How can a lighter-than-air vessel operate in severe weather?
A. An airship is not a free balloon; its engines give it a handling and steerage capability that frees it from all but the severest gusts. Its structural resilience, riding quality, control responsiveness and other attributes provide altogether excellent weather handling qualities. Icing and snow are of less importance in flight than for an aeroplane – where they can be catastrophic. In short, airships can and do fly in all weather conditions in which fixed-wing aircraft can fly. The only restriction to flight in severe weather is the ability to take-off and land in winds exceeding 30 knots.
