Airships in the Canadian North?
How strange would it look to see huge white airships floating around in Northern Canada? They could be mistaken for fluffy clouds, I don't think they would even be noisy unless they came lower to land. If it could work, I wonder why it hasn't had more interest. They could cost less than running vehicles which run on fossil fuels.
Barry Prentice, president of Buoyant Aircraft Systems International, says airships can provide a lower-cost solution to transport cargo to remote areas, including Northern Canada. He hopes to fly airships to the North one day.
"Something like 70 per cent of our entire landmass has no roads. And if we're going to have access to that area ... we need a means to get there. And the airship offers that solution," says Prentice.
Prentice tells Tremonti that airships would lower the costs by a quarter of what is being spent to fly supplies in to remote areas — the savings have a lot to do with size.
"Airships can get much better as they get bigger ... something over about 10 tonnes is the starting point in terms of the short haul moves in say Ontario and Manitoba," says Prentice.
There are critics who argue the airship industry would cost too much to set up but Prentice says the alternatives converting ice roads to gravel roads, paying for trucking and maintenance doesn't compare. He says airships don't need that infrastructure.
CBC - How airships could make life more affordable in Northern Canada