Posted on 03/15/2024 3:30:21 PM PDT by Libloather
Call it the Skytanic.
Engineers have unveiled plans for the world’s largest airplane, dubbed the WindRunner, which could revolutionize renewable energy by transporting gigantic wind turbine blades from point A to B.
Designed by the Colorado-based energy company Radia, the behemoth cargo carrier measures a whopping 356 feet long and 79 feet tall with a wingspan of 261 feet.
For reference, this castle in the sky is nearly as long as a regulation NFL football field and 127 feet longer than the Boeing 747 — the world’s largest passenger plane.
With a potential carrying capacity of 80 tons, it will also be able to hold 12 times as much as the latter aircraft as well.
In order to accommodate the jumbo jet’s landing, a 6,000 foot runway will also need to be constructed.
The WindRunner’s purpose is to fly the blades of onshore wind turbines — which measure between 150-300 plus feet long and can weigh 35 tons — to various wind farms.
Due to their gargantuan size and unwieldiness, these freakishly big fan blades currently have to be transported offshore via specialized marine vessels, which limit their use on land.
“Today’s largest wind turbines and the even larger ones of the future cannot be transported to prime onshore wind farms via ground infrastructure,” Radia writes on its website.
This challenge initially inspired Radia employees to undertake this massive endeavor.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Soon to be renamed "Titanic."
How do they get from the airport to the wind farm? Or will each wind farm have an airport?
“Designed by the Colorado-based energy company Radia”
I hope their employees are a diverse bunch.
No kidding. I was visiting Glacier National Park last summer and saw one of those oversized rigs with a turbine blade pulled off to the side of the road on the approach to Going-to-the-Sun road. Which has a max vehicle length limitation of 22'. Someone made a wrong turn...
A few years earlier I was going up I-25 north of Casper, WY, and saw another such rig on the off-ramp. At a glimpse I could see their problem: They couldn't make the turn onto the side road because of a light pole on one side and some fencing on the other. Evidently they forgot to scout things out.
The wing loading seems excessive.
Drop it on a parachute over the wind farm! XD
Is it one of those huge, cloud-like airships they talk about building?
Just what I was going to say. The left that acts like its concerned about wildlife wants to put up giant bird blenders.
Doubling down on stupid
Let’s just say I hope I don’t live beneath the flight pattern. Those blades are enormous.
QUESTION: How much energy is being used to transport one blade?
A terrorist’s dream come true.
Pikers. Build a Zeppelin (Biden already gave the Helium to the Germans.)
My favorite nature spot on Lake Huron in Canada has been disfigured by hideous windmills. During the day one looks at them on the nearby horizon, and at night its endless red blinking lights
I like the Spruce Goose better.
With the short wings, the V2 speed will be around 300kts to get airborne.
every once in a while I see an Antanov, those things are just ginormous.
as far as the Skytanic, it is a bad idea they should instead use a blimp that way they don’t have to land and they can drop the blades and towers at the site where they want to build. and yes of course they should use hydrogen
No version of that name should ever be considered I think
Titanic
Titan
Well...
I wonder what the carbon footprint of transporting those blades around is.
Yes, Hindenburg 2.0.
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