Being the world’s largest aircraft to date is a considerable feat everyone can agree to. However, being the world’s largest aircraft and also a climate-friendly means of air travel is something the world has never seen before. This is the case with the Pathfinder 1 aircraft, which recently broke cover in Silicon Valley.
The world looked at the Pathfinder 1, a prototype electric airship in Silicon Valley, California. Made by LTA Research, it hopes to kickstart a new era of climate-friendly air travel. The emergence of the aircraft also hopes to accelerate the humanitarian work of its funded Google co-founder Sergei Brin.
This project has been in the works for about ten years, and it was no surprise when its unveiling made several headlines on and offline. In an interview with the CEO of LTA Research, Alan Weston, he said, “It’s been ten years of blood, sweat, and tears. Now, we must show that this can reliably fly in real-world conditions. And we’re going to do that.”
At an impressive length of 124.5 meters (over 408 feet), the Pathfinder 1 beats several other giant airships hands down. It dwarfs the current Goodyear airships by a considerable margin. It is also bigger than the enormous Stratolaunch plane designed to launch orbital rockets.
At its length, it became the largest aircraft to take to the skies since the gargantuan Hindenburg airship of the 1930s. The airship stands tall in a beautiful snow-white color and is flown using drone technology. This includes fly-by-wire controls, electric motors, and lidar sensing.
Its size, which is second to none, also gives it the potential to carry tons of cargo over many hundreds of miles. The Pathfinder 1 is so impressive with its size that experts estimated it to be longer than three Boeing 737s put together!
The Pathfinder 1 has not flown commercially yet. Only the unveiling to show the world its impressive state was approved. A series of ambitious flight tests await in the coming weeks and probably months before a possible relocation to Akron, Ohio.
In Ohio, the LTA Research company plans a giant airship called the Pathfinder 3, which will supersede the first version. The company eventually hopes to produce a family of airships for disaster relief in areas with damaged roads and airports. Additionally, they aim to offer zero-carbon passenger transportation.
Westin also said: “I’m excited about the potential of not building just one airship, but laying the foundation for many airships to be built. The innovations and the technologies that we’re about to demonstrate have the potential to lay the foundation for a new industry.”
The airship might also become a Silicon Valley landmark if things go according to plan. This is because its novel materials and systems are within shouting distance of companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon.