G. Gamplin

The idea of using airships to carry very large, or very heavy, objects has been gaining ground in recent years. However, the whole concept rests upon the premise that cost-effective means of loading and unloading the "payloads" can be developed. To date, no such systems actually exist, although there have been numerous suggested theoretical ideas for how such payload transfers (or "Load Exchange Procedures" (LEP) as they are sometimes known,) could, should, or might be achieved. Much work has naturally focussed on the design of the cargo-carrying airships themselves, however, the equally challenging problems that will face the ground crews, who will be required to operate the ground based part of these critically important systems, has tended to be overlooked. This paper, takes a ground based perspective of payload attachment, and identifies some of the difficulties, and dangers, that the ground crews of cargocarrying airships will have to face. It reveals that there are blind spots in many of the suggested theoretical systems, and that consequently some of the ideas will be unworkable in practice. It also shows that, in many instances, the cost implications and complex nature of the problems, which the ground-based support systems for large cargo-carrying airships will have to overcome, have been seriously underestimated, or glossed-over. The paper suggests some possible ways forward.

7th International Airship Convention 2008, Friedrichshafen

Conference Paper

englisch

21,0 x 29,7 cm, 7 Seiten

DGLR-Bericht, 2008, 2008-03, 7th International Airship Convention 2008 - Proceedings; S.1-7; 2008; Deutsche Gesellschaft für Luft- und Raumfahrt - Lilienthal-Oberth e.V., Bonn

NA

in getr. Zählung;

airship

Bestellbar

2008