[imagesource:befunky]

Blimps may be entering a new era, courtesy of billionaire Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who wants to convert these sky giants into cargo ships.

Brin’s business, LTA Research, has developed a 121-metre “lighter than air” blimp-like vehicle called Pathfinder 1, which has recently earned airworthiness certification.

Pathfinder 1 will be the largest aircraft to take to the skies since the tragic Hindenberg disaster in 1937, after which Zeppelins were largely abandoned.

Don’t let the Hindenberg put you off the idea, the Pathfinder 1 will use only non-flammable helium, as opposed to explosive hydrogen.

Image: LTA Rearch

Speaking to TechCrunch, LTA CEO Alan Weston said “I can count the number of companies in the lighter-than-air space on my hands, and we all have a lot to lose if anybody has a serious problem.”

“The last maiden flight of an airship like this was the Graf Zeppelin II in 1938,” he noted during the interview. “The FAA wasn’t even around then.”

“I can’t see airships replacing aircraft, but I do see a niche for airships to be part of the transportation architecture that reduces the carbon footprint of air travel.”

The next-generation blimp features a carbon fibre and titanium frame and is outfitted with 12 electric motors and four rudders. Pathfinder 1 can carry about four tons of cargo in addition to its crew, water ballast and fuel.

Image: LTA Rearch

The US Federal Aviation Administration cleared Pathfinder 1 for launch last month. It has been given the go-ahead to fly no higher than 1,500 feet. For now, the inflatable aeroplane is permitted to fly over the south side of San Francisco Bay only, where it will not interfere with flights.

The Google billionaire envisions these huge aircraft to be used as cargo transport or for emergency services in the future.

[source:ussun&techcrunch]