Airlander 10: The world’s largest aircraft can stay aloft for 5 days

The world’s largest aircraft, “Airlander 10” has been unveiled for the first time since being fully assembled in the UK.

Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd. (HAV), the designer and manufacturer of air vehicles known as hybrid airships, completed the 302ft (92m) long Airlander 10 – which is part plane, part airship – and the British-built aircraft was floated in a First World War hangar in Bedfordshire.

The aircraft is 15 meters longer than the biggest passenger jets.

Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd. believes the Airlander 10, which can take off vertically and land on almost any surface, including ice, sand and water, is the future of air travel.

Airlander 10 uses helium to become airborne.

Aloft for 5 days

Able to stay aloft for 5 days without refuelling, Airlander 10 has a top speed of 148 km/h, which it is considerably slower than other airborne vehicles. It is 143ft (44m) wide and 85ft (26m) high.

The aircraft is silent and has no emissions but needs 1.3 million cubic feet of helium to get off the ground, which is enough to fill 15 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Airlander 10 chief test pilot, David Burns, who last flew the aircraft in 2012, said: 

“It’s very pleasant to fly. From the flight deck you have a lovely view.”

“It allows you to have a good look around because generally the flying is fairly low so there’s plenty to see.”

“For the people on board and the people down below it’s going to look quite a sight. You’re talking about 300 feet long. There’s nothing that size at the moment.”

Absolutely fantastic

Professor Chris Atkin, who will become president of the Royal Aeronautical Society in May, described the project as “absolutely fantastic”.

He said: “It’s a new slant on a well-established idea with very clever use of technology.”

The super-strength fabric of its hull holds four engines, fins and the flight deck. 

Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd. is hoping to build 12 Airlanders a year by 2018, some of which can be used as passenger aircraft able to carry up to 48 people at a time.

At 92m in length, Airlander 10 is around 15m longer than the biggest passenger jets and was first developed for the US government as a long-endurance surveillance aircraft.

Airlander 10 was first developed for the US government as a long-endurance surveillance aircraft but it fell foul of defence cutbacks.

Business and leisure flights

British firm Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) launched a campaign to return the Airlander 10 to the skies in May 2015 and it will now carry out ground testing before 200 hours of test flights begin later this year.

The ship is being converted to provide business and leisure flights in a hangar in Cardington, Bedfordshire.

Chris Daniels, HAV’s head of partnerships, said: “This fantastic story of British innovation getting a unique aircraft fully assembled to do something both useful and commercially viable.

“We are ready to show the world the potential it can achieve in monitoring, search and rescue, cargo, aid distribution and even passenger roles.”

Months of ground tests are ahead but its creators hope the hybrid craft will fly over the UK this summer.

It is hoped that the Airlander 50 will eventually be developed, which would be able to transport 50 tonnes of freight.

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