Planning the development of railway transport under the conditions of the Siberian North is possible only on the basis of thorough exploration of mineral deposits and an assessment of their prospects.
And this work cannot be carried out without aviation, even though its use is costly. For example, the cost of transporting a set of drilling equipment over a distance of 70–100 km is approximately equal to the cost of the equipment itself. But this is not the only issue: in order to transport drilling rigs without extensive dismantling, more powerful helicopters are required than those currently in use. According to geologists, over long distances these helicopters can transport only themselves — they take on more fuel than useful payload.
In this connection, I cannot but return to an issue that in recent years has repeatedly become the subject of heated debate — namely, the use of such vehicles as airships and hovercraft. The attitude toward airships among aviation specialists is well known — purely negative. I would not dare to claim that it is dictated solely by departmental interests: today, mastering the construction of airships is tantamount to creating an entirely new branch of industry. Moreover, I am ready to concede that the operation of airships is also associated with considerable difficulties. But we are not talking about the use of airships in general, but about their application in a region for which there are practically no effective means of transport. Especially since foreign projects of heavy-lift vehicles are already known, representing a helicopter equipped with airship-type buoyancy envelopes.
Thus, I categorically speak out in favor of the airship. We need it.
Andrey TROFIMUK,
Academician, Hero of Socialist Labor
On the cover, one of the modern ideas is presented: a hybrid of a balloon providing lift and a helicopter giving this unusual device horizontal speed.
