Airlander 10's amusing resemblance to a human silhouette has already spawned many memes and jokes
The Airlander 10, for all its beauty, has a somewhat troubled past. It was originally designed in 2010 by the U.S. military to conduct aerial surveillance in Afghanistan for up to two weeks, but the project was scrapped just two years after it began.
However, British developer Hybrid Air Vehicles kept the flying colossus concept alive just in case the commercial use of airships ever came back into vogue. Well, the "flying bum," as the Airlander 10 has been dubbed, may indeed soon be in the spotlight.
As a reminder, the Airlander 10 is the largest airship to date. This airship can lift up to 11 tons of cargo and consumes less fuel than an airplane with a similar load. The downside of this efficiency is that it is slow and sluggish.
OceanSky Cruises is launching a new luxury air cruise to the North Pole and back to recreate the historic expedition that Norwegian explorers undertook in 1926. CNN noted that an updated commercial version of the Airlander 10 was originally the prime candidate for the vehicle of choice for such a long flight.
The trip will use the Airlander 10's ability to fly very slowly and still be very close to the ground to give tourists a chance to take in the amazing views of the local wildlife and scenery.
"If necessary, we can descend to an altitude of up to 30 meters while moving at bicycle speed," pilot Karl-Oscar Lavaccek told CNN, noting that this will allow tourists to appreciate the beauty of the North.