A Friggin' Awesome Looking Blimp - ripped from the online pages of the NYT. Click to go there.
So that Icelandic volcano, Eklziojklazlkjoiawzapoppin, severely upset European and even some North American travel, and that’s got some brainy folks thinking about how to overcome that sort of disruption in the future. I admit that I too thought about blimps during the Pain in the Ash™ event, but not one as cool as the one pictured above.
That thing is an Aeroscraft ML866, which it looks like they were trying to market to the Über Rich. But with a top speed of about 50 mph, sales may not have been too hot since their website hasn’t been updated since 2009.
But do dirigibles make sense in modern times? Mark Frauenfelder, the founder of boingboing.net, thinks so.
“The solution is simple: bring back blimps (and dirigibles). Their large surface area and inherent buoyancy mean they can be run with solar-powered motors, making them eco-friendly.
They are quiet and dignified looking, and passengers who appreciate traveling in such a style will pay whatever it takes to ride in an airship.”
I could see hopping a blimp from say Nashville to Atlanta. Yes it would probably be slower than driving, (50 mph as the crow flies, vs. 70 mph along the Interstate), but not so much so as to be totally impractical for business. I could get a lot of drinking work done during that 4+ hour voyage.
Oh the inflammity! Why does flamable mean the same as inflamable?
How about you, would you hop a blimp? Or would you be all, “Hindenburg!” about it? Let me know in the comments!
But it’s not all just blimps. What about trains? Sure it’s hard to run a train track across the Atlantic, but for goodness sakes if the Chinese can crisscross that big ass country with highspeed rail, (which they are doing by the way), surely to goodness we can do that here.
One final question, will America ever have a nationwide rail system that is practical, fast, efficient and useful to travelers? I’m guessing no, but what’s your take?
Thats alot of drinking time. Just think Nashville to LA by train you could drink sober up and then drink again. I am in especially if the drinks are served by young women with a couple of blimps of their own.
Actually, blimp travel has a good future, I think. The big hurdle to it will be the speed issue. Most people (especially Americans) are in a hurry. A transatlantic blimp would take significantly longer. However, like a train, you could save money, actually have room to work and sleep, and see scenery.
I actually have experience in aerospace and would love to see a resurgence of the blimp.
I don’t think blimps could ever be as big as standard air-travel, unless the price difference is huge. Most people don’t want to be trapped in a giant explosive balloon any longer than they have too, oddly. I guess there could be a market for the novelty of being in a blimp. but business people (I assume) typically want to get from A to B as soon as possible. Sure, the volcano is making things difficult right now, but not long from now flights will be back to normal and blimps will sadly go back to the history books. A train track across the Atlantic, however…now that’s an idea I can get behind!
Speaking for myself, I’d hop a blimp to somewhere, with no second thoughts. Wondering though about how much headwinds affect travel times? But I guess if it’s leisure travel at a leisurely pace, who cares, right?
And Mitch, I like the way you think!