In central Alberta last week, an unusual sight caught the attention of onlookers — a 20-meter airship floating in the sky. While people may be familiar with the Goodyear Blimp at events, spotting a similar craft in rural Alberta is a rare occurrence.
The airship, powered by solar energy and comparable in size to a school bus, was undergoing aerial survey tests near Rocky Mountain House, approximately 200 kilometers southwest of Edmonton. A collaborative team from Cloudline, a South African aerospace company that produced the airship, and its Canadian partner, 3 Points in Space Media, conducted flight trials at the Rocky Mountain House Airport.
Describing the airship as akin to a helium party balloon, Sean Adams, the CEO of 3 Points in Space Media, highlighted the technology’s novelty. The integration of control systems with the airship renders it autonomous, distinguishing it from traditional blimps.
The preparation for flight involves filling the airship’s envelope with helium and conducting diagnostics while the craft is tethered. Once cleared, the operators release the airship for calibration runs before embarking on long-distance survey missions.
With a payload capacity of 40 kilograms, Cloudline’s CEO, Spencer Horne, emphasized the airship’s ability to carry heavier camera and LiDAR sensors over extended distances compared to standard drones. This feature enables the collection of data in remote areas for monitoring pipelines and infrastructure, a task typically handled by conventional aircraft or smaller drones.
Although crewed aircraft are more suitable for extreme weather conditions, efforts are underway to enhance the airship’s resilience for such scenarios. TC Energy’s vice-president of pipeline integrity, Joe Zhou, highlighted the research initiative’s potential to gather diverse data types in a single flight, noting the quieter operation of the airship compared to conventional aircraft.
The operation of the airship signifies a modern revitalization of historic aviation, according to Michael Adams, the VP of research and development at 3 Points in Space Media. He views this as an opportunity to modernize an aviation technology that declined in the 1930s, referencing the Hindenburg disaster.
The appearance of the airship in the Rocky Mountain House area generated significant interest among locals. Mayor Shane Boniface expressed amazement at witnessing the airship, noting the social media attention it garnered. While Cloudline operates airships internationally, sightings of such autonomous craft are rare in Canadian airspace.
Future plans for the flight team include cold-weather testing in northern Ontario to prepare the airship for sub-zero conditions and Arctic operations.
