In the unlikely event that you frequent this blog often, you may remember that I’ve been running a sporadic, very largely tongue in cheek series of articles about blimps,1 revolving around the fact that people keep bringing them “back” despite the fact that they never work. About a year ago, modern blimps hit first a high and then a low when the mighty 300-foot Airlander 10 (seen above) crashed on its second flight. No one was hurt, but, still, embarrassing!
Well, that was then, and this is now. The Airlander has been fitted with airbags to prevent a repeat of the earlier crash, and should be in the air soon!
But that ain’t the half of it. Silicon Valley rich guy Sergey Brin has also got a blimp jones, and he’s putting together, well, who knows what, but he’s renting the hanger that used to house the mighty USS Macon (seen below), a 784-foot dirigible, operated by the U.S. Navy in the early thirties before it went down at sea. Sergey won’t say what he’s up to, but, well, thoughts of a 784-foot penis substitute can do things to a man with an odd $39 billion burning a hole in his pocket.
Afterwords
Strictly speaking, a dirigible (rigid frame) is not the same as a blimp (not a rigid frame), but, frankly, close enough for me.
