With 81,33 s Iris placed 4th after the blazing fast D11 the loud Adele and the proven Centriolo. After the official race Adele was flown two more times and the flights were also included in the ranking, it clearly shows that the pilots skills also play an important role in the race. Here now the complete ranking after all races.
To learn more about future races and to get involved yourself, please head over to the RC Airship Regatta Yahoo Group and become a part of the community. Maybe you want to host your own race somewhere in North Amercia or Asia, where ever in the world you are join the RC Airship Regatta Yahoo Group.
Race 6 is featuring another already familiar airship that is flown again by Dominik Baumüller who already flew Makrobe. This time he flies Centriolo an airship also already seen during last years competition. If you want to see last years flight look here.
Since the airships have all different sizes the actual times of the airships are multiplied with a penalty-factor, this factor is larger the larger the ship is. The reasoning behind this is with a larger ship you have more payload and can attach larger and faster motors, this is not always the case that larger ships are faster but this formula tries to make the race a bit more fair. With an actual time of 70,34 s and a calculated time of 73,36 s places Centriolo third after Adele even though Centriolo was in fact faster but also larger which shows the effect of the factor.
Tomorrow we will be presenting the last of the 7 airships making it's race and we will be presenting the complete results table. There were 2 additional races with Adele that will be included in the final results.
Even though the spammers are annoying me by spamming the mailing list it doesn't stop me from posting yet another Race of the 2009 RC Airship Regatta. Presenting by far the largest airship in this years Regatta the Red Count (Roter Graf) with almost 4 meter length flown by Frederik Gester.
The time of the Red Count was not the quickest with 344,83 s this was mainly due to the fact of engine and control problems that were not fixable before the race. Because of that this airship places last in the current ranking.
Continuing the RC Airship Regatta coverage we bring you the third race today. The airship is called Adele flown by Tim Schaller. Make sure to have sound on because this airship has a very distinctive sound.
Today we bring you race two of the 2009 RC Airship Regatta it is Makrobe flown by Dominik Baumüller. If you remember the 2008 RC Airship Regatta in Munich there was a similar ship called Mikrobe also built and flown by Dominik Baumüller, the 2009 ship is called Makrobe because it is bigger than last years Mikrobe. Enjoy the race!
A few weeks ago during the DGLR Workshop XI in Friedrichshafen was another RC Airship Regatta. Starting today we will bring you each race in it's own post over the next few days and then ending with the results and a play list with the airships in the result order. The first race was by the airship called "Flugwerft Flitzer" flown by Peter Hanickel, enjoy. Flugwerft Flitzer - Race 1 - Regatta March 2009
Currently the RC-Airship Regatta is a mainly German event but it would be great if people from around the world would start hosting races too. Join the RC-Airship Regatta Yahoo Group if you are interested. The next chance to see the airships will be in Torino, Italy at the World Air Games 2009. The Event is from the 6th to the 14th of June and the airships will fly at the Indoor Aeromusicals during intermission.
The new season has just started for the Zeppelin D-LZZF in Friedrichshafen. We featured a photo of the new Süddeutsche Zeitung branding in our last post. Now we can bring you a video of the Zeppelin featuring the new branding and showing a glimpse of the Skyship that is just in the hangar in Friedrichshafen.
We mentioned it already in a pre-announcement in early February, but now we have the final invitation and the program for the DGLR Workshop XI this weekend in Friedrichshafen Germany. I have attached the Invitation and the program below, if you are in the area why not stop by. Prices range from 20 Euros for students to 45 Euros for people who aren't members of the DGLR, so it's quite affordable for a two day event. If you cant read the German invitation don't be shy to email me your questions I will try to answer them. The Workshop starts Friday morning 9:40 and ends on Saturday with the RC Airship Regatta around 15:00. I will be there and take pictures and videos of the sessions and the event. I will probably also write one or the other Blog post. If you are reading the blog and are also in Friedrichshafen this weekend, let me know so that we can meet. Einladung DGLR Workshop XI 2009
The Deutsche Zeppelin Reederei just announced that they will start their flights again in Friedrichshafen after the 3 month winter break on Friday 13th 2009 at 12.15. They obviously aren't superstitious about Friday the 13th but I guess after 8 years of successful flight operations and more than 85.000 passengers this 9th season of flights will just be as successful as the previous ones. But the Zeppelin will not only fly in Friedrichshafen, just like last year the Zeppelin will be flying over Munich again. It will be based at the Airport Oberschleißheim from April 25th to Mai 3rd 2009. So what more to do than to jump over to Zeppelinflug.de and book your tickets. We will be adding the dates also to our Events Calendar also below the full Press Release in German. If you have any questions about it or want to know more just send me an email.
PRESSEINFORMATION Zeppelin NT startet in seine 9. Flugsaison Friedrichshafen, 12. März 2009 – Am Freitag den 13. März 2009 eröffnet die Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei GmbH um 12.15 Uhr erneut die Flugsaison rund um den Bodensee. Zum Saisonstart ziert die Süddeutsche Zeitung die Aussenhülle des Zeppelin NT. Die Jahresinspektion des Zeppelin NT ist abgeschlossen – das Zeppelin-Team freut sich auf die ersten Fluggäste des Jahres, freie Sitzplätze stehen noch zur Verfügung. Der Zeppelinflug als Geschenkgutschein erfreut sich für besondere Anlässe großer Beliebtheit. Seit der Aufnahme des Passagierbetriebes im August 2001 wurden über 85.000 Fluggäste an Bord begrüßt. Die Passagierabfertigung und die Gastronomie sind für die kommende Saison im Hangar des Luftschiffs aufgebaut und bieten für jeden einen einmaligen Blick in die Zeppelinwelt. Mit der Saisoneröffnung werden wieder regelmäßig dienstags und freitags Werksführungen angeboten. Nicht nur der Zeppelin NT sondern auch ein Prallluftschiff, ein so genannter Blimp, kann während einer Führung im 110 Meter langen Hangar betrachtet werden. Über eine steuerbare Webcam auf www.zeppelinflug.de ist die Verfolgung des Flugbetriebes auch über das Internet möglich. „Nach drei Monaten Flugpause starten wir wieder durch, aber nicht nur in Friedrichshafen“, so Susanne Federle, Leiterin des Buchungsservice bei der Deutschen Zeppelin-Reederei GmbH. „Vom 25. April bis zum 3. Mai 2009 bietet der Zeppelin wie im vergangenen Jahr Flüge über München vom Flughafen Oberschleißheim aus an.“ Buchungen und Gutscheine können über die Telefonnummer 07541/ 5900 0 vorgenommen werden. Weitere Informationen finden Sie im Internet unter www.zeppelinflug.de. Zur sofortigen Veröffentlichung freigegeben. Presse-Kontakt: Kathrin Runge Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei GmbH Allmannsweilerstrasse 132 D-88046 Friedrichshafen Tel.: +49 7541 5900 547 Fax.: +49 7541 5900 22547 presse@zeppelin-nt.de www.zeppelin-nt.de
The year has just started but already the first Airship Events are getting close. One of the early Events this year is the eleventh DGLR - Workshop "Luftfahrzeuge leichter als Luft" on March 27th and 28th 2009 in Friedrichshafen. If you want to give a talk, you can send your proposal for a session to the DGLR Fachausschuß S 2.3 - "Luftfahrzeuge leichter als Luft". The deadline is March 1st 2009 so you have to hurry a bit to get your talk in, you can contact either:
Dipl.-Ing. Jürgen Fecher Zeppelin-Luftschifftechnik GmbH Co KG Allmannsweilerstrasse 132 88046 Friedrichshafen email: j.fecher (at) zeppelin-nt.de Tel 07541-5900-428 Fax 07541-5900-516
The talks are categorized as follows:
Research and Development
Projects and Technologies
Operations
Infrastructure
Regulations
Markets
Financing, Leasing, Insuring
Education and Training
History
Missions and Payload
Below I have attached the full german pre announcement. I will try to be there and hope to see a few familiar faces. Oh and of course there is also a RC Airship Regatta planned. Vorankündigung DGLR - Workshop XI
I recieved a very nice comment in my last blog post about the convention. The reader asked the following 2 questions and I will try to answer them from my point of view, others who have been at the convention or have their own opinion about this topic are very welcome to chime in in the comments section of this post.
Question 1: Is there any talk or whispers about the impact this global recession or depression will have on the Airship industry?
Of course everybody is aware of the problems and the global recession that is currently happening. Finding investors in these times might become even more difficult than it already is, but the possibilities for airships to do surveillance more efficient than helicopters or the option to transport cargo by airship without the need for road infrastructures might actually be a competitive advantage and might lead to opening of markets for airships because the price difference compared to traditional solutions might tip in favor for airships. Of course this is just speculation but the general tone at the conference to me was very optimistic. There is a new Research Framework Programme by the European Comission called FP7 that might bring new funding opportunities to the Airship Industry. I will be talking about this in the followup posts to the conference.
Question 2: Any room in this convention for the individual airship enthusiast. The home builder?
There is a lot of room for the individual, if you are building an airship a conference is a perfect place to talk about what you did and what your design considerations were. In fact there were a lot of students who presented their work and models, individuals who are just starting their own company, smaller companies that are just developing a small new airship, researchers who use airships for scientific exploration, historians, vision papers given by members from organizations like the Airship Association, ISO Polar, even the United Nations World Food Program presented a paper. And of course larger companies presenting their new developments like RosAeroSystems and others. The full coverage of all sessions will follow in the comming weeks.
So now I open up the comments for you the readers what do you think, please leave your thoughts in the comments.
The first half of the day is over I have taken many pictures and connected with more great people. Haven't really had time to sit down and work on something but there are some great announcements made. Ros Aerosystems is developing a new Airship with a few tons of lifting capacity. I have one picture that I will be posting later. Announcements will be made later this day by Ros Aerosystems too. So lot's of great stuff to cover.
The 7th International Airship Convention has started tonight with a Welcome Cocktail where the attendees got to meet each other and have a little time to chat before tomorrows first day of sessions. Dr. Bernd Sträter and Dick Chadburn, chairman of the Airship Association welcomed the delegates with a few words and gave a short outline of the evening. The Cocktail hour was from 18:00 to 19:00. At 19:00 Thomas Brandt CEO of Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH invited all the delegates over to the Zeppelin Hangar to get an upclose and personal look at the Zeppelin NT in the Hangar. It gave everyone the opportunity to ask questions about the Zepppelin.
Zeppelin NT in the Hangar
Thomas Brandt as well as Brend Sträter and a few others happyly answered the many question the delegates had. Many were clearly impressed by the sheer size of the Zeppelin. I met a lot of people who I only knew through Email before, it's a fantastic get together of the who-is-who in the airship industry. And I am looking forward to the next day. The convention is opened in about 8 hours by the Lord Mayor of Friedrichshafen. The first two Sessions are "HAA/HALE" (High Altitude Airships) in room Austria chaired by Prof. Partrick Hendrick / COST at 9:00 and parallel to this in room Switzerland a Session called "Future Projects" chaired by Philipe Stabenau. See you there.
I just arrived in Friedrichshafen at Lake Constance to report as live and detailed as possible form the 7th International Airship Convention here at the Messe Friedrichshafen the new conference and exposition grounds right next to the Zeppelin Hangar. The official Conference starts tomorrow morning but tonight at 18:00 local time is the "Welcome Cocktail Party" and at 19:00 it is intended to visit the Zeppelin Hangar. Until then I am just getting settled in testing my Internet connection and my Cameras. If you are at the Convention, say hello to me, I will be taking lot's of pictures and am wearing a Press Badge. I will be checking my email regularly so drop me a line. Go to the website of the Airship Convention 2008 to get the Final Programme it is not to late to come, you can still register directly at the Expo the registration fees are very reasonable especially for students, who can go to the complete convention for 150 Euro. Check back often as I will be writing quite a bit in the next few days, thrusday I plan at least 3 times where I will post short updates.
Originally I just wanted to publish this video of the brand new Zeppelin NT Number 4 with the Airship Ventures design on it but then I found a video of the Zeppelin NT #3 landing and thought I would just share with you some general ground handling and landing videos of the Zeppelin NT. It amazes me again and again how few people the airship requires for ground handling. The vectored propellers on the sides and the tail make the Zeppelin NT really the most maneuverable manned airship in the world. But enough said on to the videos. The first video shows the brand new Zeppelin NT #4 being taken out of the hangar, on the front the mast truck on the back just one member of the ground crew steering the tail of the airship.
The next video is an approach by the Zeppelin, it's turning into the wind and then lands, the ground crew of just three men then put the stairs onto the airship to allow passengers to exit. A completely different experience than that on the Goodyear Blimps with their big ground crew.
The last video shows a landing and takeoff by the Zeppelin NT #3 the highlight in this video is again the hovering ability of the Zeppelin and the calm slow aproach for landing and the easy take off.
PRESSINFORMATION First flight of new Zeppelin airship completed Airship to enter commercial service in June, head for US in September Friedrichshafen, Germany and Moffett Field, California , May 21st, 2008 – Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH & Co. KG and Airship Ventures today announced the successful first flight of the fourth, and latest, Zeppelin NT airship over Friedrichshafen, Germany. Construction of the fourth Zeppelin NT airship having recently been completed, the ship was handed over to the flight test department to begin the testing phase. The hangar doors opened and the airship left the 360 foot long hangar for the first time since the start of airframe assembly in March 2007. Robert Gritzbach, Zeppelin VP of engineering, commented: “After the prototype being the third ship in our series production, we were able to incorporate a number of design improvements – reducing weight while increasing lift and achieving a near doubling of airframe lifetime – that make this our finest ship to date!” A proud and long awaited moment for all involved, it is a special moment when a new airship exits the hangar for the first time. Alex Hall, Airship Ventures CEO, remarked “What an incredible process we have witnessed over this past year – the assembly of the frame, fitting out of the gondola, helium being put into the envelope, the first start up of the engines, and now the maiden flight.” The engines having been started one by one, the airship was released from the mast truck, and right away started for the sky. Taking off nearly vertically, the ship proceeded to the calm air over Lake Constance to head right into her initial flight tests. The first pilot to fly the airship, Fritz Günther, Zeppelin Flight Operations Manager and the first pilot to fly the new airship said “This is the 3 rd Zeppelin for which I have been part of the maiden flight, and feeling of pride in knowing all our hard work has resulted in success never diminishes. As a pilot, I look forward to confirming the new performance characteristics.” In the meantime, two pilots of Airship Ventures have arrived in Germany and are training with their new ship. Starting it’s long journey, on one side the airship carries the logo of the local brewery Leibinger, partner with Zeppelin group offering special “Zeppelin Beer”. On the other side, the Airship Ventures logo and “Going Places” branding evokes images of flightseeing trips to come – iconic locations of California including San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Napa Valley, Moffett Field, Treasure Island, Hollywood and Yosemite. Last week, Airship Ventures had announced successful completion of an $8 million Series A Preferred Stock financing, which has allowed the company to finalize preparations for commencement of operations in the US this fall. ABOUT ZEPPELIN LUFTSCHIFFTECHNIK GMBH & CO. KG Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH & Co. KG, headquartered in historic Friedrichshafen, Germany, develops, manufactures and markets the Zeppelin NT, a modern lighter than air multi-purpose airship. Zeppelin NT airships are currently operating in Japan and Germany. In partnership with Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik, a Zeppelin NT 07 has flown commercial air tours, advertising, and scientific missions throughout Europe since 1997. ABOUT AIRSHIP VENTURES, INC. Airship Ventures Inc., founded 2007 in California, is a privately owned corporation formed with the objective of bringing Zeppelin NT airships to the USA for “flightseeing” tours, media and science mission operations. Initially based with one ship in California, the company intends to eventually have a number of airships operating throughout the USA. ABOUT THE ZEPPELIN NT AIRSHIP The Zeppelin NT07 airship, carrying up to 12 passengers, will be the largest airship flying in the US. At 246 feet in length, it is more than 50ft longer than the largest blimp. Using the inert gas helium for lift, and vectored thrust engines for flight, the Zeppelin NT has been flying with an unparalleled safety record since 1997, in Germany and Japan. ### Airship Ventures is a trademark of Airship Ventures, Inc. Zeppelin is a trademark of Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH & Co. KG. All other product and brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Zeppelin Contact: Thomas Brandt, CEO Tel.: +49 7541 5900 539 presse at zeppelinflug dot de www.zeppelinflug.com Airship Ventures Contact: Alexandra Hall, CEO pr at airshipventures dot com +1-650-969-8100 x102
PRESSEINFORMATION Neuer Zeppelin NT absolviert Erstflug Friedrichshafen, 21. Mai 2008 – Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH & Co. KG und Airship Ventures verkünden heute den erfolgreichen Erstflug des vierten Zeppelin NT Luftschiffs über Friedrichshafen. Der Bau des vierten Zeppelin NT ist abgeschlossen. Das Luftschiff wurde nun dem Flugversuch übergeben, um mit den Testflügen zu starten. Die Hangartore öffneten sich und die Nr. 4 verließ zum ersten Mal seit Baubeginn im März 2007 den 110 Meter langen Hangar. „Es ist nach dem Prototyp der dritte Zeppelin NT in unserer Serienproduktion. Wir haben einige Verbesserungen mit einfließen lassen, beispielweise die Reduzierung des Eigengewichtes, um den Auftrieb zu erhöhen oder eine annähernde Verdoppelung der Lebensdauer der Struktur. All dieses macht die Nr. 4 zu unserem leistungsstärksten Schiff, “ so Robert Gritzbach, Leiter der Entwicklung bei der ZLT. Ein stolzer und lang ersehnter Augenblick auch für die Mitarbeiter. Es ist ein besonderer Moment, wenn ein neues Luftschiff zum ersten Mal den Hangar verlässt. Alex Hall, CEO von Airship Ventures bemerkt: „ Was für ein unglaublicher Prozess, den wir seit dem vergangenem Jahr durchgemacht haben. Die Fertigung der Struktur, das Befestigen der Gondel, die Befüllung der Hülle mit Helium, das erste Starten der Motoren und nun der Jungfernflug!“ Die Motoren werden nacheinander angelassen, das Luftschiff löst sich vom Mastfahrzeug und schon geht es Richtung Himmel. Der Start erfolgt fast vertikal, dann fliegt der Zeppelin über dem Bodensee, um hier die ersten Flugversuche durchzuführen. Der erste Pilot, der das neue Luftschiff fliegt, ist Fritz Günther, Leiter des Flugbetriebs und erklärt: „Dieses ist der dritte Zeppelin bei dem ich den Erstflug durchgeführt habe. Ich bin sehr stolz, dass all unsere harte Arbeit zu diesem Erfolg geführt hat. Als Pilot freue ich mich die neuen Flugeigenschaften zu bestätigen.“ Inzwischen sind zwei Piloten von Airship Ventures zur Ausbildung eingetroffen und werden in Friedrichshafen geschult. Die ersten Brandingpartner des neuen Zeppelins sind auch schon zu bewundern. Auf der einen Seite des Luftschiffs ist die Brauerei Leibinger vertreten, die Partner des Zeppelin Konzerns ist und das bekannte „Zeppelin Bier“ produziert. Auf der anderen Seite ist das Logo von Airship Ventures und „Going Places“ gebrandet, erinnernd an Sehenswürdigkeiten in Kalifornien wie San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Napa Valley, Moffett Field, Treasure Island, Hollywood und Yosemite im Briefmarkenformat. Letzte Woche hat Airship Ventures die erfolgreiche Zeichnung von insgesamt 8 Mio. US$ Eigenkapital bekannt gegeben. Dies war die Voraussetzung, um die Vorbereitungen für den Unternehmensstart in den USA im Herbst abzuschließen. ZLT ZEPPELIN LUFTSCHIFFTECHNIK GMBH & CO KG ZLT Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH & Co KG, hat ihren Sitz in Friedrichshafen, entwickelt, baut und vermarktet den Zeppelin NT, ein modernes Luftschiff für eine Vielzahl von Einsatzmöglichkeiten. Zeppelin NT Luftschiffe werden derweil in Deutschland und Japan betrieben. Die Deutsche Zeppelin Reederei, ein 100% Tochtergesellschaft der ZLT, betreibet den Zeppelin NT seit 2001 für kommerzielle Rundflüge, Werbung sowie wissenschaftliche und industrielle Einsätze in Europa. AIRSHIP VENTURES, INC. Airship Ventures Inc., wurde 2007 in Kalifornien, USA gegründet und ist eine Firma in Privatbesitz, mit dem Ziel Zeppelin NT Luftschiffe in den USA für kommerzielle Passagierrundflüge, wissenschaftliche Einsätze sowie Werbe- und Medieneinsätze zu betreiben. Anfänglich wird ein Luftschiff in Kalifornien sein. Die Firma beabsichtigt noch weitere Zeppeline in den USA zu betreiben. Airship Ventures ist ein Warenzeichen der Airship Ventures, Inc. Zeppelin ist ein Warenzeichen der ZLT Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH & Co KG. Alle anderen Produkte und Namen können Warenzeichnen oder registrierte Warenzeichen ihrer jeweiligen Eigentümer sein. Zur sofortigen Veröffentlichung freigegeben. Kontakt ZLT Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik: Thomas Brandt, CEO Tel.: +49 7541 5900 539 presse at zeppelin-nt.de www.zeppelinflug.com Kontakt Airship Ventures: Alexandra Hall, CEO pr at airshipventures.com +1-650-969-8100 x102
The rumor mill is currently buzzing. Looks like the Zeppelin NT#4 lifted of the ground some time today after 4pm local time from the Airfield in Friedrichshafen. More as soon as we have confirmation while you are waiting check out this great picture of the Zeppelin NT#4 taken from the Zeppelin NT#3. Just got the confirmation on the Airship Ventures Blog. The Zeppelin NT#4 flew and is back in the hangar. Congratulations to everyone down in Friedrichshafen, to the whole Team of Zeppelin who worked hard to build the ship and to Airship Ventures who put a lot of passion into getting the Zeppelin to the US. Your efforts payed of. Up Ship!
It's a cool and cloudy morning in Friedrichshafen nevertheless Zeppelin has decided to get the ship out of the hangar for the first time. Airship Ventures reports live on their blog as I type. Here is their announcement:
Good morning Airship Friends #4 left the hangar at 7:36 am this morning. She is currently undergoing engine tests on a very gray and gusty morning. IF the weather clears, she may take to the air later this afternoon. (Germany time is CEST which is currently nine hours ahead of California) If the weather doesn't clear, better weather is forecast for tomorrow morning. You can see the latest photos on our blog and Zeppelins webcam also shows you some views. More very soon! Brian and Alex at Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik.
The great thing about the Webcam you are incontrol of it and can aim it at the Zeppelin NT. The picture you can see in this post is from Airship Ventures and is the first full picture of the Zeppelin NT number 4. Check out their Blog for more pictures and articles through out the day.
It's a matter of days not weeks anymore until the Zeppelin NT#4 will make it's maiden flight. While we are all waiting for it Airship Ventures keeps us happy with another three great posts right out of the Zeppelin Hangar in Friedrichshafen.
This is the status update that Alex gave today in the latest post about when the flight can happen:
A weather front has moved in and the full run up engine tests which were to be done outside this morning have not happened. We are all watching the weather with a close eye to see when we might get the window for the final checks and then a window to fly. Watch this space.
