Would passenger dirigibles be feasible?

[bengangmo]

Originally Posted by MarcusF

DC3s on the transatlantic route? When was that? I wouldn't have thought they had the range.

I'm not good with geoography, and this was aound 8 years ago so my memory is hazy to say the least. I think that it was Hong Kong to Australia and Hong Kong to England I think - the trip was done over multiple days with many stop-overs.

[Martini Enfield]

Originally Posted by MarcusF

DC3s on the transatlantic route? When was that? I wouldn't have thought they had the range.

I'm pretty sure they did; but it'd be "Transatlantic from somewhere like Nova Scotia via Greenland and/or Iceland," as opposed to a non-stop flight.

There was a documentary on SBS a few months ago about the RAF ferry pilots who had to get aircraft from Canada to the UK that way (IIRC they were flying Bristol Beauforts or something like that), so it was certainly doable in a DC-3.

[Orionizer]

Originally Posted by t-bonham@scc.net

I can't see that being feasible, for something the size of the Hindenburg. Heated air provides much less lift than H or He, so you would need a much, much larger 'balloon'. Looking at hot air balloons, it seems like you need several times the volume of balloon vs. payload. Seems like it would take a really big balloon!

Then there is the cost of heating the air. Buoyant H or He stays buoyant; air must be kept hot to remain buoyant. That requires fairly frequent heating, possibly even continuous at higher altitudes. The cost of the natural gas (or other fuel) to keep the air heated would be pretty high. As well as the weight & space occupied by this fuel.

I don't see this as being cost effective.

I shoulda known this would have been a stupid question... Thanks!

[Elendil's Heir]

The U.S. Army has three new big blimps: http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/0...ght/?hpt=hp_c2

[Maserschmidt]

Beware of wind turbines at night.

[Lust4Life]

I'd happily pay for an aerial cruise.

Perhaps over the Amazon jungle, or the African savannah.

I think that many more would do so as well.

I've never understood the mindset of people who go on sea cruises in an environment where they might as well be on a land resort