INNOVATIONS Will Zeppelins Take Off?

Does a market exist in the Far North for using zeppelins to bring diamond drills into remote exploration camps? To transport heavy equipment to isolated mining properties in the Northwest Territories? To supply remote mines? Or, for that ma tter, to conduct airborne geophysical surveys? Many Canadian entrepreneurs, know ing the high cost of helicopter transportation, light planes and heavy-cargo pla nes, have considered the idea. But few have actually done a market survey to det ermine the business potential of using the rigid airships — few, that is, other than Hermann Gloge, a management consultant in Edmonton, Alta.

He’s busy investigating the idea on behalf of Charles Sartori of Hamburg, West Germany, who’s a strong advocate of using zeppelins in the north. “If the minin g industry feels there is a market for zeppelins, we could put one in the air in about three years, on a chartered basis, at a cost of $30-$100 million per craft,” Gloge says. But there are some strong misconception s to overcome first.

Gloge has written to 300 mining companies but has received only six responses — most requesting more information.

He says many of the fears associated with zeppelins are misconceived. “No, they don’t explode. And no, they don’t blow off coarse with the slightest wind. And no, they don’t just creep along at a snail’s pace,” he says.

In fact, solid-shell zeppelins, unlike blimps, can clip along at 135-150 km per hr and remain fairly steady in a stiff wind because of their size and stronger motors, according to Sartori. (Zeppelins were first constructed in 1899-1900 by Ferdinand, Count von Zeppelin).

Some of the other advantages include:

* A net carrying capacity of 10 tons to 150 tons.

* Low fuel consumption — about 10% of that of a typical helicopter.

* Long range because of low fuel requirement.

* Estimates of 1/3 to 1/5 the cost of transportation by helicopter.

But there is a downside. Zeppelins, because of their large size (35,000 cum) require a large, open area in which to land. Also, the metal parts on t he zeppeli ns collect ice in the winter. But Sartori is confident the advantages of the air ship greatly outweigh its disadvantages.