• El Barto@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      9 months ago

      It can’t be just that.

      (I despise the “something something” meme, but that’s another story.)

      • lad@programming.dev
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        9 months ago

        Afaik, mostly for not being too efficient in a suboptimal environment. Also for having a limit on minimal size, but there has been an article somewhere, I’ll update if I find it

      • jj4211@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        9 months ago

        Well, that’s a big one. Hydrogen is a much more available element to pump up an airship, and with hydrogen effectively off the table, then helium which if used at scale would be a problem, and it’s already a bit of a problem as it is.

        Aside from that, it forever shaped public perception, so airships have an uphill battle.

        But it’s still a thing, the butt-looking Airlander wants to bring back the airship. Their ‘10’ model however has half the cargo payload of a 737. Their more hypothetical ‘50’ would compete with an A300 on Cargo, which is respectable. However the top speed is 85mph, so 6 times slower than a typical cargo aircraft. However it may be able to tout versatility closer to a tractor trailer, they do still need a landing area, but not so much a runway. Tractor trailers are often used for long haul despite not being able to go 85mph, and definitely not ‘as the crow flies’.