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From: spl@deakin.OZ.AU (Stephen Percy Larcombe)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Airships?
Message-ID: <1991Jun10.023325.12335@amd.com>
Date: 7 Jun 91 08:08:51 GMT
References: <1991May31.061011.12752@amd.com>
Sender: military@amd.com
Organization: Deakin University, Victoria, Australia
Lines: 23
Approved: military@amd.com


From: spl@deakin.OZ.AU (Stephen Percy Larcombe)


microsoft!t-scotta@uunet.uu.net writes:
>The closing quote to the Monday 50 years ago today started me thinking
>about the possibilities using airships as an alternative to heavy 
>lift cargo planes.  A large airship cruising at 35-40 kts, about

To give some idea of scale the R.100 (built by Vickers for the
British government to compete against the illfated R.101) had the following
specifiactions (appoximatly). 

5 million cubic feet of gas space.
Hydrogen gas.
Total lift of 150 tons. (these are English tons that are 240 pounds heavier
than US tons).
Total carrying capacity of about 47 tons.
It carried around 30 tons of petrol when it flew non stop from England to
Canada in about 3 days.
This reduced load capacity to 17 tons.
Tops speed of 81mph.
Cruising speed of about 50mph.