A Brilltastic Idea?

There is a company out there called Aeros Corp that is leading the charge in the next wave in Blimp technology. I have met people who are fascinated by blimps. I think blimps are mildly entertaining, kinda like penguins - it's cute to see them try and move around. But, Areos is creating a luxury liner for the skies, that can go from San Francisco to Boston in 18 hours, or it can be converted into an adventure travelers dream boat- where you can go where no road or boat can take you. With no runway or road needed, the next generation of blimps may be the perfect thing for our crowded cities. This gave me an idea- a brilliant and fantastic idea!

The above picture is my proto-type model for the PBD (Personal Blimp Device) I whipped up again from TimAmy Designs. About the size of a large SUV the PBD is a vertical take off and landing device. Using fly by wire, electric motors, GPS, Autopilot, Radar, Video Camera, and solar/hydrogen power- this is the commuting vehicle of the future. Simply hop in- use the google interface (google Earth) to show where you want to go- and sit back and enjoy the ride.

My initial estimates based on no research again, show that this device could be mass produced for around $60,000 a pop, and have a top speed of 130 mph. On a windy day you could probably get this baby up to 180!

As always- we are accepting donations for development of this project: Email us. We hope to have a working prototype up and running by 2008. Happy Travels!

**Update*** Apparently the challenge here is to create a light enough structure, that you can reduce the engine size, and also provide enough lift (with forward propulsion)- this works in scale- which is why large blimps make sense but small ones have a tough go of it. But don't worry- again based on no research- I think a carbon nanotube/crosslinked structure should provide the light/weight and ridgidity I'm looking for. Heck- expect a production model by 2009.