HAV

Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) is set to test fly the world’s biggest aircraft, Airlander 10, with a length of 92m and width of 43.5m, in March.

Airlander 10 combines the designs of an airship and a helicopter. The airship is the size of a football field and height of six double-decker buses.

The aircraft can fly at an altitude of 20,000ft. However, during its first flight, Airlander 10 will fly within 15 nautical miles of its hanger in Cardington, Bedfordshire, UK, up to a height of 4,000ft at 45mph.

During its two hour long test flight, the take-off, landing and gliding capability of Airlander 10 will be ensured.

HAV partnerships head Chris Daniels was quoted by the Independent saying: "During the flight-test programme, we are limited because it is a prototype aircraft.

"Because it is under flight testing conditions, we cannot take passengers.

"It will probably be the second aircraft we make that will be a passenger variant.

"The airship is the size of a football field and height of six double-decker buses."

"We have had a lot of interest in operators looking at luxury tourism and safaris and various sorts of leisure flying.

"We think that will be an amazing experience, slow-flight, floor-to-ceiling windows, just being able to watch what’s going on."

For Airlander 10’s passenger variant, HAV plans to incorporate a cabin size that can accommodate 48 passengers in a business-class style layout.

The company does not plan to make the aircraft in an economy-style layout, since it is made for leisure and tourism only.

For its maiden flight, HAV crowdsourced £2.4m and received donations from its stakeholders. The company also received worth £6m of grantd from the EU and UK Government.

The US Government granted $300m in funding and planned to use the aircraft in its military operations, but later dropped the plan.

In preparation for its first flight, the team at HAV attached the mission module, which includes the cockpit and payload bay, to the hull of Airlander in January.

Image: Airlander 10 is set to make its first flight in March. Photo: courtesy of HAV.