Airships, or dirigible balloons, are lighter-than-air aircraft that operate from a lifting-gas that is less dense than the surrounding air, keeping them afloat.
Non-rigid airships are what people commonly call blimps.
Fifty-one years before the Wright brothers’ first flight, blimps claimed to be the future of air transportation.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, only 128 people in the United States are qualified to fly airships.
Today, there are about 25 blimps still in existence and only about half of them are still in use for advertising purposes.
So if you ever happen to see a blimp floating up above you, know that it’s a rare sight to see.
Alarm clocks, stereos, and DVD players—just some of the things in your home that won’t exist in 10 years. »