The largest airship since the Hindenburg will soon begin testing (5 photos)

Lighter Than Air (LTA) Research is a California-based company founded by Sergey Brin in 2015 to study the use of airships for disaster relief and cargo transportation missions.

The company said it received a special airworthiness certificate in early September for the Pathfinder 1 airship, which is filled with helium instead of hydrogen.





The 124-meter Pathfinder 1 (Russian: “Pioneer 1”) is the largest airship since the Hindenburg (245 meters) to receive permission to fly.

Pathfinder 1's frame is made of titanium and carbon fiber-reinforced polymer tubes, making the structure light enough to use helium instead of the hydrogen that killed the Hindenburg.



The airship is equipped with 12 electric motors located on the side and in the tail part of the airship, and four rudders in the keel part allow vertical takeoff and landing.





The FAA issued the certificate for a period of one year, but LTA Research hopes to meet it within three months. Testing will begin at the joint airfield Moffett Field (Moffett Field, NUQ/KNUQ) in San Jose. The certificate authorizes LTA to fly Pathfinder 1 within the airspace of Moffett Field and neighboring Palo Alto Airport at altitudes of up to 460 meters (1,500 feet), allowing testing without interfering with traffic at civil airports in San Francisco and San Jose.



Testing of the huge Pathfinder 1 will begin first on the ground, for which it will be attached to a mobile mast. LTA then plans to conduct approximately 25 low-altitude flights totaling 50 hours.

LTA Research has an even larger airship on the way - the 180-meter Pathfinder 3.