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Boeing 797 Revealed- It's a Zeppelin
April fool 2011 :-)
Secret documents leaked this week reveal Boeing's long awaited 797 design to be a zero-emission, solar powered dirigible code-named "Blue Whale." The enormous aircraft will be capable of carrying 700 passengers in private cabins, along with more than 20 times the cargo carrying capacity of an Airbus A380.
Reporting from Boeing's secretive mid-atlantic test facility on Ascension Island, Chairman and CEO James McNerney Jr described the plane as "the future of aviation, and indeed transportation itself." McNerney continued: "We've been committed to ditching these gas guzzling planes for years now and solving the 21st century's sustainable transportation problems - while ensuring that airlines can return their passengers to a golden age of comfort".
Athough about half as fast as jet travel, the Zeppelin-like airship will also be vastly less expensive to operate, thanks to almost perfect fuel economy.
American Airlines pioneered zeppelin service 2 years ago with the launch of the LZ-2 airship. However, repeated problems with the company's frisbee golf service led to low profits.
Nick Aster is the founder of TriplePundit. Prior to launching 3p, Nick worked for Mother Jones magazine, successfully re-launching the magazine's online presence. He worked for TreeHugger.com, managing the technical side of the publication for 3 years, and has also been an active consultant for individuals and companies entering the world of micro-publishing. He also worked for Gawker Media and Moreover Technologies in the early days of blogging. Nick holds an MBA in sustainable management from the Presidio School of Management and graduated with a BA in History from Washington University in St. Louis.
