This will be the first time the Airlander will be viewable by the public (albeit from a safe distance off the airfield).
A comprehensive suite of in-hangar tests have been completed successfully.
Airlander has now formally been granted permission to conduct its first series of flight tests by both EASA and the UK CAA.
Following the completion of the Airlander assembly in March, the Airlander’s team have completed indoor testing and it is now on the brink of exiting the hangar for the first time.
Once out on the mast, the last few days of testing, including full power engine runs, electromagnetic interference checks and a final overall vehicle systems checkout, will be conducted. At the end of these tests the team will assess the need for either a brief return to the hangar for final inspections or subject to weather those inspections may be carried out on the mast.
Then it will be time for pilots David Burns and Simon Davies to take command of the Airlander 10, christened the Martha Gwyn in April, and start the flight test program of this unique and game-changing aircraft.
Despite being in a hangar the size of the biggest of ocean liners, Airlander, being the largest aircraft in the world is a tight fit. Exiting the hangar will be a very delicate operation – there will only be a 6m clearance from the fin tip to the sides of the hangar doors when she emerges. And at 92m long it will take approximately 20 minutes for her to clear the hangar and start her journey to one of the two mast sites specially prepared for her on the airfield.
The hangar exit will only commence when Alex Travell, HAV’s Ground Operations Chief is given clearance to proceed by both Chief Test Pilot David Burns and Technical Director Mike Durham. All three of them have to be happy that a large number of safety, equipment and weather requirements have been ticked off on the hangar exit checklist. The total team involved in exiting the hangar will comprise less than ten personnel.
While the hangar exit and transit to the mast site is underway we would request that the public remains outside the airfield boundary at a safe distance and do not cause a road safety issue by parking on the double yellow lines or verges of the A600. Access to the airfield will be highly restricted during this process and the main airfield entry (Jackson Gate) will be closed.
Once the Airlander is secured at its masting site the aircraft will be free to ‘weathervane’ nose into wind. The landing skids are fitted with special ‘shoes’ to minimise wear and environmental impact to the ground beneath them. At a later date Airlander will take to the skies. 3
The Airlander is expected to be a showcase of UK innovation and is already being used in the UK Government’s "GREAT Britain" campaign to highlight the strength of the aerospace sector and the innovation in engineering this country is capable of creating, which will support over 400 new jobs and be a great export generator for the UK. As the Airlander approaches first flight, customer interest has increased, particularly in the defence and security sector.
The next step is to ensure the UK Government runs a trial in order to demonstrate the potential of this amazing aircraft to the world and secure the lucrative exports, and grow further jobs in Bedfordshire and in the supply chain across the UK (80% of Airlander’s supply chain is British). This is the next step to ensure the £6m of UK Government grants received thus far lead to orders. Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd is also looking to raise equity through High Net Worth individuals and Institutional Investors to fund some aspects of the Flight Test Programme.