Imagine giant airships four times the size of a Jumbo Jet, majestically cruising the skies above the world´s major cities and geographical landmarks. Very soon, this vision may become reality again: A new generation of high-tech Zeppelins is currently being built.
Vidicom's two-part series features the eventful history and bright future of airships:
1. The Golden Age of Airships
2. Return of the Giants
"Return of the Giants" shows the new generation of airships that is currently under construction in Germany, England, the United States and South Africa.
Our main focus is on two projects in Germany:
Zeppelin NT: a newly designed passenger airship which had its maiden voyage in Septamber 1997. Five Zeppelin NT's have already been sold at a price of 11 million Deutschmarks ( about 6 million dollars) each. They are mainly intended for first class sightseeing tours. The first NT was bought by a Swiss travel operator who will offer round trips over the Alps starting in late 1999.
Cargolifter: this gargantuan freight airship will be able to carry payloads of up
to 160 tons from continent to continent in just three days. Its projected size is about
that of the Hindenburg, four times the length of a jumbo jet. With its on-board crane,
even the heaviest parts can be dropped precisely on the spot, be it in the jungle or in
the mountains. A small-scale model, 30 yards in length, has already premiered in May 1998.
So far, Cargolifter AG has attracted more than 2,500 shareholders and collected more than
60 million Deutschmarks (about 40 million dollars) investment capital. The first major
project will be the huge construction hall at a former Soviet military airport near
Berlin, which is due to be finished in 1999.
Length: 54 minutes. Available in English and German
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