World's longest aircraft is ready for flight

The world's longest aircraft, an airship spanning more than six double-decker buses, is set to make its maiden flight in the northern hemisphere spring, reports The Sydney Morning Herald quoting British manufacturer Hybrid Air Vehicles.

The 92-metre Airlander 10 floated in a hangar in Cardington, central England, at a media event where its backers showcased a vessel they said could stay airborne for up to two weeks.

Hybrid Air Vehicles is hoping the slow-moving, helium-filled Airlander 10 will catch the eye of potential customers who might want to use it to carry cargo or deliver aid, for surveillance, communications or leisure. It can carry 48 passengers, says the report in Sydney Morning Herald.

The Airlander can take off and land vertically, which means it does not need a tarmac runway. It can also operate from open fields, deserts, ice or water, meaning it could be useful for humanitarian missions or coastguard monitoring.

Airships have a long history stretching back to the 19th century, although their use was curtailed by competition from aeroplanes in the 20th century and high-profile accidents such as the Hindenburg disaster in 1937.

Hybrid Air Vehicles is a privately held firm funded so far by £17.5 million ($33 million) raised from 1000 shareholders, and which has benefited from US investment and British and EU grants.

It will undertake additional ground testing before a first flight in the coming months.

The airship could then become a familiar sight over the central English countryside as it aims to complete 200 hours of test flights before demonstrations to potential customers.

Hybrid Air Vehicles hopes to be building 12 of the airships a year by 2018, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.