at Heathrow. They are a nuisance because of their low speed, but easily visible to other pilots!

K - I had one take off from W Waltham once with a destination in Germany. It routed OCK-BIG and all points east. I asked the guy what was his elapsed time en route and he said "13 hours"!!

[ATCO Two]

Yep, you need a strong bladder or a bucket in one of those things!

[treadigraph]

I have just remembered no less than four smaller airships (Virgin Lightships?) operating around the London area one Thursday or Friday a few years ago - I think they were red and, if memory serves, it was around the Biggin Hill Air Fair weekend where they put in an appearance - do I really recall a "formation" display?

Sitting here on high in Croydon I distinctly remember seeing one of them appear somewhere to the east of the City, then another, then another, then another... bloody hell, are we being invaded...? It was a while ago, perhaps 2002. I think they headed in a very loose (same way same day) line astern westwards down the Thames and we later saw them cavorting genteelly in the Biggin area. Ah, memories...

Yep, you need a strong bladder or a bucket in one of those things!

I suppose you don't want to dump it overboard willy nilly :} as it's all part of the ballast!

[av8boy]

Nah! Class D airspace, VFR, traffic information to both aircraft = job done! A Zeppelin is pretty difficult to miss!

I've had lots of ATC experience with Goodyear's blimp(s) over the years in the Los Angeles basin (both in tower and approach control), and in my experience, it's never been a problem. The Zeppelintours zep in question is 20% larger than Goodyear's blimps, and the Zeppelin's website is claiming a max speed which is more than twice that of our local blimp (Zeppelintours claims 125 km/h = 78 mph versus 35 mph for the blimp). This makes it even better for ATC in that the Zep is easier to spot (Goodyear's is easy to spot at 1000 feet and 10 miles during the day) and can move-off with greater haste when directed to do so.

Note that the Goodyear blimp base here in LA is a little over nine miles from KLAX, a little over seven miles from KLGB, and less than five miles from KTOA, a busy, controlled general aviation airport (and home to Robinson Helicopter). I think you'd find very little complaining about blimp ops among controllers at those airports or at SoCal TRACON, or at the airports near the blimp's favorite haunts near things like professional golfing venues (where the blimp provides aerial television coverage).

Of course, it's been a great help to us here that the local blimp pilots are most excellent and very, very cooperative. I trust that it will be the same for your Zep drivers... :ok:

Dave