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1/ How Crony Capitalism Killed the Zeppelin
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/how-crony-capitalism-killed-the-zeppelin/
These great ships of the air took under 2 days to cross the Atlantic. They had perfect safety records outside of war. Had the Hindenburg used non-flammable helium instead of hydrogen, all would have been fine.
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/how-crony-capitalism-killed-the-zeppelin/
These great ships of the air took under 2 days to cross the Atlantic. They had perfect safety records outside of war. Had the Hindenburg used non-flammable helium instead of hydrogen, all would have been fine.
2/ Inside them you could enjoy wonderful views through the bright and spacious windows. You could sleep overnight in them, which added a sense of luxury and pace to the journey
They were easy to maintain, underwent virtually no turbulence, fuel efficient (even more so today) etc
They were easy to maintain, underwent virtually no turbulence, fuel efficient (even more so today) etc
3/ We're obsessed with speed, constantly racing to get places, cramming as much in as possible. Why?
Why not scenic routes through slower trains in the mountains (i.e. Swiss train routes)? Why not slower air journeys so you can enjoy the sight? Aesthetics is better than utility.
Why not scenic routes through slower trains in the mountains (i.e. Swiss train routes)? Why not slower air journeys so you can enjoy the sight? Aesthetics is better than utility.
4/ The problem with helium is that it's difficult to extract, but there's still plenty left for the remainder of this century.
New sources are being found around the world now that America's helium reserves are privatised and have thus created a competitive market.
New sources are being found around the world now that America's helium reserves are privatised and have thus created a competitive market.
5/ A bit pie-in-the-sky, but I'd love to see these marvels make a comeback. They're relatively quiet, don't require huge infrastructural projects to land on, don't cause much pollution, could open new tourist opportunities, etc.
We could market them as cruise liners of the sky.
We could market them as cruise liners of the sky.
