LSLs’ other buoyant aircraft stem from arrangements for specific purposes and customers who want particular solutions. They include both unidirectional (UD) and omni-directional (OD) or special types; sometimes as a way to provide an interim solution for duties urgently needed when there isn’t an available aircraft able for the purpose. This could be for an aerial-crane to use at short notice for say recovery of a derailed locomotive in a situation where no other crane could do the job, which was the case in Scotland a few years ago, when the recovery team ended up scrapping the locomotive (costing enormously to replace) just to remove it – cut up into manageable pieces and where LSL had an affordable repeatable solution.
Other types prepared are as follows:
UD Buoyant Aircraft
- Patroller 3 – a small simi-buoyant dirigible aircraft for long endurance patrol duties
- Airship 3000 – a dirigible buoyant aircraft for general airship duties
OD Buoyant Aircraft
- Big Balloon – a simple naturally shaped hydrogen filled balloon for aerial-crane duties