Luffships Ltd (LSL) is a business for design & development of buoyant aircraft (i.e., aerostats and airships) using lighter-than-air (LTA) technology leading to serious heavy-lift types for aerial-crane transport and other duties, typically as illustrated left, our goal. We know this is possible from the CL75 pictured below, built to test ideas – enabled by LSL engineers and their associates.
Maybe not what people expect an aircraft to be but who else recently vertically air-lifted and then safely carried an outsized single >55 tonne load over a >2km course, which the CL75 did? Designed for air-tow methods with 75 tonne payloads, it was just something affordable 20 years ago to start with that could be scaled up and arranged for more serious purposes, which didn’t follow and hasn’t been surpassed by others since then.
It should be noted that companies facilitate structure and organise arrangements for projects undertaken but it usually is the engineers, designers and people in the background with creative ability & knowhow who develop the projects undertaken. LSL’s leadership is with aeronautical people from the industry who are engineers/specialists with experience in buoyant aircraft development and operation. See LSL’s Teams for information.
Our motto is, “The impossible we do immediately (CL75 done), it’s only miracles that take a little longer!”
LSL aims to enable the buoyant aircraft industry worldwide working to introduce useful 21st Century types able for needed duties. However, turning ideas into reality needs investment. LSL has the knowhow for buoyant aircraft but is not an institution for them. We therefore plan to develop them in affordable stages with smaller types for suitable duties in ways that scale up to serve later goals, able to validate technology for aerial-cranes and be used for operator/network setup & growth.
LSL also undertakes design/development of the infrastructure needed for our buoyant aircraft, enabling turnkey arrangements for operators (including necessary training) to get underway. This covers essential equipment, systems and facilities, which may include compatible light re-locatable structures such as fabric covered or inflated buildings (e.g., hangars or halls) desired plus support.
See: Projects for information about LSL’s current proposals, overcoming past problems and making things affordable with needed solutions.
LSL is working to gain airworthiness authority aircraft Design Organisation Approval (DOA) status, taking responsibility for types developed. In the meantime, subject to arrangements agreed, we are prepared to work with aircraft DOA businesses interested in buoyant aircraft but who lack knowhow. However, we are not seeking Manufacturing Organisation (MOA) status, as there are numerous suppliers already established for buoyant aircraft parts and systems needed. Nonetheless, we do plan to undertake overall assembly, test, certification and so forth necessary for commercial operating services to follow.
See the Buoyant Aircraft page for further information about LSL’s designs and their origins.
