FAQ's
- What are some advantages of the Hyperblimp? [+]Hyperblimps work well for several reasons. Unlike heavier-than-air (HTA) vehicles, no energy is needed to hold these airships up. Imagine the difference between adding energy to keep a rock suspended in the air, versus filling a balloon with helium and allowing it to float in the air by itself. Hyperblimps float in the air–they are the same density as air, or light-as-air (though commonly referred to as “lighter than air,” or LTA), and thus don’t demand a continual input of energy to stay aloft. Watch fish in an aquarium and you can readily grasp the similarities with LTA vehicles.
Also, by going to remote control, huge amounts of weight—and thus lifting gas, volume, and drag–are eliminated, yet many of the usual goals of flight can be met–carrying cargo or using a transmitting camera to view, monitor, or photograph from the air–with relatively little cost. Throw in advances in materials since the 1930’s, and the possibilities for decreasing an airship’s volume and drag are greatly expanded. Lightweight, powerful motors, lithium polymer batteries, paper-thin solar panels and stronger materials with better helium retention allow for airships to be built with a small fraction of the weight that used to be required.
Taken together, these changes allow the Hyperblimp to greatly reduce drag and slash energy input to a bare minimum. - How is this airship any different from blimps, dirigibles, Zeppelins, and so on? [+]Mainly, this design is highly streamlined to reduce “form drag,” which increases with the square of the speed, by going from a bulbous shape to a “cigar-like” shape. This is possible due to less weight, as a result of new materials, radio control improvements, lighter batteries and more efficient motors, and the gimbaled rear motor. (Hyperblimps have no moving control surfaces.) Since the shape is maintained by internal gas pressure, there is no added weight from an internal frame. This allows for impressive speeds and maneuvering, as you may note in our video gallery.
- Can you give a brief history of the Hyperblimp? [+]Geery’s adventures with airships began in 1995, after reading The Deltoid Pumpkin Seed, by John McPhee. This book covers the exploits of The Aereon Corporation, founded in the late 1960’s, by the late visionary, Monroe Drew. McPhee explains how the idea for Monroe Drew’s company came from an inventor who lived in the 1800s, and though unsung and forgotten, was flying a steerable dirigible in the 1860s, long before the Wright Brothers took to the air!
Remarkable as that seems, it was Dr. Solomon Andrews, living in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, in the 1860s, who developed an 80 foot long, 39 foot wide, 13 foot high airship, that could glide up and down, turn left and right, and carry him over the streets of New York City, and around part of Long Island (including Oyster Bay, where Geery attended high school). Though not well known, Andrews invented and patented several dozen other items as well, such as the combination lock, the cigarette filter, and fumigators.
Given new materials and power sources, along with engineering considerations, Geery shifted from gliding airships to the Hyperblimp design, and the reality of using solar-power, lithium batteries, and fuel cells, as it became apparent that the dream of low cost, clean, renewable air travel is doable with off-the-shelf materials. - Are they any other inventions related to the Hyperbllmp? [+]
- Why are they so large? [+]Once in the air, Hyperblimps (even our 50′er) doesn’t look that large. However, the main consideration regarding size is that it takes about 15 cubic feet of helium to lift one pound (this will vary with altitude and temperature, lower numbers creating more lift). You need to subtract out the weight of the envelope, motor, batteries, fins, etc. to see what the “free lift” or “payload” will be. This is why we encourage potential buyers to “think small” in terms of payload. Every ounce saved there translates to more battery power or smaller ship and less helium usage.
- What are some drawbacks? [+]Like most things, the more one uses the Hyperblimp, the fewer drawbacks there are. The main one we perceive is the initial set-up and balancing, but this can be done in 15 to 20 minutes with a little practice. A major advantage of the Hyperblimp is that is extremely easy to learn to fly, particularly on a calm day. Get it balanced in front of you, and there it sits, floating like a toy balloon. Open the throttle slightly and fly in low speeds to “get the hang of it,” and before long you’ll be astounded at what these machines can do. Getting above and beyond obstacles, such as trees or buildings, is a very good idea, however!
- How do these airships handle in winds? [+]Hyperblimps, like traditional planes, can handle winds according to the speed of the ship. Our top speed as of July 10, 2010, is 40 mph, enabling a skilled operator to fly in winds of about 15 mph. We hope to be surpassing that speed soon. As for crosswinds, the ship is simply “crabbed,” just as a traditional plane is.
- Can other lifting gasses be used? [+]We have seen airships that are filled with steam, but the lift is not as great as helium; they can theoretically be filled with hot air, if you have an envelope that can handle it (which we don’t yet); hydrogen can be used (renewable, ten percent more lift, cheaper than helium), but that requires special handling and we don’t recommend it—in spite of the vast amount that has been learned since the Hindenberg, there is still a huge public perception issue, and if you’re anywhere near power lines, you may experience a “mini-Hindenberg” of your own! Methane has been used in earlier times, but it, too, is explosive and also has less lift than helium. So the short answer to the question is, “We don’t recommend anything but helium.”