Buoyant Aircraft (BA) is a general term for the aviation industry sector involved, covering types using an aerostat for static as well as dynamic lift and, depending on type, thrust for controlled flight with minimum power meeting sustainability requirements. They include:
- Balloons – bulbous aerostats with an underslung payload or passenger unit.
- Tethered or captured aerostats – barrage balloons, joy ride systems, floating screens, elevators, high altitude platforms and so forth.
- Airships – dirigible BA (rigid, semi-rigid and non-rigid) able to float in the air with an aerodynamically shaped aerostat.
- Semi-BA – airships with wings, blown surfaces and/or an aerostat specially shaped as an aerodyne for significant aerodynamic lift with low drag.
LSL has designs for each type, functioning in either unidirectional (UD) or omni-directional (OD) ways. Our UD types generally need masts and hangar facilities common with traditional airships, where we have solutions that minimise ground needs. However, our OD types all use common ground infrastructure methods for mooring, handling, protection and so forth, enabling inflation, assembly & operation from small outdoor sites in standardised ways without masts, hangars or cross-field movement – located practically anywhere.
For clarification of terminology, see our glossary of LTA principles and BA terms.
LSL has access to an extensive library of LTA and BA documents & books. It also has a wide network of helpful, experienced associates from the industry who our team people have worked with on projects such as the AI SKS600 one pictured here for maritime duties.
LSL’s BA are an opportunity with potential to serve in many ways, including: tourism, commuter operations, heavy airlift (for transport, construction, and pick-and-place movement purposes), surveillance, advertising, scientific research, broadcasting, exploration, search and rescue, relay (telemetry), forestry, geological survey, agricultural survey, atmospheric study, patrol, and other needs.
While airships are grossly underused today (see Background) LSL addresses the issues for new, better, reliable ways, enabling things to be done that people only dream about at the moment.
Types for applications such as aerial cranes to lift and place loads of say up to 1000 tonne, or geostationary long endurance platforms remaining for months on station (needed by the telecommunications industry), are possible. Aerial cruisers providing pleasure flights also are possible and would be a great pull for the tourist industry.
They all need a thriving industry to grow from, where LSL’s Strategy (starting small/evolving in natural ways) and its various designs were arranged to make that possible.
As numerous aircraft show, nonbuoyant types have mainly reached their limits, are noisy, energy intensive and consume huge quantities of fuel polluting the atmosphere, which can’t go on indefinitely. On the other hand, airships have not really been exploited very much, despite operating in nicer ways. The world needs their capability and those who work to realise them can benefit.
Balloons (basic buoyant types) were the first aircraft to carry people and still do in great numbers. That’s real success to leverage! Let’s not overlook these roots when leaping to higher goals. Instead, let’s grow from them in sustainable ways.
LSL’s Buoyant Aircraft Designs
These include:
- Unidirectional (UD) airships with a traditional body of revolution aerostat
- UD semi-buoyant airships with widened/winged or slender fish aerostat forms
- Omni-directional (O-D) dirigible types with spherical, lenticular or natural aerostat forms
- O-D captured or tethered aerostats
- Ground infrastructure – fabric structures, mooring/handling facilities, protection facilities
Concept drawings, specifications and associated supporting documents are available for each type.
For more information about LSL’s designs, click on the links following:
- Traditional Style & Other UD types
- Omni-directional
- Other Designs and Possibilities
Note: Information about some projects is withheld for the time being to focus on O-D types.
If more information about any of the different types is desired, it’s available on request.
Note about aerostat forms
Airships are propeller driven motor powered dirigible (so steerable/controllable) balloons! For comparison of their different aerostat forms: Classic (C), Lenticular (L) and Spherical (S), see the illustration right – drawn to scale with equal volumes.
The C & L forms have an aspect, slenderness or fineness ratio = 4 (= length/diameter for C types, but = diameter/height for L types). This ratio also is known as the prismatic coefficient (a block ratio).
However, when considering aerodynamic drag, overall size has an effect; where the C form is somewhat bigger than the others, because it volumetrically is a less efficient LTA gas container – so has greater wetted surface area. This should not be overlooked!
Also, when aerodynamic lift is desired:
- The S form doesn’t get aerodynamic lift without special methods and has high drag.
- The C form is OK but limited to UD flight and needs rear stabilisers that add weight, upsetting balance. It also needs bow stiffening, adding further parasitic weight that reduces payload fraction and suffers from poor load distribution tending to break its back.
- The L form is best, also from smaller size – being an efficient LTA gas container with evenly spread load and useful aerodynamic qualities as an aerodyne – scoring well, as tabled here.
