July 29, 2008 -- Peter Jess, president of SkyHook International, isn't sure what to call the new aircraft he recently contracted The Boeing Company to build.
Officially, the football-field-sized, blimp-shaped, helium-filled aircraft -- designed for short distances and heavy loads -- is called the Jess Heavy Lifter 40 (JHL-40).
The designer, SkyHook, and the manufacturer, Boeing, claim that the aircraft will have two-and-a-half times the carrying capacity (80,000 pounds) while using half the horsepower of the world's current heavy-lifting helicopter, the Russian-built MI-26.
Unofficially Jess called the JHL-40 a "blimp on steroids" during a recent press conference.
But that's not entirely accurate, he admits.
The JHL-40 is "heavier than a blimp but lighter than an airplane," said Jess. "It's an entirely new kind of aircraft."
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Transport Canada agree. According to Jess, both agencies will create a new kind of pilot license for the "neutrally buoyant" JHL-40.
All other aircraft are either positively or negatively buoyant, explained Jess. Blimps are positively buoyant, meaning that without additional ballast they would rise into the atmosphere.
Helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft are negatively buoyant; without power they fall to Earth.
The JHL-40 will straddle the difference -- floating with little fuel, but not rising high into the sky. A helium-filled envelop offsets the weight of the cabin and equipment.
Four Chinook helicopter rotors will raise and lower the aircraft (and its 40-ton payload), while four other thrusters will maneuver the aircraft horizontally. A crew of five will operate the aircraft initially in northern Canada at temperatures between 30 and -40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Initially, the JHL-40 is designed for easier access to oil and gas, mining, and forestry resources in the far north of Canada. Currently only ice roads and river barges allow minimal access to these areas, which contain rich deposits of metals, precious stones, oil and natural gas, and timber, said Jess.
SkyHook will be the only customer for the JHL-40, with plans to buy between 50 and 60 aircraft. It will operate as its own air transport company, contracted by various industries to transport heavy equipment into an area and in some cases, haul out the natural resources.
Ken Laubsch, JHL-40 project manager at Boeing, said several technical advances, including new fabric to make the envelope more puncture-resistant and lighter materials, make airships more practical today than ever before.
"This is a new, untapped market," said Laubsch. "Even if we can only get the temperature rating down to -35, which means they might only have 120 operating days instead of 125, that's still 120 days that they otherwise wouldn't have."
Outsiders are intrigued as well.
"It's an interesting project," said Paulo Lozano of MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. "Most of the attention has been on making aircraft fly higher or faster...But for applications [SkyHook] has in mind, the attractiveness is that it's fuel efficient and can carry a great deal of weight."
The first two fully operational JHL-40 prototypes should be available in 2012. In the meantime, Jess isn't worried about what people call the aircraft as long as they use them.
"Eventually there will be a handle that sticks," he said.
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