| Dragon Dream | |
|---|---|
 Dragon Dream experimental cargo air ship | |
| General information | |
| Type | ML866 |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Worldwide Aeros Corp |
| Designer | Igor Pasternak |
| Construction number | 0023 |
| Registration | N866ML |
Dragon Dream (FAA registration: N866ML) is an experimental lighter than air (LTA) cargo rigid airship built by Worldwide Aeros Corp as a half-scale proof of concept prototype for a design which the manufacturer calls the "Aeroscraft". The development and design has been funded by the US government through the military Walrus HULA and then the "Pelican" projects.
Design
The hull of the Dragon Dream has a flattened elliptic cross-section.
Buoyancy control is managed by pumping helium gas from the internal gas bag and compressing it into a storage cell, the reduction in lifting volume leading to a loss of buoyancy. The system can vary the airship's lift by 3,000–4,000 lb. The manufacturer uses the phrase "Control Of Static Heaviness" for this technology.
- Specifications
Data from Aviation Week; FAA Registration
General characteristics
- Capacity: 6
- Length: 266 ft 0 in (81 m)
- Volume: 600,000 cu ft (17,000 m)
- Gross weight: 36,000 lb (16,329 kg)
- Powerplant: 3 × Lycoming AEIO-540 SER Reciprocating diesel, 260 hp (190 kW) each
Operational history
The airship was completed in 2013 and, after extensive systems tests in the construction hangar at MCAS Tustin, was granted an airworthiness certificate by the US Federal Aviation Administration in September 2013, following which some outdoor tethered trials were carried out. Shortly afterwards it was badly damaged when part of the hangar roof collapsed, and the company sued the US Navy for $65 million in 2015.
References
- ^ "N866ML has Reserved/Multiple Records". N-Number Inquiry. FAA Registry.
- Trimble, Stephen (6 September 2013). "Aeros gains airworthiness certificate for new hybrid airship". Flight Global. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
- ^ Sweetman, Bill (15 October 2012). "Pelican Demonstrator Aimed at Airlift". aviationweek.com. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
- "Aeros Tests Pelican Variable-Buoyancy Airship " 2013
- "N866ML". N Number Lookup.
- Pleasant, Tom (3 February 2014). "Aeros Struggles To Put Airship Concept Into Production". aviationweek.com. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
- Niles, Russ (15 March 2015). "Airship Maker Suing Over Hangar Collapse". avweb.com. Aviation Publishing Group. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
- Warwick, Graham (14 August 2007), "Worldwide Aeros to build partially buoyant civil airship", Flight International, via Flightglobal.com, retrieved 14 June 2014
