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Dynalifter Nearing First Flight

Fri, 06 Jan '06

The Wave Of The Future?

Could the future of aviation be in a hangar about 50 miles south of Cleveland, OH? Brian Martin and Robert Rist believe so -- and they make a convincing case for their wing-and-canard-equipped airship called the Dynalifter.

Looking something like a cross between a blimp, an ultralight, and a Long-EZ, the 120-foot-long Dynalifter prototype is expected to fly soon -- which would come as a relief to Ohio Airships Inc. founders Martin and Rist, who have spent the last six years developing the aircraft.

The 120-foot-long, two-seat prototype (below) has a nylon cover over a patented interior structure based on bridge construction techniques, according to the company's website. The prototype carries 16,500 cubic feet of helium and is powered by two small ultralight engines.

Martin told the Canton Repository he and Rist have raised -- and spent -- $500,000 to get this far on the Dynalifter.

"Edison tried his light bulb a thousand times," said Martin to the Repository, on the aircraft's expected springtime first flight. "I don’t want to do this (prototype) a thousand times."

It will probably fly... but is there a market for such an unusual aircraft? The two men definitely think so, and have even gone so far as to say the Dynalifter may usher in a new transportation era, according to the Canton Repository.

The Dynalifter -- which will be offered as a 990-foot-long Heavy Freighter, as well as a smaller 761-foot version -- could become everything from a long-endurance observation platform useful in defense and homeland security operations, to a freight hauling vehicle capable of carrying modular payloads long distances... sort of like a combination barge, truck, and super-jumbo jet... at speeds faster than an over-the-road semi can manage.

The men also believe such a vehicle would be useful in emergency situations, such as hurricanes and floods.

This is a project worth watching... and we're doing just that.