NASA alumnus Alan Weston and Google co-founder Sergey Brin have been working on something big. The duo have spent the last decade designing, testing, and building support for Pathfinder 1, an experimental hybrid airship longer than three Boeing 737s strung together. Now, the fruit of their labor is finally emerging from its supersized hangar to make its ground debut in Mountain View, California, where the airship will undergo outdoor flight operations testing before attempting its first real flight.
At 124.5 meters (408 feet) long, Pathfinder 1 is already the largest aircraft the world has seen since 1930. It looks a lot like a blimp or a zeppelin, both of which traditionally leverage lighter-than-air gas to lift into the air. This appears to be what inspired Weston when he named his company Lighter Than Air Research (LTA). Pathfinder 1’s twelve Pipistrel electric motors—powered by two 150-kilowatt diesel generators and 24 battery packs—will propel the aircraft, swiveling from positive 180 degrees to negative 180 degrees and working alongside four fin rudders for directional control. Meanwhile, the nylon-based helium bags in Pathfinder 1’s inner walls will lend lift and buoyancy.
All of this is held in by the aircraft’s laminated Tedlar exterior. Pathfinder 1’s skeleton consists of 13 circular mainframes, each consisting of 3,000 welded titanium hubs and 10,000 polymer tubes reinforced with carbon fiber. These protect Pathfinder 1’s helium bags, while an understated nose cone helps the airship withstand winds up to 80 miles per hour, or 70 knots.
It’ll be a while before Pathfinder 1 reaches that type of speed, though. Wednesday’s slow roll out of the hangar was just one baby step out of many when testing the aircraft. On the ground, the LTA team will see how the warmth brought about by sunrise affects the airship’s one million cubic feet of helium. And when Pathfinder 1 finally lifts off, it’ll only be a few feet off the ground. A mobile mast will ensure the airship doesn’t go anywhere before it’s ready.
The idea is for Pathfinder 1 to forge a new path for sustainable air travel. (This is what ultimately earned LTA more than $100 million in funding from Brin, whose philanthropy largely focuses on climate change and public health.) It goes without saying that passenger or cargo flights are a long way off, though. LTA has until September 2024 to take advantage of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness certificate, which grants the company permission to complete up to 50 test flights under 1,500 feet.
