November 11, 2007

Strato Cruiser airship concept by Tino Schaedler and Michael J Brown With its carbon fiber skin, sectional helium chamber design and photovoltaic cells, the Stratocruiser’s construction brings new levels of safety, speed and ecology to travel. An advanced propulsion system more than doubles the cruising speed of conventional blimps.
posted by Hank Mabuse 16 years ago
  • And you can eat cookies on board.
  • Ah, if only. Sadly, although people keep reinventing them, I don't believe airships will ever be any good. The basic concept of the thing means you only get a tiny payload for a huge vessel. They'll always be slower than planes and more expensive than ships, while being more vulnerable to the weather than either.
  • We need one of these for Monkeyfilter - high altitude monkeys, with bananas for all! (and red capes)
  • Hmmm..spa, climbing wall, resident DJ, swimming pool, bungee platform. Technical and economic feasibility aside, the designers seem to be more concerned with trendy frippery than building a practical airship.
  • Strato Cruiser is a concept for a “lifestyle zeppelin” developed by art director Tino Schaedler and Michael J Brown. I tried living a Zeppelin lifestyle for a while, but my liver couldn't take it.
  • rocket88, you must remember that your liver is evil and must be punished.
  • Ah, if only. Sadly, although people keep reinventing them, I don't believe airplanes will ever be any good. The basic concept of the thing means you only get a tiny payload for a huge wingspan. They'll always be slower than buggies and more expensive than ships, while being more vulnerable to the weather than either. Sorry.
  • There must be areas where ships can't go and people would want to ship goods cheaply that don't require much speed. Across deserts, maybe?
  • Maybe, but my instinct is that if you take the engines off your airship and use them to power a vehicle with wheels, it will be able to carry a much larger weight of stuff across the desert at about the same cost. And no need to fill a gigantic set of bags with helium. Basically, what FiftyPoints said.
  • Does riding around in all the helium have any effect on people's voices?
  • Use hydrogen, it's more bouyant. Duh. Yes, bernockle, it makes you sound silly. Much like hanging around with "lifestyle designers". This reminds me of the ginormous Bristol Brabazon which was partly so huge because it had ladies powder rooms, and a restarant. On this blimp, the "advanced propulsion system" looks suspiciously like a small propeller.
  • One of the Saudi princes has ordered his own Airbus A380. I'm jealous.
  • After speaking with an experienced colleague (RAF, aiships etc) I agree with Plegmund's points. Small payload, slow (not always a problem), unstable due to weather susceptibility, difficulty in docking and storage. Shame really, I used to enjoy lying in the garden and watching them flying overhead from Cardington.
  • I'm sort of meh about blimps--given my druthers, I'd druther ride in a hot air balloon, but these two comments cracked me up: Grow up in Akron, Ohio, and the blimp really isn't that special, it's annoying. Every other day that bastard is putzing around in the sky. Jesus who pee'd in your coffee this morning....does it ever get in your way flying around up there? Sooo annoying right