Airlander 10 airship makes maiden voyage in Britain
The world's largest airship, Airlander 10, completed its maiden trip on Wednesday at Cardington airfield in the U.K., after a postponement due to technical concerns on Sunday. The airfield is located in Bedford, about 73 kilometres (45 miles) north of London.
This flight of the 92-metre ship, nicknamed "the Flying Bum" for its shape, lasted for about half an hour. The airship completed a series of flight manoeuvres and landed safely.
According to Stephen McGlennan, the CEO of the airship's manufacturer Hybrid Air Vehicles, the aircraft "is a mixture of airplane technology, airship technology and helicopter technology".
It costs more than £30 million ($50 million Cdn) to manufacture such a large aircraft. McGlennan said that a Chinese company participated in the technical design of the aircraft which can carry a 10-tonne payload.
"The engines come from a company that is now owned by a large Chinese company. And we are also talking to some of the major Chinese technological companies who have a focus in aerospace, trying to find ways in which we can bring this technology into China and across markets where Chinese companies have many interests," he added.
The U.S. Air Force initially invested money in developing the aircraft, but had to abandon the project because of budget cuts in 2013.
He said there will be 100 such aircraft flying across the world in five years for recreation, cargo transport and disaster relief.
