Orange County panel approves Tustin hangar park plan

Posted on January 7, 2012 by LighterThanAirSociety

This is the North Hangar at the former Tustin Marine Air Station. Photo: Jebb Harris, The Orange County Register – 2003

Source: The Orange County Register

By Elysse James / The Orange County Register

Regional park plan includes a water polo and ice hockey rink on the former Tustin Marine base.

TUSTIN – The Orange County Parks Commission has approved a plan for the land around the north Tustin blimp hangar to become a regional park.

The hangar would be restored, and the surrounding 84.5 acres could be transformed into park space, with picnic areas, walking trails and fields. Continue reading →

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11 die in New Zealand hot air balloon fire, crash

Posted on January 7, 2012 by LighterThanAirSociety

Source: MSNBC News

‘Everyone was screaming’

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A hot air balloon hit a power line, caught fire and crashed, killing all 11 people on board and devastating the town where it happened.

The sightseeing balloon, carrying a pilot and five couples, came down on a farm outside Carterton, a town with a tradition of ballooning among locals and visitors. Continue reading →

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Plans for Ogden police blimp canceled

Posted on January 7, 2012 by LighterThanAirSociety

Source: Standard Examiner

By Scott Schwebke

OGDEN — The police department’s plan to launch a crime-fighting blimp has crashed.

The blimp has been scuttled and was deflated by a number of factors, said Mayor-elect Mike Caldwell. Continue reading →

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Google founders offer ‘100 percent’ funding to save Hangar One, NASA considering offer

Posted on December 10, 2011 by LighterThanAirSociety

Source: Silicon Valley Mercury News

by Troy Wolverton and Kristen Marschall, Bay Area News Group

Hangar One, once home to the Navy’s giant airships at Moffett Field, finally has a few willing benefactors: Google’s top three executives have offered to salvage the historic landmark. NASA’s response — we’re thinking about it. Continue reading →

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Airships to the Arctic VI Conference

Posted on November 19, 2011 by LighterThanAirSociety

 

Source: airshipstothearctic.com

 

Game Changers

Advances in transportation technology are game changers. The advent of steam railways opened up the centers of the continents to settlement because it became economic to cultivate crops and ship them to distant markets.  The development of jet airplanes created worldwide tourism because it became possible for the masses to afford a holiday in the sun or a trip to visit interesting locations.  The introduction of ISO sea containers spurred the economic growth of the “Asian tigers” and the globalization of manufacturing. The next great game changer is transport airships. Continue reading →

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