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A new era for zeppelin travel?
Do you remember reading about the Hindenburg disaster in history class? You know, that giant blimp that burst into flames in New Jersey in However, according to recent news, the blimp is experiencing a resurgence as a trendy new vehicle for the upscale tourism market. Jean-Marie Massaud, a French designer and architect, has announced plans for a new 690-foot long dirigible with attached luxury hotel (obviously) called the "Manned Cloud." According to recent reports several airlines including Air France and Emirates have expressed interest in funding the project. Believe it or not, Jean-Marie Massaud isn't the first to propose such an idea - a tour company based in Germany has been taking passengers on blimp aerial tours for several years. Just imagine the views as you gently float among the clouds, gazing down at the spectactular scenery below...
So is the once-mighty dirigible industry poised for a comeback? Don't book that non-refundable blimp ticket on Kayak just yet. Though traveling by blimp will surely be of interest to some (moneyed) travelers, it's likely to remain a largely niche transportation mode for several reasons. Aside from the fact blimps top out at ground speeds around 100 MPH, they're also quite susceptible to bad weather. Can you imagine being in a blimp during a thunderstorm? I hate turbulence on airplanes as it is. Not to mention these floating aircraft can only take on small numbers of passengers and need very large landing strips to touch down.
Oh well, so much for reopening that blimp dock on New York's Empire State Building. But keep watching the skies - a blimp trip could very well be in your future.
Filed under: News
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Grant Martin Jul 6th 2008 10:33PM
http://graphjam.com/2008/06/25/song-chart-memes-oh-the-humanity/#more-1473
Seriously though. They're not going to use hydrogen in the new blimps, right? That was the problem, right?
Victor Ozols Jul 7th 2008 11:13AM
I believe the Hindenburg disaster was in 1937, and amazingly, only 35 of the 97 people on board lost their lives. They didn't all die, though I'm sure the survivors were plenty shaken up.
Jeremy Jul 7th 2008 1:05PM
Good catch on both counts Victor. The post is updated accordingly.
Michael Jul 7th 2008 4:44PM
Sorry to nitpick, but 35/97 is just over 1/3, not really "most."
The other thing is that "blimp" isn't a catchall term. Your examples aren't blimps - they're airships. The Hindenburg was a rigid shelled airship. The Zeppelin NT is a hybrid, or semi-rigid, which means it has a keel. A blimp, very specifically, has neither a keel nor a rigid shell.
drstrangegun Jul 8th 2008 9:14AM
Even at 35/97, I do believe quite a few of the deaths from the Hindenburg were due to people panicking and jumping out of the gondola before it descended.