Keynote Address to the Los Angeles Air Cargo
Association
January 13, 2005
Frederick Edworthy
Executive Vice President
Worldwide Aeros
Ladies and gentlemen,
thank you for the invitation and the opportunity to present our company
and share with you our vision for the future of the airship as a transport
mode for the freight industry.
Our company, Worldwide Aeros, is one of only two US companies that is
actively engaged in the design and manufacture of airships.
Traditional blimps have been used mainly for advertising and promotion
with limited duty as surveillance platforms.
A traditional blimp that you may see flying today is referred to as a “non
rigid near to equilibrium airship.”
The last blimp to be type certified by the FAA was our Aeros 40B in June
2000.
Other aspects of our business include tethered aerostat systems and
research and development of high altitude airships.
In June we delivered a tethered aerostat system for the US Marine Corps
that is being used to carry a radio retransmission system that extends the
range of military radios in the field.
The intrigue of airships has always been present. However their practical
applications have been overlooked, due in part to their limitations
imposed by their non rigid structure, (relying on internal pressure to
keep their shape) limited speed and overwhelming ground handling
logistics. (You may have seen photos of the old Zeppelins with up to 150
men manning the mooring lines).
There is a solution to these limitations and Aeros has been at the
forefront of such technology. It is the development of the partially
buoyant craft. The total lift of the craft is divided between static and
dynamic lift. Between 60 and 70 percent of the lift is produced with
helium gas cells and the balance is produced through dynamics of the
flying body shape. We refer to our craft as an Aeroscraft – a new
category of craft that falls somewhere between an airplane, airship and
rotorcraft.
Such a craft allows us to overcome the need for a ground crew – it can
operate autonomously – the shape and solid skin construction allows the
craft to travel a very respectful 150 knots. Near vertical landing and
take off capabilities will allow us to operate from small underutilized
airports and in fact could be accommodated directly into large warehousing
areas, thus eliminating much of the inter-modal transport that is
necessary to accomplish your business today.
The cube weight limitation of our present cargo aircraft is easily
overcome as the internal volume of the craft will allow us massive cubic
volume, making it perfect for low density cargos. Imagine if you will a
load of computers coming out of Korea – loaded by fork lift at the factory
and delivered directly to a distribution center somewhere in the inland
empire outside Los Angeles. Then the vehicle flies over to a farm area
and loads perishable strawberries for delivery to a Tokyo market.
Somewhat simplified perhaps, but I want to give you the idea that
conventional freighting techniques will not apply to the operation of the
Aeroscraft.
The US Dept. of Defense has long had an interest in the capabilities of
such a craft. The concept is to have a fleet of Aeroscraft that can each
carry up to 500 tons – and deliver its cargo of war machinery to an area
6000 miles away, without re-fueling. “From Fort to Fight”
Phase one of the program will produce a number of concepts that will
provoke a thought process that will accelerate the development of the
craft.
We believe that the single biggest use for an Aeroscraft is in the
civilian low density and perishable freight markets. This market is well
served but as I have learned there are limitations and bottlenecks that
have to be overcome.
You are all acutely aware of many of the problems that are facing the
freight business today. The most obvious being:
-
Aircraft volume
constraints
-
Airport
competition for loading areas
-
Large volumes
of truck traffic clogging the major routes to and from the airports
And there are the
environmental issues that are beginning to restrict the movement of cargo
especially in Europe:
-
Aircraft and
truck emissions
-
The persistence
of noise in airport and aircraft operations
-
The resistance
to building and expanding airport facilities
The Aeroscraft is the
answer to most of these issues. We are not suggesting that we will
replace the aircraft or ground transport systems – but as we introduce the
craft in the most advantageous places, we will demonstrate that it is not
only less expensive, but more convenient and environmentally friendly.
The longer term goal is
to develop routes and an infrastructure to support the operation of a vast
fleet of the Aeroscraft. Those that are on the ground floor of the
development stage will have an input into forming the next great evolution
in global freight movements.
The technology is
assessable – the global economy is right – and the need is demonstrated.
It is time to move on this technology and gain our share of the world
freighting service through the use of an Aeroscraft.
Why hasn’t it been done
you ask – there are reasons that can be divided into two categories –
Technology and Financial
It is only recently that
the heavy use of light weight composite materials has been advanced enough
to allow the FAA to accept their use in aircraft construction.
Lightweight powerful
propulsion systems are now readily available. – You may recall that the
Zeppelins had six heavy weight diesel engines hanging on them.
The advanced software
tools available allow us to work designs and analysis at a fraction of the
time and cost of even 10 years ago.
Financial:
As the technology has become available , the financial commitment
necessary for the development of a new craft has been dramatically rising,
and the traditional air frame manufactures have chosen to stay within
their box that they know –.
These factors combined
with our twenty plus years of experience as a “Lighter than Air” designer
and manufacturer, presents a unique opportunity for the emerging trade
globalization. We offer a solution whose cost structure will fall
somewhere between air cargo rates and container movements.
For those of you who
would like to keep abreast of our development please visit our web site -
we will appreciate any advise – criticism or questions, as it is the
relationships we develop in the community of freight forwarders that will
help ultimately determine the success of introducing the airship as a
viable alternative for your low density cargo transport needs.
