www.MyAirship.com

The Reference on Airships

Airship News 1st Half 1998 

Join the Airship Association
Monday, 4 May 1998

I want to take the occasion to bring the Airship Association to the attention of those who aren't already members. The Airship Association is based in England and is the only worldwide body catering solely for people interested in powered lighter-than-air aviation. The Association has over 650 members and is the most active organization in the airship field. The Journal of the Airship Association, AIRSHIP, is published bi-monthly and is distributed to members by mail. I encourage any airship enthusiast to join, even if it is only to have access to the excellent source of information of the Association's publications.

The Airship Association also organizes an International Airship Convention and Exhibition on a biennial basis. The 2nd edition will take place this summer at the Moat House Hotel in Bedford, England, over the weekend of June 26-28, 1998. The conference will be attended by many airship experts and most significant airship companies will be represented there. The visit of an ABC Lightship is also planned. Please note that reduced conference fees constitute an additional benefit for members. For further information, please see the Association's website.


A-150 Lightship Accident
Thursday, 23 April 1998

The NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) reports on an incident with an American Blimp Corporation A-150 Lightship at Quincy Municipal Airport, Quincy, Florida on April 16, 1998. N151LG (s/n 102) was being operated by The Lightship Group under an advertising contract for Budweiser Beer. The airship was blown into trees while landing in gusty winds. The envelope was ripped and lost buoyancy. There was some damage to the landing gear when the gondola fell hard. Pilot and Co-pilot, who were the only ones on board, escaped unharmed. The preliminary accident report can be found at the NTSB site.


Tommy Hilfiger Leaeses Skyship
Sunday, 19 April 1998

Tommy Hilfiger announced on April 15th 1998 that it has secured a two year contract for the use of a Global Skyship Industries Skyship. This will be the first time that a fashion designer has used a blimp for a major promotion. The Skyship will tour the United States and will commence operations in June for the Hilfiger Athletics brand. The SKYSHIP will be bright yellow and will boast a night sign system with 8200 lights in sixteen colors. The airship will also have a specially customised interior.


Zeppelin-Critical Article in Zurich Newspaper
Saturday, 11 April 1998

An article in the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung mentions that development of the Zeppelin NT is facing delays (German only). The author mentions that in January, flight testing was suspended due to electrical problems with the fly-by-wire systems but resumed in February. According to the Zeppelin press contact, certification of the new airship will now not take place before August 1999, even though delivery of the first serial airship to the Swiss Skyship Cruise Ltd. was scheduled for the fall of 1998.

As you can see, I am engaging upon a complete redesign of the Airship Resources. So far I have relied on the backgound image to provide a unified look to this site. For readability and design's sake I will be gradually changing this to a unified navigation bar on the left side. Getting around should be easier now and the white backgound can't hurt. If you encounter any problems with the new design, please e-mail me.


Site Updates and Reorganization
Saturday, 4 April 1998

The coordinates of the Hamilton Airship Company and of Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH on the Airship Address Page have been updated. I have also added a link to the Beanstalk Near Space Elevator, a project for a tethered aerostatic platform in space.

In an effort to further streamline the structure of the Airship Resources, the Museums page and the Organizations page have moved to the Reference Section.


New Hot Air Airship Information
Saturday, 23 March 1998

In anticipation of the 6th Hot Air Airship World Championship in Gatineau, Canada, from 2-7 September, I have reorganized and significantly expanded the section on Hot Air Airships. The update includes information on the Operation of thermal airships, details about Competitions, and a list of hot air airship Championship Results.


Engine Weight Table Added
Saturday, 7 March 1998

I have added a comparative Table of Light Engine Weights to the hot air balloon and airship Homebuilding part of the Airship Resources. The table contains technical data about engines that weigh from 15 to about 80 lbs. and should be of interest to those who are thinking about building a small one or two person Hot Air Airship.


Thunder & Colt Unveils Web Site
Sunday, 22 February 1998

Thunder & Colt have unveiled their new web site at www.thunderandcolt.co.uk. In addition to providing details about their extensive hot air (and now also gas) balloon line, the site covers the five T&C thermal airships, including the new and enlarged AS-120. Further information is provided on the New Cloud Hopper which, in my opinion, is the smartest solo balloon system yet to enter the market.


New Links to Russian Company
Thursday, 19 February 1998

I have added a link to the OZON R&D Departement (follow their Gallery link) in Moscow, Russia, in the Manned Airship Pages link collection. Under contract from Cameron Balloons, OZON conducted aerostatic load analysis for the DP-Series thermal airships to place load tapes strategically. It seems that subsequent alterations in the arrangement of the exterior load tapes significantly improved the shape of later DP-Series airships.


Airship News Section Added
Friday, 6 February 1998

Today marks the introduction of the Airship News page. I hope to update it bimonthly with stories from the airship world and additions to the Airship Resources.

After launching a new thermal airship in Mexico last year, Goodyear is launching three new blimps this spring. Two of them will promote its tires in Europe while the third airship will operate in South America. All three ships will be A-60+ Lightships operated by The Lightship Group.


Early Thermal Airships Added
Wednesday, 21 January 1998

I have added pictures of two early hot air airships from the late 1970's.

The Raven STARship was one of the first pressurized hot airships and the only one ever built by this company. The World Balloon Corporation Thermal Airship was built for Anheuser-Busch and is presumably the second largest hot air airship ever flown, behind the AS-300 built by Thunder & Colt and improved by Lindstrand.