Air Ship

An airship is an airborne vehicle obtaining most of its lift from lighter-than-air gas, usually helium, contained in the envelope.An airship is an aircraft consisting of a cigar-shaped balloon that carries a propulsion system (propellers), a steering mechanism, and accommodations for passengers, crew, and cargo.

Hot air airships offer a phantastic compromise between the ease of use common to hot air balloons and the maneuvrability of real airships. Like balloons, hot air airships can be transported on a trailer. Their deflation does not involve the loss of expensive helium which makes an expensive hangar superfluous.An airship is a self-powered, lighter-than-air craft with means of controlling its flight path. Aircraft like the MetLife blimp have a rich 200-year history. However, the MetLife blimp is not a leftover from a bygone era. Actually, it is a highly technical aircraft. The outer covering of the blimp is called the envelope.There are three categories of airships, Rigid, Semi-Rigid and Non-Rigid.

Airships, which get their shape only in cause of the pressure of the lifting-gas inside the envelope are called airships of the non-rigid type. All extensions, like the fins and the control car, are attached to the envelope. The driving elements are attached to the gondola/control car.Semi-rigid airships are airships, which are a hybrid between a rigid airship and a blimp. Because of the keel construction below the envelope they are also known as keel-airships. There are many parallels to the basic construction of non-rigid airships, but also some advantages of rigid airships are also used in this hybrid construction.

Rigid airships recieve their outer shape through a rigid structure, mostly made of a special aluminum alloy called Duraluminium The structure is formed of longitudinal girder and cross-rings, also made of these girders. The whole structure is covered with fabric to get a better aerodynamic style.