A non-rigid airships designed by Roger Munk.
A successful first flight was made on 28 September by the Skyship 500, the prototype airship developed by Airship Industries and assembled at Cardington, Beds. It has a length of 164 ft (49,99 m), diameter of 46 ft (14,02 m) and a max speed of 63 kts (117 km/h) on the power of two piston engines driving variable pitch propellers in ducts. Airship Industries planed to build three more Skyship 500s, for civil certification and lease to interested operators.
Airship Industries (AI) in 1983 delivered a Skyship 500 to the Naval Air Development Centre at Warminster, Pennsylvania, for trials on behalf of the US Navy and US Coast Guard. After only a few days at the base, it was flown to Andrews AFB in Washington D.C. for a week of demonstrations to “senior staff”.
The Skyship 500 was assembled in Toronto by subsidiary LTA Systems, and is the second to be built. Reaction to the trials has been “uniformly good”, according to Airship Industries. Navy and Coast Guard interest is in using Skyship 500 for surveillance and maritime patrol.
The first Skyship 600 made its maiden flight in November 1984. Similar in appearance to the Skyship 500, it is larger, being the world’s largest currently operating non-rigid airship (also called blimps). The envelope is made of Kevlar and the gondola of composite materials. Earlier models were propelled by two Porsche 930 turboshafts, but some have been modified with Textron Lycoming IO-540 engines.
Two pilots fly with the airship at all times and it can stay aloft, without refuelling, for up to 24 hours.
500
Length: 164 ft / 49,99 m
Diameter: 46 ft / 14,02 m
Max speed: 63 kts / 117 km/h
500HL
600
Length: 216 ft 5 in / 66m
Height: 72 ft 2 in / 22 m
Volume: 7,600m³
Cruising speed: 40 mph
Maximum speed: 65 mph
Weight: 5,500 kg when deflated
600B
All Aero 