英伦广角 英国打造全球最大飞行器即将试飞

 

In a giant hanger¹ in Bedford, the largest aircraft in the world is having some finishing touches, this wing is a fresh addition, next up another engine, this is the Airlander 10, the 92-meter long aircraft will have its first test flight in just a few weeks. It's the combination of more than 40 years of research, but whatever you do, don't call it an airship.

It's not an airship, it's a mix between an airplane and an airship with a little bit of helicopter thrown in, it uses the absolute latest materials, it's got the latest fly by night technology and the latest avionics on it and the latest computer software, it's very much an aircraft for the 21st century.

The Airlander was originally developed for the US military as a surveillance craft, this was a successful test flight, but the department of defense² abandoned the idea, but hybrid³ air vehicles reworked the plane as a commercial venture. It'll fly for five days cruising at 80 knots at 20,000 feet, and it could carry 48 passengers, unlike traditional airships, the Airlander has no internal structure, the complete region through from being filled with helium adjust above atmospheric⁴ pressure. This hanger is where British airships three times as long as the Airlanders were built in the 20s and 30s, the H disaster and the advent⁵ of faster airplanes made airships fall out of fashion.

The Airlander is a nice example of how technologies are renewing themselves, the airship is an idea a century old going back to the aeroplane, but new techniques like computer aided design and engineering materials give you this, it's a giant aircraft, but it's green, it's quiet, it can carry a lot, and it can go a lot further than other aircrafts. 

Because the Airlander can take off and land on most surfaces including water, and doesn't need a runway, the company thinks it will be useful for cargo⁶ in hard-to-reach places, for leisure cruises and for research.

We are not talking about a mass market products here, we are talking about something highly specialist, it will be very useful for those who need it, but the number of companies and organizations that are going to need something as specialist as this are not large in number.

There is no escaping the fact that the Airlander 10 does look rather bottom like, but the future of aviation comes in all shapes and sizes.

1 hanger   

n.吊架，吊轴承；挂钩

参考例句：

• I hung my coat up on a hanger.我把外衣挂在挂钩上。
• The ship is fitted with a large helicopter hanger and flight deck.这艘船配备有一个较大的直升飞机悬挂装置和飞行甲板。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

4 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

5 advent   

n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临

参考例句：

• Swallows come by groups at the advent of spring. 春天来临时燕子成群飞来。
• The advent of the Euro will redefine Europe.欧元的出现将重新定义欧洲。

6 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。