Jim Logajan wrote in
:

Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
Jim Logajan wrote in
:
Airships. JMHO.

Yes, and a cheap suborbital launch system when you relelase the
water!

WWI Zeppelins dropped tons of bombs on England and I'm pretty sure
none went suborbital. I'm sure the crews would have loved to gain the
altitude to get clear of anti-aircraft fire! ;-)

Hard to think of anything better to get near a turbulent fire as
well.

I presume they would drop from a higher altitude when turbulence got
too strong.


It's pretty strong around even relativle small fires, and the thermal
draft is unbeleivable. I can't see it being very controllable at all, bu
tthen I don't even fly balloons let alone airships.


..I suspect lower airspeed would translate to better drop
control - it's not like they have to worry about AA fire ;-). If
needed I suppose they could even use tethers to help maintain station
in high winds (maybe even use a long hose to a source of water on the
ground?). Though I admit tethers can cause more control problems than
expected for LTA craft.

On the other hand, here's a video someone took of a Goodyear blimp
caught in a thunderstorm trying to make headway in turbulent
conditions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERI8_cprgMo


Wow! that was cool!


It ended in a crash, but no fatalities according to the NTSB report:

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?e...06X00943&key=1



They were vry lucky, really. If you've never read the account of the
Navy's airships you should. The stories of their encounters with CB is
unforgettable reading.

Bertie