The flipside is they may not be fast enough to dodge quick moving weather systems.
Re:Flying Aircraft Carriers (2019)
by dredmorbius on Thursday April 18, 2024 @03:12AM
(#40073735)
Or capable of climbing above them.
Airships have pretty surprisingly low service ceilings, and experience a huge trade-off in payload capacity (by weight) vs. operating altitude.
Or, rather, before carbon fiber, kevlar, very strong plastic films, etc.
A modern airship can be made much lighter while also being sturdier and somehow structurally redundant. But its sheer size still makes it expensive. The only relatively operational development I'm aware of is Airlander, and it's still a prototype, since the US Army rejected it.
Re:Flying Aircraft Carriers (2019)
by giantrobot on Thursday April 18, 2024 @05:46AM
(#40074501)
The size is part of the problem. An airship's huge size means it has a gigantic sail area. Weather that can't be avoided becomes super dangerous. Even a gentle crosswind during take off or landing could be disastrous.
Re:Flying Aircraft Carriers (2019)
by helsinkiandrew on Thursday April 18, 2024 @03:05AM
(#40073695)
> I'd bet they'd all be safe today by simply not moving into weather systems.
It will be safe but of less use than other aircraft/transport that can work in bad weather, or can wait out in a hangar or get in and out of a bad weather system quickly.
I'd bet they'd all be safe today by simply not moving into weather systems.