Tue, Jan 08, 2013
Ground Handling Demonstration Completed, Three Tests Remain
The Aeros Pelican prototype has reportedly completed the first of its four tests required by the Pentagon's Rapid reaction Technology Office. The 230-foot-long 36,000 pound variable buoyancy airship showed that it could move near the ground without assistance from ground personnel. The airship was maneuvered from the cockpit using air-bearing landing gear.
The test was reported in a defense technology blog titled "Ares." Aeros CEO Igor Pasternak told the blog that he hopes that the remaining three milestones can be reached this week. Those would include vertical takeoff, delivery of cargo without adding ballast, and the ability of the airship's aeroshell to maintain its rigidity without being pressurized.
Pasternak said that the Pelican's "static heaviness" can be varied by 3,000-4,000 pounds by moving helium between lifting cells and pressurized tanks onboard the aircraft. When the helium is compressed, it becomes heavier than air, allowing for easier ground handling and cargo transfer.
So far, all of the tests have been conducted in Aeros' hangar. Pasternak said the airship was in a heavier-than-air mode for the ground handling test. He said that while the Pelican is configured for flight in open air, some modifications would likely be necessary to meet FAA requirements for flight testing. The company's goal is to build a 450-foot-long airship capable of carrying 66 tons more than 3,000 nautical miles without refueling.
(Image courtesy Aeros)
More News
"As previously announced on February 29th, our IM-1 mission ended seven days after landing, as Odysseus' mission was not intended to survive the harsh temperatures of the lunar nig>[...]
Marker Beacon An electronic navigation facility transmitting a 75 MHz vertical fan or boneshaped radiation pattern. Marker beacons are identified by their modulation frequency and >[...]
Have A Story That NEEDS To Be Featured On Aero-News? Here’s How To Submit A Story To Our Team Some of the greatest new stories ANN has ever covered have been submitted by our>[...]
Also: Moron With A Laser, EAA Aviation Museum, FAA v Santa Monica Propeller Service, Frontier MEC Lauds FO Boom Supersonic has confirmed details surrounding the successful first te>[...]
We're Everywhere... Thanks To You! Even with the vast resources and incredibly far-reaching scope of the Aero-News Network, every now and then a story that should be reported on sl>[...]