UK Company Offers New Way to Fly
There's not much to love about air travel, but the Hybrid Air Vehicles Airlander 10 is set to change that. This aircraft will soon take up to 19 travelers on three-day trips around the world.
Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) is the UK company behind the Airlander, a helium-filled airship with wings like an airplane. At 300 feet in length, the Airlander is the world’s largest aircraft.
The Airlander doesn’t need a runway for takeoff or landing. It can take off from and land on any flat surface. This means it can go places where planes can't land, such as the Grand Canyon in the US or the Namib Desert in Africa.
The airship has flown for the US government, and is now being developed for public air travel. It has a large lounge and bar area with glass floors so passengers can see the view below, and ten bedrooms – each with a private bathroom.
Six successful test flights have been completed, but the Airlander will need to complete 200 hours of safe flight before passengers are allowed on board. In 2016, the airship crashed on its second test flight. And in 2017, the Airlander broke away from its moorings and ran into the ground.
HAV spokesperson, Rebecca Zeitlin says, “We expect to see the aircraft in service with customers from the early 2020s. Hybrid Air Vehicles’ goal is to change the world of aviation through [the] Airlander.”
