LSL’s intention is to enable airships for flight in all weather conditions that their non-BA counterparts do. Airships are smoother from greater size (so inertia) and lower airspeed than non-BA types (like ships compared to small boats) proven from many transatlantic crossings by past types. Of course, all aircraft are affected by storms. However, because airships are slower and typically cruise in the lower atmosphere (where storms generally are less severe), underway they fair better than their counterparts, able to ride waves instead of ploughing through them.
It should be noted that the best pilots for airships are people with sailing experience who understand natural ways to manage and use storm situations. Dr Hugo Eckener was such a man, who also took advantage of storm patterns for conveyance instead of just battling them on a direct A to B course. Knowing when to use power and when to cut it and sail like a raft thus is a thing for airship skippers to learn, rather than for their designers to somehow make them more like non-BA.
This can be done by learning to fly balloons before becoming an airship skipper, which was common practice for US Navy crews. Airship designers thus instead should provide facilities and ways for skippers to use for navigation with and without power. Airship operators also should introduce ways to better manage people’s expectations with regard to regular scheduled services.
Icing conditions generally have had very little effect on traditional non-rigid types, which tend to slough any snow or ice off during flight – so not as big an issue. Even so, when grounded, heavy snowfall can be a problem. Methods and arrangements have been developed that can be adopted to minimise the consequences of snow build-up. LSL also is pursuing cold weather testing to ensure that essential systems, such as valves and controls function adequately and does use de-icing & prevention methods where needed along with other methods for aircraft environmental control.
On the other hand, lightning is an area of concern, which history suggests was more perceived than real. It appears there’s been few (if any) catastrophic incidents for helium filled airships due to lightning strike. Even so, new designs should include steps to reduce the potential for strikes. Engineering methods, learned from flying tethered aerostats in severe lightning conditions, provide ways to ensure safe flight even if strikes occur.
Weather effects on airship ground operations are more of a challenge. The large broadside sail area of unidirectional airships also causes difficulties for launch, capture and when traversing gusts & drafts at max airspeed. Vectored thrust and automated predictive flight control systems can improve their ground performance capability. However, ground handling remains an issue for the industry to solve, needing better ways due to the number of incidents still occurring.
LSL instead provides solutions with OD types able to be securely fixed and cloaked at ground level. It also routinely uses vertical launch capture methods direct from their base sites (obviating cross-field movement and hangar entry/exit dangers). In addition, LSL provides relocatable storm protection and environment control methods instead of fixed hangars at base sites causing issues.
The development of low speed airship control technology and ground handling methods (particularly for traditional types) needs a continuous R&D process to mitigate risks. The safest place for airships to be is in the air; the very place where their long endurance capability gives them greatest value, away from ground troubles.