Originally posted by: ElFenix
largest VTOL heavier than-air-craft evar?
Originally posted by: MS Dawn
That will be a miserable failure.
Originally posted by: Citrix
I dont think so. if they do it right and keep the price comparable to current cruise ticket prices it may be a new revolution in travel. look how popular blimp travel was in teh 30's but you had to be the ubber rich to experience it and this thing is much faster than a blimp and can hold more people which will keep cost down.
Just use hydrogenOriginally posted by: funboy42
Wasnt there supposed to be a Helium shortage?
Originally posted by: MS Dawn
Originally posted by: Citrix
I dont think so. if they do it right and keep the price comparable to current cruise ticket prices it may be a new revolution in travel. look how popular blimp travel was in teh 30's but you had to be the ubber rich to experience it and this thing is much faster than a blimp and can hold more people which will keep cost down.
Where to begin?
First and foremost, with aviation, weight is a big concern. It's hardly a concern on cruise ships, I guarantee it. Anything and everything goes. From a safety standpoint a cruise ship has lifeboats - a dirigible has nothing. But then again if an airliner goes down in flames - let's face it: everyone is screwed. :Q
There's an issue of comfort - yes the sea can be relentless and so can the not so friendly skies. The speed is rather high given the range covered - I'd say it's more like a scenic alternative to traditional flying and thus never replace the experience of a sea bound cruise. Given the differing types of motion the typical effects of mal de debarquement syndrome upon disembarkation is probably less - or could be more noticeable of a higher frequency between periods? Who knows? Perhaps there could be some data on Zepplin journeys but probably not due to the era of the old Hydrogen filled flying leviathans.
Am I biased? Damn right I am. I hate airplanes so naturally I would hate that thing.
Originally posted by: flxnimprtmscl
I'm inclined to believe this will be a failure as well. No sun deck, no going outside, nothing to see, nowhere to visit, etc.. You've basicly got your own room on an airplane. This is fun or novel because why?
If you've never been on a plane this would be cool but that's not the demographic they're shooting for here. People who can afford the tickets will, in the mean, be plenty used to air travel. This will just be a slower and slightly less boring version.
Originally posted by: PlatinumGold
i disagree, you aren't considering enough factors.
1. this is faster than most cruise ships, you can get from NY to LA in 18 hours, not too bad.
2. pricing, you can have very interesting pricing options from extravagant to cheaper than normal flight seats.
3. on a transatlantic / transpacific flight this might be a better options. shoot, i'd rather be in something like this for 38 to 40 hours vs being in a traditional airliner for 16+ hours. plus they can offer soo much more for entertainment etc.
Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy
I don't see this working as a form of transortation. But SUPERCRUISING!!! That's another story. See my other post. On a regular cruise you get 7 or 10 days and you get to toodle around the Carribbean. On a SUPERCRUISE you can toodle around a whole ocean.
Florida to the Carribbean to South America to the African coast to the Med and back to Florida. Or whatever... Just like a regular cruise except you cover more ground.