New Airlander factory

[WyrleyD]

Looks like they are going to have a new factory built near Doncaster, thought they used Cardington to build these. Also, an agreement has been signed by Doncaster Council for a new 125 year lease for Doncaster (Robin Hood) Airport and they are in negotiations to select an operator for the airport, one that will be able to attract a number of airlines to use the facility.

https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/1200-job...

[Eric Mc]

I look on Airlander as a Pie in the Sky project - a bit like Virgin Orbiter.

Councils and airports don't make for very good bedfellows.

[GliderRider]

Hybrid Air Vehicles, the Airlander manufacturer, did use Cardington and at one time had offices in Portakabins at the South Eastern corner of the Southern hangar. The area around the hangars is becoming increasingly built up and the hangars are in constant need of maintenance. A purpose built hangar is probably far more suited to their needs.

The R100, the 'good' British airship, designed by Barnes Wallis with assistance from Neville Shute Norway (author and Airspeed founder), was built at Howden just 30 miles to the North of Doncaster/Robin Hood Airport/Finningley.

Moving away from Cardington may also be influenced slightly by the desire to disassociate the new craft from the R101, which was built at Cardington and crashed on its first operational flight.

[Simpo Two]

Eric Mc said:

I look on Airlander as a Bum in the Sky project...

FTFY

[Eric Mc]

Yes - but whose bum?

[surveyor]

Eric Mc said:

I look on Airlander as a Pie in the Sky project - a bit like Virgin Orbiter.

Councils and airports don't make for very good bedfellows.

I think they have this right. Council have the headlease, but will leave running it to an operator.

[Eric Mc]

I’m just wary after the cock up at St Mawgan/Newquay

[GliderRider]

surveyor said:

Eric Mc said:

I look on Airlander as a Pie in the Sky project - a bit like Virgin Orbiter.

Councils and airports don't make for very good bedfellows.

I think they have this right. Council have the headlease, but will leave running it to an operator.

Its a bit like the NHS and air ambulance helicopters (why they are separate everywhere in the UK except in Scotland). The sums of money involved are so large that every accountant in the organisation would see it as a massive budget saving in one fell swoop. They just wouldn't be able to leave it alone.

[Ean218]

As a great supporter of the airship principle I am always astonished at the finance proposals and marketing rubbish that Airlander produce.

Instead of fancy pants dining experiences and fly bys of the Aurora Borealis they need to get the blinking things in service running a mundane, regular, reliable schedule. The luxury stuff can come later. As it is they could barely get it out of the hanger at Cardington before it blew into the fence.

I would also be surprised if Doncaster council see a tenth of the jobs they envisage.

The Zepellins flying out of Friedrichshafen are amazing machines, but even with all their Teutonic thoroughness they have been unable to make a viable, growing business out of it, save for fantastic flights around lake Constance.

[LotusOmega375D]

GliderRider said:

Moving away from Cardington may also be influenced slightly by the desire to disassociate the new craft from the R101, which was built at Cardington and crashed on its first operational flight.

I doubt that many potential Airlander customers would be too influenced by the accident of a completely different design 93 years ago. Does seem stupid though that a giant purpose built hangar for airship construction and maintenance is no longer the best place to, er, construct and maintain an airship. Can’t really see the need to build a new one. Can anyone really see this project getting off the ground so to speak? Just looks like the answer to a question no-one is asking.