{"id":516609,"date":"2022-11-16T21:46:52","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T18:46:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/the-big-idea-airships-are-back-and-theyre-better-than-ever\/"},"modified":"2022-11-16T21:46:52","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T18:46:52","slug":"the-big-idea-airships-are-back-and-theyre-better-than-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-big-idea-airships-are-back-and-theyre-better-than-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"#The Big Idea: Airships are back, and they\u2019re better than ever"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a36e9423ec5d\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a36e9423ec5d\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-big-idea-airships-are-back-and-theyre-better-than-ever\/#%E2%80%9CThe_Big_Idea_Airships_are_back_and_theyre_better_than_ever%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;The Big Idea: Airships are back, and they\u2019re better than ever&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CThe_Big_Idea_Airships_are_back_and_theyre_better_than_ever%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;The Big Idea: Airships are back, and they\u2019re better than ever&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><em><span class=\"s1\">Pierre-Yves Fouillen<b> <\/b><\/span><\/em><i>is the North American business-development lead for Flying Whales, a cargo-airship company based in France and Quebec.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">When most people<\/span> <span class=\"s2\">think of airships, <\/span>the first thing that comes to mind is the Hindenburg, which burst into flames in <span class=\"s2\">1937. I\u2019ll admit that wasn\u2019t the most amazing <\/span>example of what this <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> c<span class=\"s2\">an do. For years, these vessels clocked impres<\/span>sive transatlantic flights, hosted delightful leisure cruises and <span class=\"s2\">were used by the world\u2019s militaries<\/span>. Their dis<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>earance was brought about by technological advancement. Aircraft like the Boeing 747, which rolled out in the \u201970s, were simply faster and more cost-efficient than the lighter-than-air dirigibles. But lately, <span class=\"s3\">airships have been making a comeback for a few reasons: low emissions output, attractive price tags and the serious need for freight solutions in a troubled global supply chain. This time around, they\u2019re in hybrid form.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Theoretically, airships could be used to carry anything\u2014building materials, food supplies, even people. The startup I work for, Flying Whales, began with wood. In 2012, when the French <span class=\"s2\">Ministry of Agriculture and Food needed a high-capacity machine to transport difficult-to-extract wood from forests high in the Alps, our future CEO thought: <i>airships<\/i>. Helicopters have agility on their side, but airships produce 80 per cent less pollution and cost 20 to 50 times less. For seaports crammed in times of crisis or landlocked communities with limited airport facilities, our fleet\u2014which is currently in development\u2014could drop off payloads of freight via winches and slings, all without landing on solid ground. Airship projects are now popping up all over the world. Many are targeting the U.K. and the U.S., but the most interesting market, to us, is Canada.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">In 2019, the Quebec government invested $30 million to develop and build Flying Whales airships in the province. Our current model is the LCA60T, which has an oblong superstructure and a cargo bay that\u2019s 96 metres long, eight metres wide and seven metres high. The lift is powered by helium\u2014not hydrogen, which is flammable and played a not-insignificant role in the Hindenburg debacle. Right now, the airships run on a hybrid propulsion system, but we plan to have them fully electric by 2030.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s3\">Inside, we can store 60 tons of goods. That\u2019s three times the capacity of Hercules planes, which the Canadian government has used to service northern fly-in communities. Best of all, our machines don\u2019t require any extra infrastructure during takeoffs and landings. When completed, the Flying Whales will be the largest aircraft in the world\u2014which is good, because there are plenty of loads to carry.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">The pandemic highlighted the many cracks in Canada\u2019s supply chain. Shipping ports were congested for months on end, and planes delivering important freight were grounded en masse. In October, the National Supply Chain Task Force released a report that said the country\u2019s cargo transportation strategy was in desperate need of an overhaul, thanks to ongoing issues with international trade. (Just ask anyone who has recently tried to buy Tylenol for their kids.)<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">An airship, which <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>s at about 100 kilometres per hour, can\u2019t replace trucks, which are faster and cheaper over short distances. They also won\u2019t replace cranes, but they can certainly help out from high above. In a pinch, a hybrid airship could potentially hover alongside freight ships and retrieve critical, time-sensitive cargo.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Airships are particularly useful in Canada\u2019s challenging (and increasingly <span class=\"s2\">volatile) climate. For one thing, hybrid tech<\/span>nology means fewer emissions. Canada\u2019s winter transportation routes are also less accessible these days. In the past two decades, remote road access has dwindled from 60 to 40 days a year. Last fall, flooding interrupted all road and rail travel between the city of Vancouver and the B.C. Interior. Road cargo, mean<span class=\"s3\">while, is expensive to deliver, and trees and mountain passes sometimes need to be cut or widened <\/span>to allow for wide loads\u2014like heavy-duty con<span class=\"s3\">struction equipment\u2014to pass through. An airship could float right on by.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s3\">Many airship producers are for-profit, <\/span><span class=\"s2\">but we don\u2019t want to focus on helping cor<\/span><span class=\"s3\">porate clients make more money. We\u2019ve already received plenty of interest from Canada\u2019s mining sector, for example; in the coming years, many of the country\u2019s buried minerals, like cobalt, will be in high demand for the electric-vehicle industry. But airships should be used in service of the greater good. One of the applications we\u2019re looking at is disaster relief. Indonesia, which has more than 17,000 islands, is regularly exposed to tsunamis and earthquakes. Our airships could carry emergency equipment from warehouses on the main islands to any disaster site in the country within 24 hours.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">We\u2019re especially interested in the vast Canadian North: for most of the year, 292 northern communities are only accessible by air. Their remote locations complicate regular access to health care, affordable food and other basic resources for the people who live there. On the energy side, we\u2019re looking into flying in wind turbines that could replace communities\u2019 reliance on diesel generators. On the health-care side, we\u2019re developing a program we call Flying Care, which would deliver modular hospi<\/span>tals. We could transport medical equip<span class=\"s3\">ment\u2014say, for dentists, optometrists <\/span>and surgeons\u2014that is tailored to a popula<span class=\"s3\">tion\u2019s needs. For some people up north, doctors and specialists might be a four-day drive away, and treatment is often too expensive or too late. More frequent visits from fully equipped medical professionals would flip that care from reactive to proactive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">We\u2019re also exploring the possibility of airships transporting intact houses from one place to another. This could be useful in places like Kashechewan First Nation, which sits on the western coast of James Bay in Northern Ontario. The village regularly floods when the Albany River rises\u2014and it\u2019s only getting worse as the world gets warmer. Each year, millions of dollars are spent on evacuations. The federal government has a plan to move the entire village 30 kilometres upriver, which could take years. Lifting the houses\u2014or flying prefab housing directly to the new site\u2014could be a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> changer. It would mean that the <span class=\"s2\">people of Kashechewan are no longer pris<\/span>oners of their geography.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s3\">The first Flying Whales assembly line will start production in France in 2024, with the <\/span><span class=\"s2\">Quebec line\u2014and certification from Trans<\/span><span class=\"s3\">port Canada\u2014to follow. We\u2019re aiming to produce 50 Canadian airships in the first decade, with operating hangars and refuelling points in each province. (You won\u2019t see us at airports; we don\u2019t want to exacerbate existing traffic issues.) One day, our Quebec factory will house and provide airships for cargo transport all over North America.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">There\u2019s something about airships that makes people dream. The way they float\u2014it\u2019s quite beautiful. In the innovation space, there\u2019s always a rush to disrupt with something new. But it\u2019s also possible to improve on a creation that already exists. The second age of the airship builds on the best of the past: the cockpit, once full of analog indexes, is now fully digital. The exterior, once made from aluminum and chemical-soaked materials, is now a robust composite. The right idea was there; it just got outpaced by aviation. The goal now isn\u2019t to replace other modes of transportation, but to make the entire industry more efficient. Sometimes, paradoxically, that means slowing down.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async defer crossorigin=\"anonymous\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/technology-3\/the-big-idea-solving-canadas-supply-chain-woes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;The Big Idea: Airships are back, and they\u2019re better than ever&#8221; Pierre-Yves Fouillen is the North American business-development lead for Flying Whales, a cargo-airship company based in France and Quebec. When most people think of airships, the first thing that comes to mind is the Hindenburg, which burst into flames in 1937. I\u2019ll admit that&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":516610,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Big-Idea_Whale_WEB-766x431.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-516609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/516609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=516609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/516609\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/516610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=516609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=516609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=516609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}