Interview with Stephen MeGlennan CEO of HAV

What I found most interesting in the interview was the idea of using Airships for mobile hot spots. Yet another area of use I had not considered.

Airlander Repaired - Ready to Resume Test Program

Well that took less time then expected, Airlander is now repaired and ready again to fly. This is great news and shows that Airlander is more then capable of putting their ship back in working order in record time.

Hopefully, with a little luck, that will be that last time we hear about Airlander 10 having any kind of crash landing for the next 2 decades or so. And in a small way the crash was actually somewhat beneficial because of how disappointed people are after watching the video (Just look at the dislike ratio.)

No fireball, nobody died, just a genital crunch as the cockpit got swooshed, and now it's all repaired!

What a wonderful demonstration of the safety level that airships can bring to the table.

Solarship Challenges Lockheed to an Airship Race

Solarship has challenged Lockheed to a race covering two of the most expensive flight routs in the world. Obviously this is a publicity stunt to generate interest in Hybrid Airships, and less of a real challenge.

You can't really gauge the winner in the traditional sense as the question isn't necessarily who arrives first, but who arrives at the finish line more efficiently per unit of time then the other. My Gut tells me Lockheed will decline, but there might be value in taking part in this publicity stunt for Lockheed, as they will most likely win and will also demonstrate their airships ability to operate efficiently on harsh trade routs that traditional airplanes struggle with.

Personally I would like to see this, as both companies will benefit, and friendly competition is a lot better then cut throat competition, which I believe was a key factor in sinking Airships success in first Golden Age.

Win or lose both parties would generate a lot of interest in Hybrid Airship technology, and will get a large amount of data to work with on how well their respective airships do when truly tested.

That's something I think investors and enthusiasts want to see.

Quest's Stock Sores after Betting on Airships

Investors seem pleased with Quest Rare Minerals plans of using Airships for Cargo and Transport leading to a stock surge of 49.8%. This should hopefully signal to other companies that Investors are surprisingly bullish on Airships.

Perhaps because of the idea of investing in technologies to combat climate change or perhaps because of the idea in investing in a technology that is truly revolutionary, it seems that these investors are in it for the long haul, looking to make the world a better place with their investments over pure financial benefit.

Hopefully news like this will trigger a cascade effect causing even more R&D into airships and attract even more investors to this market, leading to companies willing to take even bigger risks with even bigger potential rewards.

There is something truly magical about Airships that cannot be measured in purely monetary gain. They are a ship that can fly. That value cannot be measured fully measured in the material sense.

It's something almost spiritual, a type of materialistic enlightenment no different then say how Native Americans refereed to sail ships as clouds on the ocean when they first laid eyes on them hundreds of years ago.

The Technology was so far beyond their comprehension, they could only understand it as some kind of sorcery.

Airships I feel trigger something deep inside us that ignites the imagination. It pours into our souls an idea of hope and wonder that is impossible to measure in money alone.

Although if I had to put a price on it I would gander it's worth about 2 to 3 Trillion dollars alone in the next 50 years, increasing exponentially after that until full market saturation.

What is the price of a child's dreams? If that child grows up to be the next Elon Musk? It's impossible to truly measure, but it's definitely something worth investing in.

I think that's what these investors see.

Lockheed gets Orders from Canadian Mining Company

Lockheed has been tagged by Quest Rare Minerals to build Seven 20-Ton Hybrids for mining operations in northern Canada. The deal is estimated to be worth $850 Million, including fuel.

Clearly the 'if' in the question of if Hybrid Airships will ever by a reality has now been replaced with a 'when'. And by the looks of things, Lockheed is going to be producing hybrids non-stop by 2020.

Hopefully when Hybrids are being used regularly in these niche markets, the perception of Airships will change and many who are unaware of the recent achievements in this industry will start reconsidering their viability in other areas, such as sightseeing, entertainment, flying hotels, shipping, public transportation, etc.

By 2050 Hybrids should be a regular mainstay of our global economy, the Hindenburg will be all but forgotten, and people living in that time will probably have no doubts about their viability or even superiority as an air transport platform.

Airship Market 2016-2020

I have been finding it hard to maintain this blog, what with the election, and a new job, but here is a link to a market forecast to hold you over. Hopefully there will be more news to come soon.

Airlander set to return in 2017

The BBC has an article with some info, none of it necessarily new, on Airlander's repair. The only info that is new is that HAV says they understand what happened leading to the crash, although no details have been shared.