LTA Research has begun testing the 124.5-metre Pathfinder 1 airship, making it the world's largest existing flying machine

Pathfinder 1 is an airship from LTA Research, which is the largest existing flying machine in the world. It has recently begun flight testing.

Here's What We Know

The Pathfinder 1's propulsion system is represented by a dozen electric motors. They are powered by diesel generators and batteries. The motors are expected to allow the aircraft to reach a speed of 120 kilometres per hour.

Naturally, the Pathfinder 1 will not travel that fast in initial tests. The airship was able to leave the hangar at Moffett Federal Airfield in the southern part of San Francisco Bay, California. It was travelling at pedestrian speed.

The Pathfinder 1 tests are taking place during daylight hours as LTA Research wants to understand how the more than 28,000 cubic metres of helium will behave when exposed to sunlight. Permission for the test flights was granted by the US Federal Aviation Administration in early autumn 2023.

The licence allows LTA Research to lift the airship into the air 50 times. The maximum flight altitude will be 460 metres. The aircraft is designed to be flown by one pilot, the tests will be flown by two people. The certificate expires in September next year.

At 124.5 metres long, the Pathfinder 1 is the largest aircraft of the day. However, it is almost half the size of the Hindenburg airship, which was built in 1936 and crashed on 3 May 1937. There were 97 passengers and crew members on board.

Source: TechCrunch