Even though the
Aeroscraft dwarfs
the largest
commercial
airliners, it
requires less net
space on the
ground than any
plane because it
doesn't need a
runway. The
airship takes off
and lands like a
helicopter:
straight up and
down.
This is not a
Blimp! . It's a
sort of flying
Queen Mary 2 that
could change the
way you think
about air travel.
It's the
Aeroscraft, and
when it's
completed, it will
ferry pampered
passengers across
continents and
oceans as they
stroll leisurely
about the one-acre
cabin or relax in
their
well-appointed
staterooms.
Unlike its
dirigible
ancestors, the
Aeroscraft is not
lighter than air.
Its 14 million
cubic feet of
helium hoist only
two-thirds of the
craft's weight.
The rigid and
surprisingly
aerodynamic
body-driven by
huge rearward
propellers
generates enough
additional lift to
keep the behemoth
and its 400-ton
payload aloft
while cruising.
During takeoff and
landing, six
turbofan jet
engines push the
ship up or ease
its descent.
On a pressurized
plane, windows
like these would
explode outward.
The Aeroscraft
does not fly
high enough to
need
pressurization.
This
two-football-fields-long
concept airship is
the brainchild of
Igor Pasternak,
whose privately
funded
California
firm, Worldwide
Aeros Corporation,
is in the early
stages of
developing a
prototype and
expects to have
one completed by
2010. Pasternak
says several
cruise ship
companies have
expressed interest
in the project,
and for good
reason: The craft
would have a range
of several
thousand miles
and, with an
estimated top
speed of 174 mph,
could traverse the
continental US in
about 18 hours.
During the flight,
passengers would
peer at national
landmarks just
8,000 feet below
or, if they
weren't captivated
by the view, the
cavernous interior
would easily
accommodate such
amenities as
luxury staterooms,
restaurants, even
a casino.
To minimize noise,
the aft-mounted
propellers will be
electric, powered
by a renewable
source such as
hydrogen fuel
cells. A
sophisticated
buoyancy-management
system will serve
the same purpose
as trim on an
airplane, allowing
for precise
adjustments in
flight dynamics to
compensate for
outside conditions
and passenger
movement. The
automated system
will draw outside
air into
compartments
throughout the
ship and compress
it to manage
onboard weight.
The company
envisions a
cargo-carrying
version that could
deliver a store's
worth of
merchandise from a
centralized
distribution
center straight to
a Wal-Mart parking
lot or, because
the helium-filled
craft will float,
a year's worth of
supplies to an
offshore oil rig.
"You can land on
the snow, you can
land on the
water," Pasternak
says. "It's a new
vision of what can
be done in the
air."
Aeroscraft
Purpose:
Long-range
travel for
passengers who!
are more concerned
with the journey
than the
destination.
Dimensions (feet):
165 h x 244 w x
647 l
Max Speed: 174 mph
Range: 6,000 miles
Capacity: 250
passengers
Flight over
Austria
Breathtaking
aerial stunt
Skydivers are
daring people.
Some might call
them crazy. This
Austrian
skydiving team
really pushes
the envelope. A
skydiver leaps
between two
gliders in
flight. The
tolerances here
are
mind-boggling.
One mistake
could cost
everyone their
life. This video
is beautiful and
breathtaking.
Click on link:
http://tinyurl.com/33wjl2o
