October 23, 2008 11:13 AM PDT
Here's a look at the internal framework of the aircraft, while it was under construction--an 18-month process--by Germany's Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik. The framework, made of metal and carbon fiber, allows the 200-horsepower engines to be attached to the sides and the tail of the helium-filled hull, away from the passenger-carrying gondola. (Blimps must have their engines attached directly to their gondolas.) A multilayer fabric skin covers the frame.
How fast will it go? Airship Ventures says that the cruising speed for the Zeppelin NT (the NT stands for "new technology," to distinguish these airships from the early 20th-century zeppelins) averages about 35 miles per hour, and the top speed is 77 mph. How far? The maximum flight range is 500 nautical miles.
Photo by Airship Ventures
Caption by Jonathan Skillings
