The Aeroscraft model ML866 is a planned 400-ton hybrid airship, to be built by the Worldwide Aeros Corporation. Background Traditional airships have low operating costs but are limited in several ways including low payload/volume ratios and low speeds Worldwide Aeros Corp is an aircraft manufacturing company specialised in the manufacturing of Hybrid airships It is based in Montebello, California [1] A scaled-down prototype is planned for 2008, and a full scale passenger craft for 2010.
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Technical details
The Aeroscraft is 850 feet (260 metres) in length, and has a top speed of 174 miles per hour, faster than conventional airships (top speed around 90 mph) but slower than jet aircraft (500 mph). A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International It has a flight ceiling of 8000 feet. A flight ceiling is the upper altitudinal limit at which any aircraft may fly given its mechanical abilities [2]
The Aeroscraft uses a combination of aerodynamic and aerostatic principles to remain airborne. Gallery Types of aerostats See also Aerodyne Aerostatics Airship Balloon Approximately two-thirds of the craft's lift is provided by helium gas. In the context of a Fluid flow relative to a body the lift force is the component of the Aerodynamic force that is Perpendicular to the flow Helium ( He) is a colorless odorless tasteless non-toxic Inert Monatomic Chemical The remaining lift is provided by the forward thrust of the craft's propellers, in combination with its aerodynamic shape,[2] and its canards (forward fins) and empennage (rear fins). Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton 's Second and Third Laws. In Aeronautics, canard ( French for Duck) is an airframe configuration of Fixed-wing aircraft in which the Tailplane is ahead of the Empennage émpənij is an Aviation term used to describe the Tail portion of an Aircraft. [3]
As well as its horizonal propellers, the Aeroscraft has six downward-pointing turbofan jet engines for vertical take-off and landing. A turbofan is a type of Jet engine, similar to a Turbojet. It essentially consists of a Ducted fan with a smaller diameter turbojet engine VTOL is an abbreviation for Vertical Take-Off and Landing. VTOL describes Fixed-wing aircraft that can lift off vertically [3] The craft also uses Dynamic Buoyancy Management, a novel technology which controls buoyancy by taking in air from the surrounding atmosphere and holding it in pressurised tanks. In Physics, buoyancy ( BrE IPA: /ˈbɔɪənsi/ is the upward Force on an object produced by the surrounding liquid or gas in which it is [3] These systems make the Aeroscraft capable of landing on rough or snowy terrain, or on water. "Snowfall" redirects here For other uses see Snow (disambiguation or Snowfall (disambiguation. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. [1]
Uses
For people
One of the more interesting uses of an Aeroscraft would be as a luxury private yacht. Many possibilities could be included, for example, large staterooms and dining areas.
Another use of an Aeroscraft could be for sightseeing and long-distance cruises—much like a cruise on a luxury ocean liner or cruise ship. An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one Seaport to another along regular long-distance Maritime routes according to a schedule A cruise ship or cruise liner is a Passenger ship used for pleasure voyages where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience This is made possible by the fact that Aeroscraft can land on any terrain (see above) and fly at low and comfortable altitudes.
For cargo
Another use of an Aeroscraft could be to transport military vehicles or supplies to difficult terrain. This would take advantage of the large cargo space and the craft’s ability to land on any terrain. The manufacturer also envisions commercial use as a cargo carrier which could deliver a large amount of merchandise from a centralized location. [4]
References
- ^ a b Cruise ship of the sky?. CNET (2006-03-06). CNET Networks Inc is a media company based in San Francisco California, United States, and is part of CBS Interactive, owned Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of Retrieved on 2007-05-14. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the
- ^ a b Bowes, Gemma (2006-03-05). Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a Cruise ship of the skies. The Observer. The Observer is a British Newspaper published on Sundays In about the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Retrieved on 2007-05-14. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the
- ^ a b c Grabianowski, Ed. How the Aeroscraft Will Work. How Stuff Works. Retrieved on 2007-05-15. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1252 - Pope Innocent IV issues the Papal bull Ad exstirpanda, which authorizes but also limits the
- ^ Tompkins, Joshua. The Flying Luxury Hotel. Popular Science. Accessed on 15-10-2007.
External links
Related content
See also
The P-791 is an experimental aerostatic/aerodynamic Hybrid airship developed by Lockheed-Martin corporation The Walrus HULA is a proposed H ybrid U ltra L arge A ircraftDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic