Hey Alex! Those Aren't Blimps, They're Dirigibles!

[William Rausch]

The aircraft that Alex keeps referring to as "blimps" are actually dirigibles, or zeppelins:  a blimp is just a gas bag with no internal supporting structure, whereas a dirigible/zeppelin consists of a series of gasbags held together by an internal metal skeleton.  (That's 1930's style: maybe they use some technologically advanced material for the skeleton these days.)  The aircraft shown in the ABC News video is too long and narrow to be a blimp: it can only be a dirigible (as was the Hindenburg, with which Alex properly compares the craft shown in the video).

[iks83]

Yeah Alex is making a total fool of himself talking about the Saltlake City blimp since its been known right from the start, also posted on this forum, that its a maybe 6 foot long remore controlled blimp invented by some local. Its called Hyperblimp and there is a youtube channel.

http://www.youtube.com/user/danielgeery

Compare it with the news footage and you clearly see its the same thing... not a huge homeland security blimp at high altitude but a small blimp at low altitude. But its seems to be a fun toy to play around with.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gANM4lduB-w

[Wintermute]

I've always called them airships.

[VulpesVafrae]

they are ZEPPELINS. End of story. However, they've been known to fail when made out of hydrogen and thermite. And oddly succeed when produced out of LED!

[tracer7]

they are ZEPPELINS. End of story. However, they've been known to fail when made out of hydrogen and thermite. And oddly succeed when produced out of LED!

+1000 

[William Rausch]

Wintermute:

Airships is a more inclusive term, which covers both blimps and dirigibles.

While one can use the term Airship for either, it is incorrect to refer to a dirigible as a blimp, or vice versa.

Vulpes Vafre:

Very funny, but, actually, the Hindenburg wouldn't have blown up had it been filled with helium, as she was originally designed for, instead of hydrogen, the use of which a US embargo against Germany compelled.

And I don't think thermite was used to construct dirigibles: the melting of the steel was caused by the fact that hydrogen-oxygen combustion, such as powered the top two stages of the Saturn V launch vehicle, burns much hotter than the kerosene that powered the first stage, not to mention the kerosene and copier paper that fueled the poorly oxygenated WTC fires.

[ES]

I'd like to smoke a zeppelin on a zeppelin while listening to zeppelin. wouldn't that be awesome? 

[William Rausch]

ES:

Hey, hey, what can I say?

The suggested activity is clearly an example of what is and what should never be.  A vulnerable person up against the wall, making Achilles' last stand, might expect no quarter, seeing as you shook me.

Like when the levee breaks, and washes away the stairway to heaven, and makes you fear for your life, it's a real heartbreaker.

 

Tracer7:

Is that a photo of Col. Claus Schenk, Graf von Stauffenberg, in your heading?  Cool!

[VulpesVafrae]

William R:

yeah, well I got that thermite anecdote from mythbusters, so not sure how accurate it is, but sure was fun to watch a scale model go up in flames! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEQ6xvjvvE0

Sounds like a smoking quest..

Well I'm gonna crawl in through the out door down by the seaside and wait with my tea for one as i watch moby dick boogie with stu in the light, then my black dog and i will ramble on in a night flight misty mountain hop to the black mountain side past the four sticks to the battle of evermore because as we all know once forever and always the song remains the same, trampled under foot and holding no quarter in kashmir we will climb the stairway to heaven and reach the houses of the holy where in our celebration day i shall scream;
Carouselambra!!

Does anyone else get chills from Physical Graffiti's 'The Rover' where plant says "Is the new world rising?"

[Freeski]

Does anyone else get chills from Physical Graffiti's 'The Rover' where plant says "Is the new world rising?"

That was my favourite tune on that album but amazingly, I haven't listened to it in a decade -- before I'd even heard of the NWO. Time to dust it off!