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| https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Hindenburg_burning,_1937.jpg |
When we think of transport for cargo, we tend to picture metal planes, ships or trains. We don’t think of using lighter than air transport, which seemed to go up in flames nearly 80 years ago with the Hindenburg disaster. But this generation is seeing a whole new kind of airship capable of speeds of about 60 miles an hour that can carry cargo to places that might otherwise be unreachable.
The French have been advancing airships in the Flying Whalesa program. Airships are a key component of the “Nouvelle France Industrielle: plans for future transport. As explained here, the concept behind the plans that were confirmed in April 2015 was to incorporate “nine strategic solutions” aimed at reindustrializing France, including the Disney Park-sounding “Transport of tomorrow.” As part of the national strategy, French airships are not just viewed as a novelty but as a practical solution “for developing a transport sector and other missions that are firmly focused on sustainable development.”
Read more in This Is Not Your Grandfather’s Airship
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