There was a military contract to build a fleet of these, believe it or not. They could travel 138 miles per hour, deliver 500 tons of cargo and passengers, fly at 10,000 feet, cost about as much as Boeing 737 passenger jet, but be half as expensive to operate.
What happened? Did they ever build these things? Or are they a secret? Here's something from Popular Mechanics. By the way, these aren't brand new write ups. Both links were from 2006. Further checking reveals that the "Walrus" airship program was cancelled in 2010. There are some fans of the concept.
Just think. I figured that I was on to something unique here. But as this video shows, this is not an unknown idea by an stretch of the imagination.
Here's a second part to this video that has a little more info:
Update:
It kinda looks like they must have hit a snag in their development. But with the price of oil reaching 100 a barrel and here to stay, that will put pressure on the aircraft companies to look for new solutions. This could be one. More info on their website, but not much more.
Here's another website that mentions it. I think this will be the last link to discussion of it. Some people think this is a hoax. Keep in mind that the Hindenberg flew in the 1930's. It crashed, but so have other aircraft. You have to remember that lifting gas can indeed lift heavy objects and it has been done before.
Another point: People want to build trains. These won't compete with planes, but they can compete with trains, especially for long distances where trains are impractical.
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