Cargolifter AG i.I. (delisted)
CargoLifter AG english
Facts Disprove Allegations of Technical Problems Reported by Der Spiegel
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Berlin – CargoLifter AG immediately rejected a report published in Der Spiegel
about alleged technical problems. The following technical facts counter
factually incorrect statements made in the report:
1. “The proposed CL 160 is too weather sensitive”.
The CL 160 is not too weather sensitive. Estimates on flight characteristics
during weather conditions have not changed. During cruising flight the airship
withstands all weather conditions – as for airplanes this is one of the core
requirements of the Federal Aviation Authority licensing regulations, which are
the basis for developing the airship.
The unloading procedure, for example, permits a wind velocity of up to10 meters
per second for steady wind plus/minus 5 meters per second for gusts, which puts
it into the same category of application limits as modern cranes with a load
range of 160 tons.
The allegation that a large airship is very wind sensitive because of its
particularly large surface is false. The following is correct: a force acting on
an object – e.g. a gust of wind – increases by the power of two in relation to
its size. However, the mass of such an object grows by the power of 3 in
relation to its size. Thus, the increase in the mass moment of inertia ( x3) is
greater than the force impact ( x2) and reduces the acceleration of an airship.
These calculations have been validated during applied tests with the CargoLifter
CL 75 AirCrane transportation balloon (Diameter 61 meters).
Other technical examples that are easy to imagine are the characteristics of a
barge compared to a super tanker in similar conditions or the greater stability
of a large plane versus that of a small plane landing in gusty weather
conditions.
2. “Sudden downdrafts could thrust the airship abruptly to the ground, because
the full load of 160 tons does not allow for a ballast water exchange”.
During the development process, the airship’s behavior during downdrafts was
analyzed. Downdrafts are downward gusts of wind that decrease in speed with a
decrease in altitude. The manageability of even such extreme situations has been
demonstrated. Lifting forces are completely unaffected by load conditions. The
CargoLifter CL 160 either carries 160 tons of cargo or 160 tons of ballast water
or a combination of cargo and ballast water totaling 160 tons. Therefore the
flight behavior is completely independent of the load. According to licensing
regulations, the CargoLifter CL 160 will carry an additional 30 tons of water
ballast that can be dropped if required.
3. “The plan to run the CargoLifter fleet outside and without building
additional hangars is completely unrealistic. The personnel expenditure
necessary to take care of the helium giants around the clock would be enormous”.
This statement is false and has already been corrected by Chairman of the
Executive Board Dr. Carl von Gablenz in a telephone conversation with the
reporter from Der Spiegel. The airships remain anchored to masts which can
easily be made available at no great expense. Under no circumstances is one
hangar per airship necessary.
Control and supervision of pressure ratios is guaranteed by an automatic system
and therefore does not entail an “enormous personnel expenditure”.
4. “A cruising altitude limited to 2,000 meters does not allow for instrument
flight over long distances, because the air space closer to the ground is rarely
monitored by air traffic control”.
Instrument flight at the altitude of CL 160 flights are possible. The Minimum
IFR Cruising Altitude or Level (MCA/MCL)) in Germany lies between 4,000 and
5,000 feet (1,200 meters to 1,500 meters) and is therefore below the pressure
altitude for the CL 160, which is, at 2,000 meters, under ISA (International
Standard Atmosphere) conditions, a cruising altitude at which – among others –
small business aircraft fly in accordance with instrument flight regulations.
5.”… and a fuel consumption of more than two tons per 100 kilometers is simply
too high. The range is not even 1,000 kilometers.”
These figures don’t make sense, because wind direction and wind force play a
much greater role with an airship than with a airplane. Therefore one assumes
different scenarios. The fuel requirements depend a lot on the flight stage.
During maneuvering, for example, eight engines are in operation, but a maximum
of four operate during long-distance flights. Fuel consumption for long-distance
flights is clearly below the stated value. This detail is as unrealistic as if
one would calculate the fuel consumption of an airplane for long-distance
flights using figures for the take-off.
The range of under 1,000 kilometers that is mentioned is only thinkable in
relation to a particular test scenario and with a reduced amount of fuel. It
neither indicates limitations of the CL 160 prototype, nor of the CL 160 serial
airship.
Please find detailed information and interviews with experts on our website
www.cargolifter.com.
end of message, (c)DGAP 04.03.2002
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