How do we bring attention to the potential of unmanned aerial lighter-than-air craft (robot airships) with all its advantages ? It can be a tough slog, going against the Conventional Wisdom of how dangerous LTA craft are, the (here comes the anticipatory wince !) Hindenburg incident, and people who have never seen two reasonable factoids about "robot airships" in a row.
It doesn't much seem to matter that these people can take a Sunday drive down to their local model airplane meet, and see for themselves how safe and sophisticated remotely-controlled aircraft have become, even how large they're getting in so-called Giant Scale; nor how much the military is beginning to rely on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) in combat conditions. We still see the semi-educated submit their comments (sometimes meant to be humorous) about the dangers and difficulties inherent in LTA-UAV operation.
Well, I'm pleased to be able to see positive stories and advertisements in the Literature that take LTA-UAV operational success for granted.
Here, for example, is an extract from the news, notices, and advertisements that are beginning to display publicly what products and production most people apparently do NOT take seriously :
Mini-Zepp, a small Swiss manufacturer manufactures, operates, and instructs in the field of outdoor Radio-controlled Zeppelins, blimps and airships . Here are some selections from Mini-Zepp web pages :
Outdoor aerial advertising is very dramatic and extremely visible. They make powerful statements incomparable to any other means of advertising. One easily remembers an airship as it gracefully flies by.. Blimps are unusual, and throughout the world there are only a handful flying. Because they are rare, they often receive additional advertising and exposure. When a blimp is in your area, it often shows up in the local papers, is talked about on radio, and sometimes even on TV news broadcasts.
They outclass all other traditional forms of advertising. They are much more than floating billboards: people talk about seeing them - and that’s just what we want them to do!
Our outdoor Remote Control Blimps are the ultimate in outdoor advertising for sporting events, concerts and fairs. Everything about the MiniZepp Outdoor RC Blimp product line is designed with safety in mind. With over 10 years of experience in the manufacture and sale of radio controlled blimps, our systems are continuously improving.
Powered by gas or electric engines - depending on the size - the outdoor Remote Control airship can operate in winds from 20 to over 40 km/h with full 360 degree vectoring allowing for complete reverse flight. The gondola is either polypropylene or fiberglass, depending on the size of the blimp. The vector arm (movable arm which holds and rotates the motors) rotates 360 degrees and is made of FAA-approved T-6 aircraft aluminum, as are the motor mounts. This design facilitates infinite hovering control and enables the airship to reverse, if needed.
Powered by gas or electric engines - depending on the size - the outdoor Remote Control airship can operate in winds from 20 to over 40 km/h with full 360 degree vectoring allowing for complete reverse flight. The gondola is either polypropylene or fiberglass, depending on the size of the blimp. The vector arm (movable arm which holds and rotates the motors) rotates 360 degrees and is made of FAA-approved T-6 aircraft aluminum, as are the motor mounts. This design facilitates infinite hovering control and enables the airship to reverse, if needed.
Our blimps are practically fail-safe thanks to the anti jamming 2.4 Ghz system technique used in its radio systems. This enables it to shut down in case of radio failure or interference. This also allows the airship to slowly settle to the ground.
The appropriate size of your blimp will be determined by the venue, the event needs, and the elevation of your flying location. We can also manufacture custom-size blimps which perfectly fit your needs. All of our outdoor Remote Control Blimps come standard with interchangeable banner areas and a selective remote controlled video head.
Flight characteristics:
The outdoor RC blimps can take off and land vertically in a rather limited area and switch to forward flight capability at any desired altitude. In the forward flight mode, the airship is flown like a fixed wing aircraft.
In the hover mode, the operation is similar to that of a helicopter.
During slow forward flight or hover in wind, a combination of these two techniques is used.
The outdoor RC blimps can take off and land vertically in a rather limited area and switch to forward flight capability at any desired altitude. In the forward flight mode, the airship is flown like a fixed wing aircraft.
In the hover mode, the operation is similar to that of a helicopter.
During slow forward flight or hover in wind, a combination of these two techniques is used.
Training and Flight Operations:
Operation of the outdoor RC blimps should be conducted only by fully experienced R/C pilots with knowledge of batteries, engines, radio transmitter, receiver, servo operations and the airship's capabilities.
Operation of the outdoor RC blimps should be conducted only by fully experienced R/C pilots with knowledge of batteries, engines, radio transmitter, receiver, servo operations and the airship's capabilities.
Two qualified pilots must be trained and certified in writing by our RC staff. Training is not included in the price of the blimps, it is quoted with each request.
We do not train beginners.
We do not train beginners.
Aerial imaging system : Mini-Zepp solutions range from commercial aerial photography systems to aerial gyro-stabilized video cameras.
Our systems are used worldwide by small business owners, large corporations, as well as foreign and domestic government entities. We manufacture the highest-quality lighter-than-air products, ship on time, and provide excellent customer support.
Mini-zepp’s remote controlled head systems are some of the best available anywhere in the world. From the small and light Pentax A40, to the heavy-weight Canon 1Ds Mark III. All systems have non-stop 360 degree pan, 90 degree tilt, mechanical zoom for DSLRs and full wireless operation.
We also feature WIFI connectivity for laptop camera control.
Our heads are designed to be used with Panasonic HVX 200 red cameras SONY Z1 cameras. We can custom build for bigger cameras. Professional and Research Aerial photographers choose Mini-Zepp because we offer the flexibility to design a system to meet their needs.
MiniZepp is a tier-one manufacturer and integrator of imaging systems for aerial video fitted to all our RC airships.:
END OF MINI-ZEPP MARKETING SEGMENT
We here at HybridPelta could not help but notice that the universal pan-head fitting offered for installation and use in their UAV's could serve just as well for the installation of those snap-on, snap-off remote sensing accessories mentioned in yesterday's AirshipUniverse blog.
We also believe that the owner of Mini-Zepp has recently offered his company --- lock, stock, and barrel --- for sale at a most reasonable price. The proprietor stated that he wished to continue as a smaller business in the service end of the industry, offering aerial photography and smaller operations in his own country of Switzerland.
Should we take him seriously ? We couldn't put it more strongly than by noting sales of his fully-equipped Mini-Zepps to Israel security operations . Those people work ONLY with serious equipment as they fully --and bitterly --- understand that mission failure is not an option. One of that country's mottos issues from a comment made by a participant in their recent battles for survival. When asked who their commanding General was, someone with wit and sarcasm responded "General No Choice" . That says it all.
FThose with more scientific interests and a healthy respect for British academia will also appreciate the trade sale of Mini-Zepp equipment to Cambridge University researchers .
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