FAILING THE AIRSHIP --- Public Education

Folks, we have failed the Airship !

How can that be ?  We have failed to get the true story of the Airship across, and with it the many lost opportunities to educate people about what it truly can do for us.

How do we know ? Three Signs :

IF the media still flash the terrifying image of the Hindenburg going down in flames at Lakehurst !

IF we still have folks cry out, almost in glee "Oh, the Humanity" every time that image appears ... and NOT just then. There was one poor Navy enlisted man working at an airship hangar who got a chorus of that phrase every time he walked across the hangar floor, from the (inevitable) gang of non-Airship Sailors .

If WE --- meaning the Collective Semi-Conscious --- can gasp at the thought of One Airship Accident, but barely glance at a picture of a helicopter accident . Unconvinced ? Here are the hard statistics :

Number of civil helicopter accidents ---- Total number of civil helicopter accidents between 2004 and 2008 ; SOURCE : Helicopter Annual 2009

 

        2004 --- 180

        2005  ---  93

        2006 --- 162

        2007 --- 175

        2008 --- 140

Total number of fatal helicopter accidents 33 26 25 23 29

        2004 ---   33

        2005 ---   26

        2006 ---   25

        2007 ---   23

        2008 ---   29

Total number of fatalities resulting from helicopter accidents

        2004 ---  68

        2005 ---  44

        2006 ---  43

        2007 ---  43

        2008 ---  75

Total number of serious injuries in helicopter accidents

        2004 ---  38

        2005 ---  44

        2006 ---  34

        2007 ---  34

        2008 ---  28

Pretty nasty statistics, wot ?!

We are put in mind of a quote from the Director of the Computer Center at a large university who commented about the time he spent in helicopters during his work for the U.S. Army : "During every flight, I could not help continually remembering that this chopper was manufactured by the Lowest Bidder on the contract".

Where have we Airship Enthusaiasts and Advocates failed ? By forgetting that the Medium is the Message, and that we have never placed any effort into teaching the public --- for that's what Public Relations is (are?) --- the many advantages, benefits, and the balanced true story of the Airship.

Advocacy, Education, Leadership ! That's a start !

Shame on us ! What can we do ? More to follow !

(signed)                                                                                        Hybrid Pelta