Feature
Tomorrow's cruise ship will sail through the air, not the water
By Joshua Tompkins Posted 02.05.2006 at 3:00 am 17 Comments

LIFTOFF!
LIFTOFF! Even though the Aeroscraft dwarfs the largest commercial airliners, it requires less net space on the ground than any plane because it doesn't need a runway. The airship takes off and lands like a helicopter: straight up and down. John MacNeill

This is not a Blimp. It's a sort of flying Queen Mary 2 that could change the way you think about air travel. It's the Aeroscraft, and when it's completed, it will ferry pampered passengers across continents and oceans as they stroll leisurely about the one-acre cabin or relax in their well-appointed staterooms.

Unlike its dirigible ancestors, the Aeroscraft is not lighter than air. Its 14 million cubic feet of helium hoist only two thirds of the craft's weight. The rigid and surprisingly aerodynamic body-driven by huge rearward propellers-generates enough additional lift to keep the behemoth and its 400-ton payload aloft while cruising. During takeoff and landing, six turbofan jet engines push the ship up or ease its descent.

This two-football-fields-long concept airship is the brainchild of Igor Pasternak, whose privately-funded California firm, Worldwide Aeros Corporation, is in the early stages of developing a prototype and expects to have one completed by 2010. Pasternak says several cruise ship companies have expressed interest in the project, and for good reason: The craft would have a range of several thousand miles and, with an estimated top speed of 174 mph, could traverse the continental U.S. in about 18 hours. During the flight, passengers would peer at national landmarks just 8,000 feet below or, if they weren't captivated by the view, the cavernous interior would easily accommodate such amenities as luxury staterooms, restaurants, even a casino.

To minimize noise, the aft-mounted propellers will be electric, powered by a renewable source such as hydrogen fuel cells. A sophisticated buoyancy-management system will serve the same purpose as trim on an airplane, allowing for precise adjustments in flight dynamics to compensate for outside conditions and passenger movement. The automated system will draw outside air into compartments throughout the ship and compress it to manage onboard weight.

The company envisions a cargo-carrying version that could deliver a store's worth of merchandise from a centralized distribution center straight to a Wal-Mart parking lot or, because the helium-filled craft will float, a year's worth of supplies to an offshore oil rig. "You can land on the snow, you can land on the water," Pasternak says. "It's a new vision of what can be done in the air."

Aeroscraft
Purpose: Long-range travel for passengers who are more concerned with the journey than the destination
Dimensions (feet): 165 h x 244 w x 647 l
Max Speed: 174 mph
Range: 6,000 miles
Capacity: 250 passengers

17 Comments

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HONUSRAPPS
08/04/08 at 5:26 pm

Who holds stock in this project? I would love to make an experimental investment!!!!!

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Faucethands
08/08/08 at 10:56 pm

When are Carnival and Royal Caribbean going to get involved? And when in 2010 is this airship going to be complete? That story doesn't explain much. More questions can be answered at www.aeroscraft.com especially the one about an experimental investments.

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Frog God
03/26/09 at 8:04 pm

imposibility is in the head, possibility is in the heart

its the Hindinberge and Titanic in one
I would suggest that it would have some solar power added to it since it would be in the air for a long time and an emergency system incase something went wrong (escape pods/ parashutes)

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Faucethands
04/21/09 at 11:09 pm

Frog God knows nothing, writes uneducated comments. The Titanic had cheap rivets cause the company that built it was trying to save money. The Hindenburg was a balloon that popped and exploded and caught fire. The Aeroscraft is not a balloon, it runs on helium and that is not flammable.

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Faucethands
04/21/09 at 11:10 pm

Though the solar power idea is a good one.

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Faucethands
04/21/09 at 11:33 pm

Oops I mean flies with helium, it runs on hydrogen. And I dont think Pasternak is going to be cheap and use cheap equipment and go and get people killed on a maiden voyage that will make him rich. And even if people dont fly in it and its only used for the transport of stuff to stores, wouldn't it be great if you got to Walmart and they had that item you were hoping was in stock. Personally I would love to go on a flying cruise, land right on a beach. Not only that, what about the smaller ones that will be built, Air Yachts anyone? A yacht for the sky, the cost of the fuel will be next to nothing and instead of being on the water and spending a grueling 4-5 days on the ocean you could be there in 18 hours. These things will be safer than airplanes, more comfortable, granted they will be a bit slower but it will be more to your liking. And what about a disaster like New Orleans, all those people stuck on top of their houses. And once they were rescued then what? One of these "hindenburg/titanics" could save hundreds of thousands of people in one clip. Let me think... a helicopter that can hold maybe 8 people...or a "hindenburg/titanic" that can carry a whole city in maybe three runs. Which would you vote for if you were the ninth person that cant fit on the helicopter?

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Faucethands
04/22/09 at 12:00 am

I don't think MSNBC would report on faulty aircraft. Watch this short movie on what you just read about. Its only about a minute and a half long. Meet Igor Pasternak

www.flyinahotel.com

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choral
05/09/09 at 3:22 pm

Can you imagine how it will reduce the traffic on the interstate roads and the pollution? This is a sad day for the auto industry but a very good one for the rest of us!

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Faucethands
06/17/09 at 7:14 pm

Can you imagine the industry? First off in my other comment I mentioned air yachts. You know how hotels across the world have Marinas for yachts? Imagine this...Landing pads at hotels. There will be places to park your personal air yacht at luxury hotels around the world. Second, imagine this... They can land on the water. You can go to remote spots all over the world. No more wake laws, you can land on a beach or go skiing anywhere. Air Yachts, Sky Yachts or Flying Yachts. Third, and finally the idea of the century. Sky cars. Imagine an extra small version. One that can traverse anything. Traffic lights? gone. Traffic? gone. Float home, float to work or float to anywhere virtually cheap as hell for hydrogen is a cheap fuel. Like another commented on, you can put solar panels on the top and let the sun send you on your way. Its all in my imagination. But never did we think that we would be wireless in 1985, cell phones? who would have thunk it? When dial up was the thing in the nineties who would have thought we would have wireless broadband that is fast as hell? All what I talk about is possible. Less planes, less noise, more enjoyable air rides. Flying Cruises? Air Yachts? Sky Cars? Totally a thing to fantasize about.

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gena
07/27/09 at 2:55 am

This two-football-fields-long concept airship is the brainchild of Igor Pasternak, http://www.crazypurchase.com

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idris4444
12/05/09 at 11:24 pm

I think it would be best to take the original stucture of the Hiddenburg but fill it with Hellium NOT hydrogen.

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Lucy Humphries
05/27/10 at 9:45 pm

Oh too be so fortunate as to be able to travel in such comfort. I would think this would be worth saving for - just the journey itself could be a fantastic surprise for loved ones, or even to pamper just yourself. Faucetthands, I like your creative mind, this too inspires me. Oh to be alive.

Lucy
www.altonswimmingclub.co.uk

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cheap airlines
06/19/10 at 4:27 am

Hi, Great article and not believe on myself but i love very much your creative thinking.
Cheap Airlines http://www.lowcostroutes.com

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themarty
08/13/10 at 6:24 pm

What a great idea. A luxury hotel flying around from place to place, that would be the ultimate vacation. Although I think it would be quite expensive. But, if you want cheap hotel fees for booking check out http://www.hotel-bucuresti.com

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cecilio
10/28/10 at 6:26 am

I've got an idea! Can this thing be fitted with nuclear power plant using thorium as fuel so that it remains green plus the only limit to its flight is the food supply? Plus can we load it with plenty of helliplane so that it can be a de facto "aircraft carrier". It can be the latest USS Enterprise, a precursor to the real spaceship. And call its captain "Picard".

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zorlu
02/12/13 at 10:30 am

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zorlu
02/12/13 at 10:33 am

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