John McPhee wrote a fine book on the effort to commercialize lighter than air heavy transport: The Deltoid Pumpkin Seed. I was watching a BBC episode on Africa

John McPhee wrote a fine book on the effort to commercialize lighter than air heavy transport: The Deltoid Pumpkin Seed. I was watching a BBC episode on Africa's geography and its lack of navigable rivers or good harbors, and how that has held back economic development. These airships came to mind as a cheap way to access that continent.