Part Plane, Part Airship. Part Helicopter? Meet the world’s longest aircraft, the massive Airlander

[wvwvw]

The aircraft, due to fly later this year, is 70 per cent more environmentally friendly than a cargo plane and doesn’t need a runway to take off

At 302ft, it is the world’s longest aircraft. That’s longer than the Airbus A380 airliner and almost as long as Big Ben is high.
But that is not the HAV304’s main claim to fame. It is a hybrid aircraft – part plane and part airship.
It is also almost 30ft (8m) longer than the airlift cargo aircraft Antonov An-225, which was until now the longest aircraft ever built.
The giant aircraft is being displayed at Cardington in Bedfordshire in the only hangar big enough to accommodate the 113ft (34m) wide and 85ft (26m) high beast.




http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...#ixzz2uhsCaIum

[RandoBloom]

Most useless aircraft ever, huge, slow, and low carry weight. Useless and vulnerable.

[Smaug]

It's just an airship. I've read about it a long time ago, didn't think they'd built it. What's the cargo capacity? And by the way, the plane in the picture is an Antonov An-224, not a 225.

[Ouistreham]

What's the cargo capacity?

Ten metric tons...

HAV304: THE TECHNICAL DATA
Volume: 1,340,000 ft³ (38,000 m³)
Length: 302 ft (92m)
Width: 143 ft (43.5m)
Height: 85 ft (26m)
Endurance: 5 days manned Altitude: up to 20,000 ft (6,100 m)
Speed: 92 mph (148 km/hr)
Weight: 44,100 lbs (20,000 kg)
Payload capacity: 22,050 lbs (10,000 kg)


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...#ixzz2uiDS7Eo3

[Smaug]

Ten metric tons...

Not a good capacity for such a huge aircraft.