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The world's largest aircraft breaks cover in Silicon Valley (techcrunch.com)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 59 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (36 children)

Twelve electric motors powered by diesel generators and batteries enable vertical take-off and landing. They can propel the Pathfinder 1 at up to 65 knots (75 mph), although its initial flights will be at much lower speeds.

Who the hell wants a 2-day ride to London?

Archer apparently got the math on that right too, in 2010. New York to London is about 3500 miles, which would take about 47 hours at the top speed of 75 mph.

I can't believe they actually got enough money to build this thing. It's like a vaporware project that somehow made it.

The market for this must be literally dozens of people.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (9 children)

The market for this must be literally dozens of people.

Maybe cargo, not people.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (8 children)

Not a chance. If you're paying for air freight it's because you need something delivered now. If you don't need it fast, then train/truck shipping is more cost effective.

While Pathfinder 1 can carry about four tons of cargo in addition to its crew, water ballast and fuel, future humanitarian airships will need much larger capacities.

By comparison, the Airbus A350-900 has a payload capacity of 53 tons, and the newer A350F version can carry 111 tons.

Even if they manage to triple the payload capacity, the A350F can carry 10x the weight.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Airship can land and take off from virtually any surface that allows that silly baloon to fit. Not just airports or air strips.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Sure, but so can a helicopter, which can also carry more weight and get there faster.

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