hertenberger.co.za

Funny how so many things were done in the past, but are never really repeated. It makes me wonder whether the actual events portrayed in history books were just clever photo montages or made up. The moon landing is one. The deployment of lighter-than-air, efficient dirigibles for passenger and cargo transport is another. Siemens‘ initiative CargoLifter to build a huge airship a few years ago failed. Now, Boeing has teamed up with SkyHook International to produce a heavy-lift rotorcraft.

The JHL-40 (Jess Heavy Lifter) is helium-filled and will be used to transport equipment and materials in remote regions. Which parts of the earth are still classified as remote is one question I have. I expect they’re not thinking Midtown Manhattan here. The carrying capacity of the JHL-40 is roughly 35 tons and the range of the dirigible is almost 500km.

Let’s hope the availability of helium has been carefully planned. Another hydrogen-filled Hindenburg incident would probably be a bad idea…

Or is it just an elaborate stunt to promote The Watchmen?

The SkyHook International website doesn’t resolve to a domain name. There’s an IP address only…