So when are going to start building the forum ship?

mike_l

@Myranda ; you seem to be some sort of techy genius, would a case work for collecting too, I don't know my gigbag is that secure, and I wouldn't want any escapage.

Myranda

Cases should work for longer term storage as they often have locks

holnrew

I reckon we could do hydrogen filled zeppelins again.

ICBM

holnrew said:

I reckon we could do hydrogen filled zeppelins again.

Definitely. What could possibly go wrong?

http://www.historyinanhour.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Hindenburg-disaster.jpg

Flanging_Fred

I saw an Interesting programme on the Hindenberg where they tried to prove that disaster wasn't caused by the hydrogen but was caused by the highly flammable doping they used to cover the skin of the airship.

They did a bunch of experiments and there were pretty convincing I've got to say.

I think we should build and airship and name it after a 70s rock band.





















Budgie.

ICBM

Flanging_Fred said:

I saw an Interesting programme on the Hindenberg where they tried to prove that disaster wasn't caused by the hydrogen but was caused by the highly flammable doping they used to cover the skin of the airship.

They did a bunch of experiments and there were pretty convincing I've got to say.

No... regardless of what *started* the fire, the fact that it was filled with hydrogen caused the disaster. If it had been filled with helium (non-flammable), at worst the covering would have burned. It might still have crashed but it wouldn't have burned like that.

Myranda

Also mythbusters couldn't get the doping used to burn the way the documentary suggested, concluding that while the chemicals in the doping paint were flammable only in bizarrely concentrated doses does it result in something that burns that fast - unless you add hydrogen.

However hydrogen is still the best gas for airships, helium gives far less lift, is much more expensive and has a tendency towards buggering off

ICBM

But infinitely less of a tendency to burn...

Whether a hydrogen-filled airship would really be that dangerous if it was built with modern materials and technology, I'm not sure. I'd guess there's probably as much flammable fuel in a 747. (I haven't done any sort of calculation and I could be wildly wrong either way.)

The real problems with airships are that although they're very efficient in fuel use, they're very inefficient in terms of useful payload relative to cost, and that they're both slow and very weather-affected.

Myranda

I've used thoughts to make hydrogen more safe so I should be give a job at one of the firms vying for contracts to make transport airships...

Use gas bladders filled with hydrogen - individually sealed from one another, then seal the bladders into a single unit - which you fill with halon. Hydrogen wont burn without an ignition source and nowt's going to be igniting in a room filled with halon. 

As for expense and not useful for payloads - you best tell DARPA et al as they appear to be under the impression that the opposite is true... with at least one firm planning airships with 1000ton lift capacities which need much less fuel than other aircraft and need no runway - one doesn't even need to land it Thunderbird 4's it's cargo down on big winches... Airships are the future of cargo my friend... 

ICBM

Myranda said:

As for expense and not useful for payloads - you best tell DARPA et al as they appear to be under the impression that the opposite is true... with at least one firm planning airships with 1000ton lift capacities which need much less fuel than other aircraft and need no runway - one doesn't even need to land it Thunderbird 4's it's cargo down on big winches... Airships are the future of cargo my friend... 

Yes, they're certainly efficient in fuel use because once they're up they don't burn any just staying up like an aircraft does. I never said not useful - just inefficient in payload relative to the cost of building them. Think how big that airship that will lift a thousand tons will have to be...

Of course when aviation fuel starts to get seriously expensive it might become a viable proposition. There will still be the problem of what happens to a really big airship when the wind gets above very low speeds too - if they're not going to use much fuel they can't have powerful engines to hold position or go against the wind.

viz

ICBM said:

Myranda said:

As for expense and not useful for payloads - you best tell DARPA et al as they appear to be under the impression that the opposite is true... with at least one firm planning airships with 1000ton lift capacities which need much less fuel than other aircraft and need no runway - one doesn't even need to land it Thunderbird 4's it's cargo down on big winches... Airships are the future of cargo my friend... 

Yes, they're certainly efficient in fuel use because once they're up they don't burn any just staying up like an aircraft does. I never said not useful - just inefficient in payload relative to the cost of building them. Think how big that airship that will lift a thousand tons will have to be...

Of course when aviation fuel starts to get seriously expensive it might become a viable proposition. There will still be the problem of what happens to a really big airship when the wind gets above very low speeds too - if they're not going to use much fuel they can't have powerful engines to hold position or go against the wind.

They're a very cost effective transport craft if what you're wanting to transport is hydrogen, which is difficult to transport by road because it causes the lorries to float.

holnrew

What about an airship that uses the hydrogen to power a fuel cell?

VimFuego

noooo, steam powered airships FTW. With lots of spiky bits and crenallations and stuff. 

ICBM

VimFuego said:

noooo, steam powered airships FTW. With lots of spiky bits and crenallations and stuff. 

Like this?

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130514042716/studioghibli/images/9/90/Fulllength.jpg

VimFuego

I had something a bit more... gothic in mind. Maybe with a nice promenade deck. I note that the world had a lot fewer (reported) problems when people could promenade at their leisure.

Jalapeno

Myranda, you realise you're going to be joining a bunch of predominately male guitar nerds, with questionable personal hygiene and a chronic shortage of trouser action .....

Are you sure ?

Myranda

Because I'm just mad enough to pilot that behemoth so will be too busy and in the captains chair too much to be flirted with... and steampunk or not, the control deck is getting air-con... an pot puree. Also we might have be doing a lot of running away - as I fancy turning up un-announced over European cities blaring out Flight Of The Valkyries.

Or something... my brain is not really working right now - lack of sleep and food for a week has left it... odd. (Even for me!)