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from the remember-not-to-fill-it-with-hydrogen dept.
According to tiretechnologyinternational.com , Goodyear has been flying blimps for about 90 years now and this source says the current design goes back nearly 50 years...and the last one recently took its last flight.
The replacement is larger and semi-rigid, leading to higher airspeed. It also holds more people and is quieter. In Carson, CA, a new inflatable hangar is being built for the new airship according to ocregister.com. Look for it off the 405 freeway.
This AC was fortunate to have a blimp ride over LA and Orange County about 15 years ago -- arranged by a friend with the right Goodyear press office connections. Our ride was the last of the day (before changeover to night/billboard operations) and we were the only passengers. This gave us plenty of time to talk with the pilots who are part of a pretty interesting (and rare) group. Some fun facts:
+ The top air speed of 35 mph applies in level flight.
+ ...and also while climbing and descending. Buoyancy makes the blimp react very differently than normal heavier-than-air airplanes. On our flight, they pointed the nose down at what felt like a very steep angle, but the airspeed didn't change.
+ Pilots from the elite Air Force test pilot school get checked out on blimps
+ Flight controls are very different from normal aircraft, I don't remember seeing any automated systems. While the blimp reacts fairly slowly, it's far from stable and the pilots are chasing things all the time.
+ After our flight, we watched them attach the lighting system. It was heavy enough that no passengers could be carried and possibly some of the cabin was removed to save weight (seats?...memory is fading). It used a small turbine generator (aircraft aux power unit, APU) to power the display.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 25 2017, @04:19PM
Wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindenburg_disaster [wikipedia.org] presents several theories. It does not include the word "tar" at all, since the outer fabric was doped fabric. Seems like the jury is still out on the question of what started the fire and where it started...?
Certainly the hydrogen burned, along with most (but not all) of the outer fabric.
Or do you have a more definitive reference?
(Score: 1) by leftover on Saturday February 25 2017, @08:28PM
Hmm. I did but can't seem to locate it now. I am very familiar with the coating itself, having spread acres of it on corrugated steel roofs. The tarry/oily part sticks to the steel and the powdered aluminum floats to the surface after a small delay. At least that is what happens when it is boiling hot outside, on a metal roof.
Bent, folded, spindled, and mutilated.
(Score: 3, Informative) by KilroySmith on Saturday February 25 2017, @08:57PM
Different kind of coating for aircraft (obviously, with a significantly different application). Aircraft dope has been in use, well, since aircraft have been taking to the skies. Wikipedia has a good article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_dope [wikipedia.org]