>>939281No they didn't. There were a few disasters caused by poor safety regulations, bad design, and bad piloting.
Then the Hindenburg went up, and everyone swore off it because mass media. The Graf Zeppelin was broken up for scrap to build Messerchmitts.
>>937792The fuel burn from the propulsion counters gas leakage. And it's not a factor of size, it's a factor of helium molecules being so small they slip between the molecules of the gas bags.
>>937738>It would take an enormous investment in real estate to house and operate these monsters for passenger traffic. Though they might work as cargo transports.What, like airports? A tower in a field? Airliners are fucking huge, and require literal miles of runway. A zeppelin hangar wouldn't even be that much bigger than one required to store a 747.
>>937761Oh, aircraft will never get popular. What if someone shoots them with a rifle on takeoff and landing?
Cars are unsafe. What if someone shoots at it? The tires will blow and you'll die.
21st century technology means ducted fans, super-efficient diesel engines, solar panels on the top to provide electrical power for the cabin, composites and carbon fibre everywhere.
The only limitation is helium, which is actually pretty rare. Not like hydrogen, which you can get from running a current through water.
