[kato13]

Semi related topic.

Given the anniversary of WWI there have been lots of documentaries on lighter than air ships.

One interviewed a pilot of a modern blimp and he happened to mention that even with modern technology Helium Airships lose 10% of their volume weekly. He also said this was only a small improvement over the WWI era ships which used cow intestine lining as a barrier.

Contrasting that I saw a supporter the US military using airships claiming that there is only a 3% loss annually when using the best materials.

Obviously a 520% loss and a 3% loss would lead to radically different annual logistical requirements. Because of this I have put any thoughts of lighter than air ships for my project on the back burner.

My google-fu has not helped me resolve this contradiction. I know the cube-square law would make it variable depending on size so I know there will not be a hard number, but I was wondering if anyone had any insight on this subject.