The first prototype of the Dynalifter airship is taking shape in
a small, tentlike hut in a remote area north of downtown
Alliance.
Part airplane with wings, part blimp with helium bags, the
Dynalifter has been promoted for more than five years as the future
of aviation patrolling and freight hauling. Now, Ohio Airships Inc.
is preparing to complete its prototype in slightly more than a
month. A maiden flight is expected later this summer.
At 120 feet long, the prototype has its tail sticking out one end
of its hut at Barber Airport. It is designed to carry a 1,000-pound
payload, including a two-person crew.
Its mission would be to serve law enforcement and the military as
an asset on patrol, or it could display advertising in the same way
that blimps promote products.
``It could be that the first 10 of these will be just for
advertising,'' said Brian E. Martin, co-president of Ohio
Airships.
But the aspirations of the company go much further. A proposed
freighter is expected to be 990 feet long and carry as much as
320,000 pounds of cargo at a cruising speed of about 100 mph.
If Ohio Airships reaches that goal, the Dynalifter would compete
in the midrange of the freight world; faster than ships and cheaper
than jet travel.
But it is apparent in looking at the prototype that Martin and
his partner, co-president Robert L. Rist, have a long way to go
before they become players in the air transportation industry. They
have yet to finish designs for their larger vehicles. Prices for the
smaller version are not set.
In the hut
On Tuesday, the belly of the vehicle remained open, the white
nylon skin draped at the sides. Sun shone through the plastic skin
of the hut and through the Dynalifter's white nylon skin, allowing
grass on the hut's work area to thrive.
The control booth is being finished at another location.
The open belly exposed the riblike superstructure of the vehicle.
The ribs are formed by two extruded aluminum tubes bonded to a flat
piece of metal, a process developed by Ohio Airships. The
50-horsepower engines were attached to each side, but they had no
propellers yet. The landing gear was hooked on, but not yet fully
installed. Still to come were the four bags that will hold the
helium and the rest of the wing structures.
Ohio Airships has raised about $500,000 from about 35 investors
and has spent about $60,000 on the prototype's construction
materials. The rest has been spent on engineering and other
expenses.
Despite the humble beginnings, Rist and Martin insist this idea
will fly, and they have a scientific study that backs them up -- on
paper. Conceptual Research Corp. of California has looked at the
concept and concluded the vehicles should work as designed.
Takeoff is like plane's
The Dynalifter does not fit neatly into the categories of
airplane or airship. It has the wings of an airplane, the helium of
a blimp and the internal structure of a rigid airship. It will take
off horizontally, much like an airplane, using its wings and helium
for lift down a 4,000-foot airstrip.
Rist and Martin are not the first to look at helium to help haul
freight through the air. CargoLifter, a German company, tried to use
a dirigible format before it went bankrupt in 2002. The CargoLifter
required huge amounts of water to act as ballast. The water was to
be discharged as the freight was put on board, adding to complexity
and cost.
Blimps are not good candidates for hauling, Rist said, because
there is no way to distribute the weight. The Dynalifter will have a
tower attached to the wings to transfer the weight to the entire
riblike structure. It is expected to be able to carry twice the load
of a major commercial airplane.
Work in Ohio
Rist and Martin said they hope full-fledged construction will
remain in Ohio, which has a rich aviation history, including Akron's
role as one of the few places where blimps were made. The pair also
said they hope underused Ohio airports can be terminals. ``We can
set up a hub anywhere, and we want it in Northeast Ohio,'' Martin
said.
Ohio Airships anticipates that ultimately it could create 500
manufacturing jobs.
Unlike blimps, Rist said, the Dynalifter will not require a
substantial ground crew to tend to it. Because it will be heavier
than air, it will not have ropes for a crew to grab as it comes to
port. It would land like an airplane and roll to an area to be
unloaded.
It also will not require the ballast that the CargoLifter needed
because even when empty, it will be heavier than air and will rest
on wheels.
The first tests are to be conducted near the end of July at
Barber Airport, Rist said. Initially, the craft will move along the
ground, testing controls. Further Federal Aviation Administration
approval will be required before it can fly.
Rist and Martin hope the public debut can come at the Cleveland
National Air Show over Labor Day weekend.
