hybrid air vehicles airlander 10 successfully takes to the skies once again

the world’s largest aircraft takes to the sky once again: hybrid air vehicles put the ‘airlander 10‘ through its paces in a test flight that lasted almost three hours and saw the huge airship make it back to base. the organically-formed ‘airlander’ is the largest aircraft on the planet, and successfully took to the skies for a third time.

all images © hybrid air vehicles

hybrid air vehicles’ ‘airlander 10’ took to the skies from cardington airfield, north of london, at exactly 5:28 pm local time, spending just under three hours in the air before returning at 8:15 pm. during the flight, a raft of information was collected on airspeed, handling, plus the operations of crucial on-board systems for a detailed review. the team has developed a new auxiliary landing system (ALS), which is designed like soft landing feet to stop the cabin touching the ground; this comprises two huge airbags on the underside of the air vehicle, either side of the flight deck that the pilot can deploy to protect the cabin, and deployed on the flight deck when landing. they stow themselves away during flight, while avoiding additional drag, and take around 15 seconds to inflate.

spanning across 92 m in length, 43.5 m wide, and 26 m tall (302 x 144 x 86 ft), the ‘airlander 10’ is designed unlike any other aircraft. according to the UK-based company it can carry payloads up to 10,000 kg (22,050 lb) thanks to its helium-filled hull. power comes via four x 325 hp (242 kW) turbocharged diesel engines, and it takes off using aerodynamic lift like a traditional plane.

hybrid air vehicles’ technical director, mike durham comments, ‘this is a great testament to the tenacity and ingenuity of the team of engineers at hybrid air vehicles, who are continually pushing the boundaries of aviation with this amazing aircraft.’