Superblimps!

Blimps have never left. I live near the Goodyear blimp hanger and see them often.

When Lufthansa starts flying them into Newark, then they are back.

Yeah, I'll hold off calling it a 'comeback' until one gets moored to the dock on top of the Empire State Building. (Assuming it can maneuver in that close, with the other buildings around ESB now.)

I've thought if wifey ever hits the Lotto, the one thing I'd like is a private airship. Cruise the world, land wherever I feel like it.

I would like to see these enterprises succeed, but worry about storms damaging the ships. With no good place to hide, they are vulnerable. A storm could come up more quickly than one could escape.

Personally, I'm working on a one-man ship, capable of hiding in a barn or hangar. The cost for such units can be less than a new airplane.

Mike, I've done a little doodling for a one-man blimp. Would be interested in what you envision.

Mike k , I would very much like to see your design if possible . I was privileged to meet some of the old LTA naval aviators at Lakehurst in the 1970's including Admiral Charles Rosendahl . I've been fascinated by the prospect of rigid and non-rigid commercial and military use ever since . Personally I beleive that the only limiting factor in seeing the huge flying leviathans like USS Akron or Macon will be hanger facilities . While these do exist in the United States , the former naval air stations and the former Goodyear hanger , a worldwide network of hangers must be built in order for the airship to grace our skies again . I wonder if this is being addressed by companies like Lockheed-Martin and Northrup-Grumman who have built massive airships just recently . Testing was done at U.S. Naval NAEC Lakehurst for the Army of a Northrup-Grumman design . But like other designs that have actually flown or who have shown great promise on the drawing board , they ultimately fail to go anywhere. The hanger problem is the problem !

Sorry for the late reply, I've been quite busy. I made a nice model from PETG, 11' long, to prove it could stand alone. It did, I use it as my avatar. I hope to build one full size section whenever I get a double car garage built. One section would be like a lifesaver, similar to original Zep construction. I plan to put the drive in a tunnel to save weight and engineering hassles with stresses. Solar film powered, just a day-sailer. If I can get one section on You-tube aloft, it should get interest.

The big ones were too unwieldy, eventually crashing. One or two man ships are popular in Europe, hot air. I want a ship that is tough as a ping-pong ball, is constantly afloat, and cheap to build. PETG is unbelievably tough, used for secure packaging. (blister packs). Solar film is coming along, will eventually be the power source for all such projects.

Mike, have you determined how much helium would be needed for a 1-man airship?

I don't have my notes nearby, it's been a while since I have had contact with anyone interested. My rough memory says that it may take $5000 worth of helium. I would go with the volume of the White Dwarf for starters. It took 28 k tanks of helium. K tanks run about $200.

Once a working ship is filled and flying, it immediately goes to work, making money to pay for more gas. I would look into charging for live feed, and fly the unit to nearby places of interest. Hopefully clients could be found for advertising.