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Incidentally the deadliest airship crash of all time was a helium airship, the USS Akron. Nevertheless, hydrogen does pose a real risk to the passengers in the
by robonerd 4y ago
Incidentally the deadliest airship crash of all time was a helium airship, the USS Akron.
Nevertheless, hydrogen does pose a real risk to the passengers in the event of an accident. In other helium airship crashes (for instance the USS Shenandoah), some people managed to survive by riding the debris down to the ground. And in some hydrogen airship crashes (for instance R101), some people managed to survive the crash to the ground, but subsequently died in the fire.
- WalterBright 4y agoWe've learned to safely fly in airplanes filled with fuel that loves to burn. We can do it with airships the same way. We now know the multiple factors that caused the Hindenburg disaster, and they are all easily fixable.
- robonerd 4y agoMore airships were lost to poor weather than thermite paint or whatever other specific Hindenburg problem you're thinking of. Planes have numerous inherent advantages in this regard: They're faster, which makes weather forecasting and route planning easier. Smaller planes can land almost anywhere, but airships require mooring towers. Airplanes are more robust when left outside in the elements, and their hangers are much smaller and cheaper than airship hangers. I think in principle, a blimp that could land on a field and stow its balloon rapidly could address these problems. But rigid airships seem inherently problematic; the fundamental nature of an airship (very big and very light) makes it susceptible to high winds, in the air or on the ground. I don't see any way around that.