British airship pioneer plots flights to the Amazon and Arctic
A British airship business plans to launch flights to remote parts of the Amazon and Arctic using a blimp that can land on lakes, snowfields and forest clearings.
Shropshire-based Straightline Aviation said the Z1 airship will be able to transport more than 20 tonnes of cargo to far-flung sites, hundreds of miles from the nearest road or runway.
This could include carrying heavy mining and oil industry equipment to northern Canada or undertaking medical missions to isolated parts of Africa and South America.
The versatility of the Z1, which is being developed by California-based manufacturer AT 2 Aerospace, stems from an air-cushioned underside which makes any clear patch of ground a potential landing zone.
Straightline, which last week placed a $50m (£39m) order for the first Z1 for delivery in 2028, is betting the vehicle will usher in a new era of airships, which for decades have merely been used as floating advertising devices.
The Z1, technically a blimp since it lacks a rigid internal structure, will also generate up to 30pc of its own lift through a three-lobed design that acts like a plane wing. That means the airship can be heavier than air – something which will also help it land.
Mark Dorey, chief executive of Straightline, said: 'The landing system is a game-changer because it means that no ground infrastructure is required.
'Traditional cigar-shaped airships were lighter than air and had to dock at a mast or tower, so you could never operate in a remote area. But with the Z1 we'll be able to go in and land on unprepared ground.'
Directional fans will help hold the airship in place once it has landed.
Typical missions will span up to 500 miles, Mr Dorey said, a distance that would take around 7 hours to cover at the Z1's cruising speed of 60 knots.
While powered by traditional kerosene, the craft's ultra-light construction and leisurely pace means fuel consumption would be only about 80pc that of an equivalent aircraft journey.
The chief executive said Straightline had explored buying a rival airship being developed by Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), potentially at a site in Doncaster,
However, the business concluded that the Z1 can carry more and was at a more advanced stage after HAV's Airlander model suffered a crash in 2017.
He said: 'It will be like a flying truck, which is what we want. We've got a huge amount of end-user customer demand in a number of markets.'
Mr Dorey said Straightline has already held talks with more than 100 potential clients, including oil companies interested in the Z1's potential for transporting large equipment in the Arctic.
The airship could serve as an alternative to slow-moving trucks reliant on temporary 'ice roads' across frozen lakes and rivers, the viability of which is threatened by global warming.
The chief executive said: 'The ice road season is getting less reliable and in some areas lasts only a month a year. The airship can access the same areas pretty much year-round.'
Straightline has also held discussions with Canadian provinces, the state of Alaska and indigenous corporations about its potential for improving links to far-flung communities.
The firm has an outline commercial agreement with US charity Rad-Aid International to transport X-ray, CT, ultrasound and MRI equipment to remote or impoverished areas where it will help diagnose and treat cancers, heart disease and complications in pregnancy.
Straightline's founder, Mike Kendrick, said his own cancer diagnosis led him towards the collaboration to transport scanners which are too delicate and heavy to carry by light aircraft.
Mr Kendrick previously helped found an airship-based advertising business for Virgin Group and worked with Sir Richard Branson on his various ballooning record attempts.
Straightline ultimately plans to order as many as a dozen of Z1s from AT 2, which was spun off from defence giant Lockheed Martin in 2023.
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