Airships examined in Swedish study

Press, 4 March 1981, Page 16

Airships examined in Swedish study

From the Swedish International Press Bureau, Stockholm

The profitability and potential of airships have been examined in a study on lighter-than-air vehicles carried out for the Transport Research Delegation in Sweden. The authors take into account not only profitability from a. strictly business point of view but also the general profit that might accrue, to the community or to a particular industry from using airships in transportation. ■ ' The study repeatedly em-

phasises that ideally airships should be judged within the framework of a general system of transport or as part of a whole production process, rather than as an isolated function. The research team devoted special attention to the possibilities of employing airships in forestry. Among the advantages noted,,besides an ability , to reach tracts, that would j otherwise be difficult of access, : are the potential sayings on ; expensive forest roads and on ;

the wear-and-tear of public highways caused by numerous heavy trucks carrying timber. Since airships can carry large, bulky loads, their use would also facilitate whole-tree harvesting and in general make for a better utilisation of forest raw material. The study also includes various technical aspects of airship construction and operation, the use of gases, hot air or stream for producing lift as well as procedures for ground handling and the transfer of cargo.