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How Many Blimps are There in the World?

Blimps were common in the sky 100 years ago, but not anymore. Many people believed the airship was the future. Why did they become extinct, and how many blimps are left in the world today? Here is everything you need to know.

How Many Blimps are There in the World?

What are Blimps?

A blimp is a non-rigid airship that relies on the pressure of lifting gas, such as helium or hydrogen, to keep it aloft, it lacks an internal structural framework and a keel. We also know it as a dirigible balloon.

Blimps are a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can fly by themselves. Aerostats use a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air to lift into the air.

They built the first blimp in 1852, and they used them as a mode of transportation for fee-paying passengers until 1937.

During World War II, they also used them for surveillance. They are mostly used for advertising nowadays. There are three types of airships: rigid, semi-rigid, and non-rigid.

Blimps are commonly used to describe non-rigid airships, they rely on internal pressures to maintain their shape.

Semi-rigid airships rely on internal pressures to maintain their shape, but an iron keel in the center of the structure also supported the structure.

The rigid airships, also known as ZEPPLINS, have a strong structural framework that keeps their shape.

Some or all of the cells within the airship contain the lifting gas. In September 1852, the first steam-powered airship took to the skies, Just 51 years before, the Wright brothers took their first blimp flight and declared that they would pioneer air travel.

How Many Blimps Do We Have in the World?

There are approximately 25 blimps left in existence, with only half of them still in use. They use less than half for advertising, so It’s unusual to see one floating above you.

Air sign Group owns and operates eight of them, including the DirecTV blimp, the Hood Blimp, and the MetLife Blimp. A large certified blimp costs between £1-2 million.

H. Giffard from France built the first efficient airship in 1852, he developed a steam engine weighing 160 kilograms (350 pounds) and producing three horsepower.

This was enough to propel the propeller at 110 revolutions per minute. The enormous costs involved in the development and maintenance of the plane are the reason there aren’t many airships on the horizon right now.

They are both expensive to build and expensive to operate, and helium is required in large quantities for airships. Each flight can cost more than $100,000.

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Why aren’t Blimps Used Anymore?

The high cost of building and operating blimps is one of the primary reasons they are no longer used. Because the ships require a large amount of helium, a single trip could cost £70,000.

Pilots must complete over 400 hours of training before they can drive a blimp. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, only 128 people are qualified to fly airships in the entire United States.

Another reason there are fewer blimps nowadays is the invention of drones. Blimps were once used to capture images or footage from above, but this is now possible with drones.

What are the Most Well-Known Blimps?

Below are the most popular blimps.

  • Hindenburg
  • The Graf Zeppelin
  • Flying Aircraft Carriers
  • The First Zeppelins
  • The World’s First Airline
  • The Goodyear Blimp

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Frequently Asked Questions

Because of the enormous costs involved in building and operating them.

Three weeks.

There are approximately ten operational blimps.

Unfortunately, there are no reliable ways to get a blimp ride in the United States.

$39K-$62K

 Around $40 million 

35 miles per hour

The helium would slowly leak out.

Blimps can fly at altitudes ranging from 1,000 to 7,000 feet (305 to 2135 m).

Helium


Blimps are extremely safe; none of Goodyear’s blimps used to market its products have ever crashed. The safety record heavily depends on preventive measures.

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