ACTIVITIES OF THE LTA COMMITTEE OF THE GERMAN AEROSPACE SOCIETY DGLR

Luft- und Raumfahrt (German Society for Aeronautics and Astronautics) was founded in 1974 and has consequently conducted several detailed studies on the economy of large airship carriers and on the viability of airships to be used as research platforms in various scenarios. The Committee then followed a strict policy of technical and economic viability, i.e. to be as innovative as necessary and to be as conservative as possible. The German reunification coincided with an era of renewed interest in LTA technology with a variety of new technologies, projects and interdiciplinary research aspects. The Committee, now augmented by a group of East German scientists and engineers, has assumed the initiative to collect the representatives of the various activities in annual conferences since 1993, in most cases extending over two days. The topics covered may be categorized in the following manner: · general technology analyses · economic and operations analyses · presentation of new concepts and projects · experimental data · balloon technology · interdisciplinary research (bionics, zoology etc.) · unmanned vehicles- propulsion, guidance and control · analyses concerning on- oi g problem areas · history, personalities etc. It has been noted that, in many cases, the conference gave the opportunity to present progress reports on current projects. Moreover, according to DGLR policy, students and junior engineers is given the opportunity to report on their ongoing projects. Particular aspects of economic and operational interest are e.g. heavy cargo transportation, maneuverability and ground handling, surveillance and research platforms, advertising and tourism