Comments on: World Sky Race 2010: The Return of the Air Ship http://skinnymoose.com/adventurist/2008/06/16/world-sky-race-2010-the-return-of-the-air-ship/ Mt. Everest to The Poles: Exploring Adventure One Trip At a Time Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:05:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Alfred Thomas http://skinnymoose.com/adventurist/2008/06/16/world-sky-race-2010-the-return-of-the-air-ship/comment-page-1/#comment-5956 Alfred Thomas Sun, 07 Dec 2008 21:42:59 +0000 http://skinnymoose.com/adventurist/?p=997#comment-5956 Well, I am a knowledgable amateur enthusiast of airships and airship technology, have a sound understanding of physics (classical), and am a member of the Airship Association: http://www.airship-association.org/ which is the leading professional association in the field; and I am one of the leading lights of the Airship Mailing List, which can be subscribed to by writing to listproc@lists.Colorado.EDU The contents of the message should be simply - subscribe airship-list + your email address But I am not professionally involved in the manufacture or flying of airships. And yes, I know Marc Piolenc of old, and can vouch that he is a man of very sound opinions. Alfred, still skeptical Well, I am a knowledgable amateur enthusiast of airships and airship technology, have a sound understanding of physics (classical), and am a member of the Airship Association:

http://www.airship-association.org/

which is the leading professional association in the field; and I am one of the leading lights of the Airship Mailing List, which can be subscribed to by writing to

listproc@lists.Colorado.EDU

The contents of the message should be simply - subscribe airship-list + your email address

But I am not professionally involved in the manufacture or flying of airships.

And yes, I know Marc Piolenc of old, and can vouch that he is a man of very sound opinions.

Alfred, still skeptical

]]> By: Jason A. Hendricks http://skinnymoose.com/adventurist/2008/06/16/world-sky-race-2010-the-return-of-the-air-ship/comment-page-1/#comment-5955 Jason A. Hendricks Sun, 07 Dec 2008 21:34:56 +0000 http://skinnymoose.com/adventurist/?p=997#comment-5955 Alfred, just curious, what is your background? Alfred, just curious, what is your background?

]]> By: Alfred Thomas http://skinnymoose.com/adventurist/2008/06/16/world-sky-race-2010-the-return-of-the-air-ship/comment-page-1/#comment-5954 Alfred Thomas Sun, 07 Dec 2008 19:52:06 +0000 http://skinnymoose.com/adventurist/?p=997#comment-5954 This lunatic Nostradome is actually not much more of a madman than the organizers of the "World Sky Race" - in fact at least he is probably moderately honest, which is more than can be said for the "World Air League" gang! Nostradome is a florid example of the type of flake discussed by Marc Piolenc, whereas the "World Air League" is more of a cynical and calculated plot to defraud. Alfred continues to be skeptical. Show me the airships! This lunatic Nostradome is actually not much more of a madman than the organizers of the “World Sky Race” - in fact at least he is probably moderately honest, which is more than can be said for the “World Air League” gang! Nostradome is a florid example of the type of flake discussed by Marc Piolenc, whereas the “World Air League” is more of a cynical and calculated plot to defraud.

Alfred continues to be skeptical. Show me the airships!

]]> By: Nostradome http://skinnymoose.com/adventurist/2008/06/16/world-sky-race-2010-the-return-of-the-air-ship/comment-page-1/#comment-5949 Nostradome Sun, 07 Dec 2008 18:45:34 +0000 http://skinnymoose.com/adventurist/?p=997#comment-5949 The Race may NOT BE HAPPENING BUT NEW AIRSHIPS ARE. SEE MY WEB SITE: http://www.myspace.com/nostradome AN GET YOURSELF UP TO DATE..... I MAY BE THE ONLY 1 AT THIS TIME TO BE TOTALLY ABLE TO GO AROUND THE WORLD IN AN AIRSHIP..... THE MEDIA SEEMS TO CONTROL ALOT OF YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE TRUTH ABOUT ALOT OF THINGS BUT AIRSHIPS ARE COMMING. enough said,Steve Nostradome The Race may NOT BE HAPPENING BUT NEW AIRSHIPS ARE.

SEE MY WEB SITE: http://www.myspace.com/nostradome

AN GET YOURSELF UP TO DATE…..

I MAY BE THE ONLY 1 AT THIS TIME TO BE TOTALLY ABLE TO GO AROUND THE WORLD IN AN AIRSHIP…..

THE MEDIA SEEMS TO CONTROL ALOT OF YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE TRUTH ABOUT ALOT OF THINGS BUT AIRSHIPS ARE COMMING.

enough said,Steve Nostradome

]]> By: Alfred Thomas http://skinnymoose.com/adventurist/2008/06/16/world-sky-race-2010-the-return-of-the-air-ship/comment-page-1/#comment-5670 Alfred Thomas Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:56:49 +0000 http://skinnymoose.com/adventurist/?p=997#comment-5670 The Airship Association comments on the "World Sky Race" and the "World Air League" are now cached at http://abac.archivale.com/events/WSR/news.htm Alfred the Skeptic The Airship Association comments on the “World Sky Race” and the “World Air League” are now cached at

http://abac.archivale.com/events/WSR/news.htm

Alfred the Skeptic

]]> By: Marc de Piolenc http://skinnymoose.com/adventurist/2008/06/16/world-sky-race-2010-the-return-of-the-air-ship/comment-page-1/#comment-5397 Marc de Piolenc Sat, 15 Nov 2008 11:03:25 +0000 http://skinnymoose.com/adventurist/?p=997#comment-5397 When I first got interested in lighter-than-air (LTA) flight in the early 80's, my mentor warned me that the field attracts "fakes and flakes" like errrr... barn waste attracts flies. He was unfortunately right. Mostly it's flakes: people who rediscover and reinvent the airship and imagine impossible schemes in the sincere belief that they are feasible. But occasionally somebody cynically exploits the public's nostalgia, love of novelty, and now "greenmindedness" to put over a fraud. When I first heard of this one I dismissed it: it was so obviously unfeasible that it wasn't worth the trouble to refute. Unfortunately, it looks like the promoter has got UNESCO (among other entities that should know better) in his pocket, which means that he might succeed in taking many well-meaning but naive people to the cleaners after all. It's high time to emphasize a few simple facts: Imprimis, there are no airships in existence that are even remotely capable of making the Pacific crossing; the largest ever built would have had trouble doing it! Secundus, new designs cannot be stamped out with a cookie cutter; it's hard enough to finance new ships with a clear utilitarian purpose and profitable prospects - imagine the reaction of a financing source to a giant airship project built for a publicity stunt. Sorry, folks! Tertius, even if the project were scaled back so that some existing ships could undertake it, no airship owner that I know of would risk his ship in this kind of activity, and his insurance carrier would drop him if he did. And all this by 2010? Give me a break. Somebody needs to start asking this promoter some tough questions, and insisting on cogent answers. Keep your checkbooks in your pockets, and don't let your governments give any of your cash to this scammer. Marc de Piolenc Assn. of Balloon and Airship Constructors When I first got interested in lighter-than-air (LTA) flight in the early 80’s, my mentor warned me that the field attracts “fakes and flakes” like errrr… barn waste attracts flies. He was unfortunately right. Mostly it’s flakes: people who rediscover and reinvent the airship and imagine impossible schemes in the sincere belief that they are feasible. But occasionally somebody cynically exploits the public’s nostalgia, love of novelty, and now “greenmindedness” to put over a fraud. When I first heard of this one I dismissed it: it was so obviously unfeasible that it wasn’t worth the trouble to refute. Unfortunately, it looks like the promoter has got UNESCO (among other entities that should know better) in his pocket, which means that he might succeed in taking many well-meaning but naive people to the cleaners after all. It’s high time to emphasize a few simple facts:
Imprimis, there are no airships in existence that are even remotely capable of making the Pacific crossing; the largest ever built would have had trouble doing it! Secundus, new designs cannot be stamped out with a cookie cutter; it’s hard enough to finance new ships with a clear utilitarian purpose and profitable prospects - imagine the reaction of a financing source to a giant airship project built for a publicity stunt. Sorry, folks! Tertius, even if the project were scaled back so that some existing ships could undertake it, no airship owner that I know of would risk his ship in this kind of activity, and his insurance carrier would drop him if he did.

And all this by 2010? Give me a break. Somebody needs to start asking this promoter some tough questions, and insisting on cogent answers. Keep your checkbooks in your pockets, and don’t let your governments give any of your cash to this scammer.

Marc de Piolenc
Assn. of Balloon and Airship Constructors

]]> By: Jason A. Hendricks http://skinnymoose.com/adventurist/2008/06/16/world-sky-race-2010-the-return-of-the-air-ship/comment-page-1/#comment-5264 Jason A. Hendricks Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:38:48 +0000 http://skinnymoose.com/adventurist/?p=997#comment-5264 First off, thanks for sharing your insight. I have looked into this further and now am siding on your part. This does look quite questionable, especially since the major organizing bodies are also claiming it's a fraud. When I posted this piece back in June, I had done so after being contacting by someone in the World Sky Race organization. It looked like a cool concept and I really never gave it any more thought. Now, it looks like I stand to be corrected on making a post about this. I may have to do a new update and alert some of my other readers to the discrepencies being perpetrated. Thanks, Alfred. Jason A. Hendricks The Adventurist First off, thanks for sharing your insight. I have looked into this further and now am siding on your part. This does look quite questionable, especially since the major organizing bodies are also claiming it’s a fraud. When I posted this piece back in June, I had done so after being contacting by someone in the World Sky Race organization. It looked like a cool concept and I really never gave it any more thought. Now, it looks like I stand to be corrected on making a post about this. I may have to do a new update and alert some of my other readers to the discrepencies being perpetrated. Thanks, Alfred.

Jason A. Hendricks
The Adventurist

]]> By: Alfred Thomas http://skinnymoose.com/adventurist/2008/06/16/world-sky-race-2010-the-return-of-the-air-ship/comment-page-1/#comment-5263 Alfred Thomas Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:00:04 +0000 http://skinnymoose.com/adventurist/?p=997#comment-5263 ... And the Airship Association of Great Britain, a highly respected organization in the field, agrees with me. See the comment upon their webpage http://www.airship-association.org/news.html Alfred the Skeptic … And the Airship Association of Great Britain, a highly respected organization in the field, agrees with me. See the comment upon their webpage

http://www.airship-association.org/news.html

Alfred the Skeptic

]]> By: Alfred Thomas http://skinnymoose.com/adventurist/2008/06/16/world-sky-race-2010-the-return-of-the-air-ship/comment-page-1/#comment-5262 Alfred Thomas Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:56:09 +0000 http://skinnymoose.com/adventurist/?p=997#comment-5262 So what, Adventurist? I know all about the excellent San Francisco airship tourism service. That's got nothing to do with it; my previous remark stands unimpaired. True, there are airship facilities in San Francisco; but there are none along most of the route proposed by the ridiculously implausible "World Sky Race". Moreover no airship in current existence is anything like capable of crossing the Pacific Ocean. To develop a new type of aircraft - including airship - and get it certified costs a fortune and takes many years. That's why the "World Sky Race" is an obvous scam. And to say that it will take place in 2010 is an insult to the intelligence. So what, Adventurist? I know all about the excellent San Francisco airship tourism service. That’s got nothing to do with it; my previous remark stands unimpaired. True, there are airship facilities in San Francisco; but there are none along most of the route proposed by the ridiculously implausible “World Sky Race”. Moreover no airship in current existence is anything like capable of crossing the Pacific Ocean. To develop a new type of aircraft - including airship - and get it certified costs a fortune and takes many years. That’s why the “World Sky Race” is an obvous scam. And to say that it will take place in 2010 is an insult to the intelligence.

]]> By: The Adventurist http://skinnymoose.com/adventurist/2008/06/16/world-sky-race-2010-the-return-of-the-air-ship/comment-page-1/#comment-5008 The Adventurist Mon, 03 Nov 2008 07:34:17 +0000 http://skinnymoose.com/adventurist/?p=997#comment-5008 Hey Alfred, If you don't believe in this, you can easily find out information about a new airship service that has been launched recently in San Francisco. The airships are actually being housed in the original airship buildings used in the 1930's. Many of these buildings still exist. There are actually 13 such buildings in San Fran, alone. Hey Alfred,

If you don’t believe in this, you can easily find out information about a new airship service that has been launched recently in San Francisco. The airships are actually being housed in the original airship buildings used in the 1930’s. Many of these buildings still exist. There are actually 13 such buildings in San Fran, alone.

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