Mon, Sep 22, 2008
Waiting For Calm Winds To Launch Helium-Filled Dirigible
Stephane Rousson, a 39-year-old French extreme sports
enthusiast, awaits calm conditions to make his second attempt to
cross the English Channel is his pedal-powered airship. Seeking to
promote awareness of renewable energy and protection of the
environment with his venture, Rousson hopes to depart from Hythe
Beach in Kent, England for the coastal village of Wissant,
France.
If successful, his flight will mark the first pedal-powered
lighter-than-air crossing of the English Channel. BBC reports
Rousson failed to make the historic journey last June, despite a
two-week wait for ideal conditions. Determined to make a second
attempt, Rousson has kept "Zeppy" hangared at nearby Lydd Airport
in Kent.
Keeping a vigil on weather conditions over the channel, he hopes
for westerly winds at no more than five mph. Planning to fly at a
maximum of only 100 feet, Rousson has more than the weather to
watch out for, as he crosses the busy shipping lanes between
England and France.
The project to build the ideal airship for the feat began in
2003 with the assistance of designer Jean-Marc Geiser and engineer
Didier Costes.
Measuring 52 feet long, the helium-filled craft is driven by two
10-foot diameter propellers, which can be tilted forward, upward or
aft for directional control. Cruising speed is a leisurely 10 mph,
with a top speed of about 13 mph, according to Rousson's
website.
"Ever since I was a kid I have dreamed of flying," Rousson said.
He said inspiration also came from watching the iconic scene
in the Steven Spielberg movie ET, that showed a bicycle
"flying over the moon."
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