An airship is a buoyant aircraft that can be steered and propelled through the air. Unlike aerodynamic craft (e.g. airplanes and helicopters) which stay aloft by moving an airfoil through the air in order to produce lift, aerostatic craft such as airships (and balloons) stay aloft primarily by means of a cavity (usually quite large) filled with a gas of lesser density than the surrounding atmosphere.

In the early days of airships, the primary lifting gas was hydrogen. Until the 1950s, all airships, except for those in the United States continued to use hydrogen because it offered greater lift and was cheaper than helium. The United States (until then the sole producer) was also unwilling to export helium because of its rarity and the fact it was considered a strategic material. However, hydrogen is flammable when mixed with air, a quality that, among other factors, contributed to the Hindenburg disaster. The buoyancy provided by hydrogen is actually only about 10% greater than that of helium. The issue therefore became one of safety versus cost. American airships have been filled with helium since the 1920s and modern passenger-carrying airships are often, by law, prohibited from being filled with hydrogen.

Nonetheless, some small experimental ships still use hydrogen today. Other small experimental ships (i.e. thermal airships) are filled with hot air in a fashion similar to hot air balloons.

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I'm gonna curl up in bed with "Affinity Bridge" now - mmm airships and zombies. Night all!
cyphersushi (Susanne Johansson) Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:20:58 -0000
I'm gonna curl up in bed with "Affinity Bridge" now - mmm airships and zombies. Night all!
.@brendonwalsh Here in France, I have my own airport. Its decor is vintage 70s avocado, and we only fly Cessnas, airships, and whirlybirds.
fakewesanderson (Fake Wes Anderson) Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:23:37 -0000
.@brendonwalsh Here in France, I have my own airport. Its decor is vintage 70s avocado, and we only fly Cessnas, airships, and whirlybirds.
New: ( http://playervidz.com/new-super-mario-bros-wii-soundtrack-airships )
PlayerVidz (PlayerVidz) Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:36:17 -0000
New: ( http://playervidz.com/new-super-mario-bros-wii-soundtrack-airships )
Hopefully, that way whatever someone wants (be it flying house, underwater laboratory, or fleet of airships) it can be found there.
AirshipCrew (The Anachronism) Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:40:46 -0000
Hopefully, that way whatever someone wants (be it flying house, underwater laboratory, or fleet of airships) it can be found there.
bill's studio: Airships - Bill Carman Paintings and Illustrations http://ff.im/-ddhzA
KimberScott (Kimber Scott) Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:20:20 -0000
bill's studio: Airships - Bill Carman Paintings and Illustrations http://ff.im/-ddhzA
Oops, seems the airship I've been designing big enough to accommodate several other airships & a 'town' wouldn't to able to turn round.
CapnAlex (Alexander Allan) Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:01:54 -0000
Oops, seems the airship I've been designing big enough to accommodate several other airships & a 'town' wouldn't to able to turn round.

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