Zeppelins Take Flight Again

By Virginia Prescott on Monday, August 4, 2008.

On May 6, 1937, a German airship called the Hindenburg was making a scheduled landing at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey, when it exploded into flames. Herbert Morrison's eyewitness radio report from the landing field has since become etched into the public memory.

Thirty-six people were killed in the disaster. Up until then, zeppelins had an impeccable safety record. But the incident shattered public confidence in giant, passenger-carrying rigid airships, and marked the end of an era.

Fast forward 70 years, and zeppelins are taking to the air again. A company in California called Airship Ventures has purchased a Zeppelin NT07 Airship for approximately $12.8 million, and plans to offer aerial sightseeing tours of San Francisco by the end of October. The company's CEO, Alexandra Hall, joins Word of Mouth with more about the company’s plans, and the potential use of zeppelins for tourism and travel, advertising, scientific research, military surveillance, and beyond.

(Photo by Henk van der Eijk)

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This piece reminded me of another article I saw the other day in CleanTechnica, which says tall ships are being used to ship cargo again:

"Though the ship travels at a top speed of eight knots— half the speed of a modern cargo vessel—it is completely pollution-free. The 50,000 other merchant ships traveling the world emit 800 million tons of carbon dioxide each year."

Between tall ships and blimps/zeppelins, it suggests that the value of getting goods from one place to another quickly may be waning a bit in the face of fuel costs and carbon footprints.

Submitted by Brady Carlson on Mon, 08/04/2008 - 11:36.

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Word of Mouth is all about what's new. Online and on-air, the show looks at our fascinating and ever-changing world, and puts the latest ideas under a microscope. Word of Mouth investigates everything from science and technology, to health and the environment, to new trends in popular culture. The show airs Monday through Thursday at noon and is hosted by Virginia Prescott.