Zeppelins

Most people don’t realise that the zeppelin is making a revival both as a freight transport ship and cruise ship.  I propose going one better, a smaller scale household airship to tackle the problem of congested traffic on our roads.  This "Family Zeppelin" will be an ideal alternative to the family car.

The first zeppelin flight occurred on 2 July 1900, three and a half years before the Wright brothers famous flight.  Later while the Wright brothers were still arguing with governments and the media as to the authenticity of their flying contraptions success, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin  was making plans for the commercial market.  In 1909 the LZ-6 (no the L doesn't stand for Led) became the first zeppelin used for commercial passenger transport.  By 1914 the world's first airline, DELAG, was founded and had purchased seven of Count Zeppelins zeppelins.

Everyone went off zeppelins after the Hindenburg disaster in 1937 because it was such a visually memorable crash.  The thing to remember is that the Hindenburg was filled with hydrogen and also had a flammable outer coating paint with properties not unlike to rocket fuel which seemed like a good idea at the time.  Modern zeppelins are filled with non flammable helium and made of lighter, stronger materials like kevlar and PVF rather than wood and steel.   On top of that modern auto navigation, better propulsion systems and being solar hybrid, really make owning a zeppelin the best transport of the future and they could be parked on the roof.

Zeppelins are definitely the way to go for the future of transport and we can look forward to television shows like Top Gas and Pimp My Inflatable.  Also for those over compensating, the massively phallic shape more than makes up for a sports cars short comings.  But the biggest case in favour of the family zeppelin is the awesome city skyline it would create.