SmallBlimps FAQ
Please post questions, and I will add them and their answers here.
What is the point of this site?
This is a forum where people discuss small blimps. But this site is about more than that, most of the people here are more than enthusiasts. We want our own personal airships and we believe that we can collaborate to design and build one. Hopefully, one day soon, we will all be able to afford our own small blimp to play, travel, or do whatever in.
Why a small blimp?
Blimps are great and here is why:
* They fly
* They are safe
* They are efficient
* They have good range
* They can be quiet
* They can have large internal space
How is this going to happen?
We have recently focused on developing a basic airship kit. This kit would give anyone a great starting point for building an airship. The kit will consist of an envelope and a connected gondola. All one would need to go flying is lifting gas and propulsion system. This should get us much closer to getting the craft we all dream of flying. The standard envelope will be roughly lenticular. It will be constructed from two flat sheets of material and will look like a foil party balloon when inflated.
How much progress have you made?
We have done well so far. In a year and 9 months, we have well over a hundred members and over 4400 posts. We have skilled people with training in engineering and design, but we always need more people. We have surveyed the group in many different ways, and we have reached conclusions on a few important areas. We plan to build our first prototype kit to meet ultralight specifications. This allows the craft to be operated by almost anyone, without expensive training or certification. We are working to solidify the concept that can be engineered into the prototype. One of the most important things any member can do is to make their opinions be known. Our final product will only improve if we hear what other people want in their personal airships.
What about organization?
As yet, there is no formal organization of the SmallBlimp community. We have discussed many different business and non-profit organizational options. No action is planned on this until the community can agree on which option would be best to pursue.
What about funding?
Most of the details on funding are heavily dependent on the organization of the group. For example, a corporation can sell shares to raise money, while other types of organizations cannot. We selling screen printed t-shirts, but that is our only active fund raising activity. You can check that out here. http://smallblimps.lefora.com/2010/12/09/t-shirt-quote/
What kind of people do we need?
Anyone who is enthusiastic about making small personal airships affordable and practical will be welcome. We can use people with skills and we could use people with deep pockets, but that is not necessary. A strong group requires a wide base. All that is required to participate is the desire to do so.
What should I do?
Join, read, and post. There is a lot we can learn from each other, and this forum is as good a place as any to do it. A good place for a first post is the "tell us about yourself thread". We also have web-conferences every Tuesday. If you want to join that, please post to introduce yourself and follow the "Conference Every Tuesday Night!" announcement in the sidebar. http://smallblimps.lefora.com/2009/06/23/tell-us-about-yourself-your-interests-your-skills/page2/#post20
What are the rules?
Respect other people, and try to stay relatively on-topic with posts. That is it until we need more rules.
Posts should only be unilaterally deleted if they are inflammatory, obscene, or to remove a double post.
more to come
