Airlander 10, Butt-Shaped Airship Prototype and World's Longest Aircraft, to Be Retired - airlander 10

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https://gizmodo.com/airlander-10-wor...oto-1831716581

https://youtu.be/Mg-RPTiVa_Q

Hybrid Air Vehicles, the company behind the Airlander 10 airship (the world’s
longest aircraft and also known as the “flying bum” for its resemblance to a
butt), said on Sunday that its current prototype will not be rebuilt but that it
plans to build a new generation of airships, the Guardian reported.

HAV, which is based in Bedford in the UK, has already received the approval of
the Civil Aviation Authority for a new line of airships slated for the early
2020s, the Guardian wrote. The paper quoted its CEO Stephen McGlennan as saying:

“Our focus is now entirely on bringing the first batch of production-standard,
type-certified Airlander 10 aircraft into service with customers,” said Stephen
McGlennan, the company’s chief executive.

“The prototype served its purpose as the world’s first full-sized hybrid
aircraft, providing us with the data we needed to move forward from prototype to
production-standard. As a result, we do not plan to fly the prototype aircraft
again.”

HAV describes the 302-foot (92 meter) Airlander 10 on its website as combining
the “best characteristics of fixed wing aircraft and helicopters with
lighter-than-air technology to create a new breed of hyper-efficient aircraft.”
Constructed out of carbon fiber, kevlar, and mylar, and remaining aloft on inert
helium, the craft was co-developed by HAV and Northrop Grumman for the U.S.
Army’s experimental Long Endurance Multi-intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) program and
dubbed the HAV 304.

LEMV was later canceled by the military and the airship was repurchased by HAV,
transferred back to one of its facilities in Cardington, and converted into the
Airlander 10, a civilian model. According to the Guardian, it has achieved
altitudes of 7,000 feet (2,134 meters) and a top speed of 50 knots.

Beyond its size and butt-like appearance, the Airlander 10 is also known for
accidents during its two of its six test flights. In August 2016, the airship
crashed after taking off from RAF Cardington airfield in Bedfordshire. In
November 2017, the craft tore free of its moorings before ripping open, with the
firm saying the resulting deflation was the result of automatic safety features
designed to bring it down if it broke free of its mast. One person suffered
minor injuries in the latter incident.

According to the Guardian, HAV had to abandon plans to use the Airlander 10
prototype as a “test article and sales demonstrator” after the latter incident,
though it won over $25 million (20 million pounds) in insurance payouts for the
“very significant damage” to the airship. McGlennan stated that HAV is now
focused on moving forward to a production-ready Airlander model, including “all
the details that make the difference between a prototype and a product.” The
Guardian added that HAV appears to be quickly moving through the regulatory
process:

The company, founded in 2007, added it was in a “strong position to launch
production” of the new aircraft, with the design already approved by the
European Aviation Safety Agency.

It said that it usually takes more than a year to prepare a facility for a CAA
production organisation approval audit, but the Airlander Technology Centre was
audit-ready within six months.

As the Verge noted, in addition to whatever successor is planned for Airlander
10, HAV is also planning an Airlander 50 model it describes as its “big
brother,” capable of carrying 55 U.S. tons.




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