08.05.2026
Continuous development, followed by thorough testing, is part of the critical role the engineering team at HAV play to ensure the aircraft has the best design and capabilities possible as we work towards Type Certification. Utilising the Airlander simulator is a core part of this work, enabling the team to test, analyse and refine the aircraft’s performance in a controlled virtual environment ahead of real-world operations. This has formed a key de-risking phase for the aircraft, proving the aircraft’s operational capabilities.
During the first few months of 2026, our engineering analysis team have flown several hundred take-offs and landings in the Airlander 10 simulator. This work forms part of an ongoing programme to refine the aircraft’s performance as we continue to develop its operational capability.
Over the last year, significant development work has been carried out as we continue to optimise the setup and operation of the aircraft. The sim testing has allowed the team to re-baseline the aircraft’s performance for: take-off and landing run lengths; climb rates; accelerate-stop distances (the runway length needed for an aircraft to speed up for take-off and then safely stop if the take-off is rejected); and go-around capability (the ability of an aircraft to stop its landing approach and climb away safely to try again). This builds on earlier simulator work our team have carried out.
Expanding the operating envelope
Alongside the updated aircraft configuration testing, the team also expanded the scope of the simulator testing. This included flying the aircraft ‘heavier’ and ‘lighter’ than the planned operating envelope, as well as in wind and turbulence levels beyond those planned as operational limits. The purpose of this expansion was to ensure the aircraft still has a safe margin of performance at its limits, rather than operating right up against the limits where there is little room for error.
The team also expanded the testing to explore the limits of near-vertical take-off, where the aircraft relies more on vectored thrust than aerodynamic lift. At reduced payloads, this can provide the capability to operate from significantly smaller spaces.
What did the team find out?
- Airlander operates safely beyond its offered flight envelopes for wind and heaviness, confirming strong safety margins without sharp performance limits.
- The go-around trials showed that Airlander can safely discontinue a landing and climb away again, even very late in the approach and under the most demanding conditions (including at maximum heaviness with zero wind - the worst case).
- At lower heaviness with modest wind conditions, Airlander takes off in such short distances that no ‘near-vertical’ technique is necessary. Even at maximum payload with zero wind, Airlander requires only 600 metres to take-off and climb to 50 feet, which is comparable to a small aeroplane and less than half that required by an airliner with the same passenger capability.
- A near-vertical take-off, using thrust vectoring, can reduce the low-wind take-off distance, enabling safe operations from smaller or more constrained sites.
- Near vertical landing is practical across a wide range of heaviness. This enables landing over obstacles close to the landing site, and the ability for Airlander to arrive at a safe height over the obstacle, stop (using reverse thrust in flight) in the air above the landing site, then land using vectored thrust.