OzSTOC
No Parking Zone! => Off Topic, Off Colour, and non-motorcycle related => Topic started by: JuST Peter on January 06, 2014, 07:41:16 PM
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I think you'll find this interesting
http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebzee1b/Zeppelin/Zeppelin.html (http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebzee1b/Zeppelin/Zeppelin.html)
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Impressive :thumbsup
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Sadly it seems the company has closed down. Flights cost more than US$400 per person per hour, so it wasn't cheap, but still required $5 million a year sponsorship to continue operations. Apparently there is a shortage of helium which had increased tenfold in cost over the five years it flew. It carried 20,000 pax, so it was a pretty big operation for a while.
I was trying to find out a bit about the engines. Does anyone know about them? Ran out of Google time...
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I was trying to find out a bit about the engines. Does anyone know about them? Ran out of Google time...
I'll ask around. A kiwi cousin flew as 2ic on Air New Zealand 747's until his retirement and also served as NZ's highest ranking officer in military intel (no kiddin' :wink1), so he might know
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Looks exactly like the one in Sydney twenty years ago. Seats were $200 a pop, only problem was if the wind picked up you might never get to the destination. Friend of mine flew it for three years.
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Amazing photo's thanks for sharing :clap
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Friend on mine flew it for three years.
That must have been some wind....
:eek :eek :eek :eek
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Friend on mine flew it for three years.
That must have been some wind....
:eek :eek :eek :eek
Went around the world five times, apparently. Got it to land in Sydney on the fifth attempt. All on board quite hungry.
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Just got a reply about the propulsion units for the zeppelin:
Propulsion and steering
Side thrusters visible on approach
Power is provided by a trio of 147-kilowatt (197 hp) Textron Lycoming IO-360 boxer aviation engines, each provide the Zeppelin NT with maneuverability. The two lateral engines are equipped with tilting propellers and usually aligned horizontally, but can be turned 90° upward or 30° downward. The aft engine powers a pushing propeller that can be turned 90° downward, as well as a steering propeller directed to the side and working similarly to the lateral-thrust units of some ships. The engines are fueled by aviation gasoline.
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Well that's a surprise- piston Lycomings just like in the bigger Piper Cherokees (except with a very sophisticated propeller system).
Thanks for chasing it up for me.
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That must have been some wind....
Touche!