Headlines

E-Green Technologies (EGT) and 21st Century Airships announced the successful inflation of the world’s largest helium airship. The 235-foot-long Bullet 580 airship was inflated inside of Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery, Alabama. This is the first airship developed by the company for commercial use.

According to EGT, the Bullet 580 airship can support a payload of 2,000 pounds at an altitude of 20,000 feet. It is capable of speeds anywhere from a hovering stand-still up to 80 mph. At 235 feet long and 65 feet in diameter, EGT says the airship is the largest of its kind in the world.

For medium altitude flights (15,000 to 20,000 feet), the Bullet 580’s inner envelopes will be filled with approximately 125,000 cubic feet of helium. A spokesperson for EGT says the company will use helium from local distributors, depending on the location for each test launch.

“Airships have undergone surprisingly little evolution through history,” says EGT chairman and CEO Michael Lawson. He says EGT’s airship addresses many questions of feasibility that hindered past airship designs. “Our airships move beyond the performance limitations of traditional blimps or zeppelins such as simple construction, long flight duration, relatively efficient operation versus aircraft, potential for vast size and cargo capacity, and the ability to take-off and land vertically, combined with forward thrust in the air from engines.”

In addition to the basic sight-seeing opportunities afforded by a low-speed airship, EGT says there applications for the airship as a de facto low-altitude satellite, including applications for communications, military defense and surveillance, position and navigation (GPS), weather monitoring, and geophysical surveys. Test flights for the Bullet 580 are planned for the summer.

Photo by George Schellenger.

0 Comment(s) Post a Comment   Be the first to comment on this item.  Comment on this item: Name: Company: Email: Comment: Security Code: Reload Image Enter the text shown in the box above. Comments that include profanity, personal attacks or antisocial behavior such as "spamming," "trolling," or any other inappropriate material will not be posted to the site and/or will be removed from the site. You are fully responsible for the content you post. Neither the Association nor the publisher of this website, Data Key Communications, Inc, are responsible for the contents thereof or the opinions of the contributors. Contact and company information entered must be true and accurate. By submitting a comment, you agree to these terms and conditions.

More Headlines Showing Page 219 of 239 ‹‹First   ‹Previous Next›   Last›› 6/24/2009 Feathers Storing Hydrogen ...more | comments Researchers find chicken feathers can be used to store hydrogen. 6/24/2009 Training for Shipbuilders ...more | comments A center including a welding lab to train shipbuilders is being built in MS. 6/23/2009 Mandated Ins. Coverage? ...more | comments A proposed healthcare bill would mandate employers insure employees. 6/23/2009 The Future of Chemicals ...more | comments The chemical industry has seen a rough patch, but has it seen the bottom? 6/23/2009 To Automate Or Not? ...more | comments Many factors must be considered when automating welding processes. 6/22/2009 BlackBerry Etiquette ...more | comments Should BlackBerrys and iPhones be allowed at business meetings? 6/22/2009 Combustible Dust Violations ...more | comments OSHA made 132 combustible dust hazard citations in AL in 16 months. 6/22/2009 Praxair Supplies Argon ...more | comments Praxair is supplying liquid argon to Nanjing Puzhen Rolling Stock Works. 6/19/2009 Welding Gun for Disabled ...more | comments A student designs a welding gun that can be used by the physically disabled. 6/19/2009 New ITW Exec. VP ...more | comments ITW elects Timothy Gardner as executive VP.