FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1922
1922 - 0355.PDF
JUNE 22, 1922 keel built in sections, can be packed up and sent home. The rigid, if it should be forced down from any cause, would almost certainly have to be written off as a total loss. There is a great deal more which could be said about non- rigid and semi-rigid airships in general, but sufficient has, we think, been said to indicate that, as it has now been proved that these types need not be restricted to small airships, this class of airship deserves more consideration, from a commercial aviation "point of view, than it has received in the past. The Parseval " PL27 " has an overall length of 157 metres airship was intended. For a very long flight a great pro portion of it would be taken up by the fuel. For shorter distances the lift which could be set aside for paying load would increase. If the route on which such a ship was used were to be divided into stages of approximately 1,000 miles each, the " PL27 " could carry a crew of seven, sufficient fuel to leave a safe margin, and, in addition, have accom modation for about twenty-five passengers. It will thus be seen that, as regards earning capacity, the " PL27 " should be a very useful craft as a passenger and mail ship, especially as her cruising speed is said to be about 60 m.p.h. In our The Parseval " PL27 " : Two views inside the keel. On the left is seen the gangway and petrol tanks ; on the right the water ballast bags. Both photographs were taken before the fabric covering was put on the keel. (515 ft.), a maximum diameter of 19.6 metres (64 ft. 4 ins.), a greatest circumference of 61.55 metres (202 ft.) and a height of 26.5 metres (87 ft.). Its cubic capacity is 31,300 cubic metres (1,104,000 cubic ft.) and the disposable lift is approxi mately 18,000 kilograms (nearly 18 tons). Assuming a lift of 65 lbs./1,000 cubic ft. of hydrogen, the total lift would be approximately 32 tons, so that the disposable lift is 56 per cent, of the gross lift, which is considerably better than the figure of 50 per cent, given by Col. Cave-Browne-Cave for a 500,000 cubic ft. ship. The allocation of this 18 tons of lift would, of course, depend upon the purpose for which the Editorial Comments in the August 25, 1921, issue of FLIGHT, we published some figures relating to the cost, etc., of a service run with airships of this type. It was then estimated that these airships could be built in England for not more than £30,000 each, and if built in batches, the cost should be even lower. Thus, by reducing the length of the stages flown to approximately 1,000 miles, a much more economical service should be possible than if large rigids, capable of doing the London-Cairo trip without landing, were employed. In this way, the time for the journey to Australia, for instance, would be somewhat increased, but, on the other hand, it is THE PARSEVAL " PL27 " 1 External and internal views of the control car. The left-hand illustration shows a portion of the keel structure above the control car. 355
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
