QCOSTARICA — In an effort to revolutionize the aviation industry and offer sustainable transportation alternatives, Costa Rican businessman and aviation mechanic, Jesse Blenn, has carried out an innovative project that has also captured global interest; ultralight electric airships, the first in the world for ecological tourism.
Recently, interest in airships has emerged due to their significant potential in terms of energy efficiency and offering comfortable space for cruise-type travel.
These airships have the ability to consume only a fraction of the energy required by airplanes, and can be designed to deliver cargo and passengers without depending on landing strips, unlike conventional aircraft.
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Currently, there are major projects underway in California, France and England, exploring the various applications and advantages of these modern airships.
The question arises: Why not in Costa Rica?
Blenn has launched a preliminary project, named Da Vinci Costa Rica, to manufacture airships powered by electric motors with lithium batteries. The large version could use just two Tesla motors to carry 80 passengers or 8 tons of cargo over long distances.
“My goal is to be at the eventual Brunca airport in the Southern Zone and take tourists wherever they want by airship, so they can be on an open balcony flying at 100 km/h and at 2,000 meters (2 km) high. It is very safe,” said Blenn.
With versions ranging from compact two-seat models to large-sized airships with capacity for 80 passengers or 8,000 metric tons of cargo, the versatility and adaptability of these airships are key aspects that differentiate them from other similar projects. The smallest is 33 meters long and the largest is up to 110 meters, that is, the size of a soccer field.
“The idea is to provide an exclusive travel experience and at the same time provide an efficient and practical means of transportation for remote areas with little infrastructure. There is interest in the project from an airline from northern Canada, where there are difficulties and high transportation costs, and good possibilities for its use in the Amazon,” Blenn indicated.
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The business plan is divided into two stages. The first involves the introduction of two-passenger ultralight airships in tourist areas outside the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) of San Jose, in coastal areas, as long as they take off and land in the same place.
“The airships in operation are old-fashioned, noisy and polluting. We will build a modern airship that is safer, quieter, more economical and has precise control that eliminates the large team of men on the ground to land. Furthermore, with electric motors you spend less than $5 a day on electricity and without polluting,” Blenn proposes.
The second stage expands the design to address larger projects, including the possibility of freight transportation.
When talking about challenges, Blenn highlights the importance of financing as the main obstacle on the path to realizing this ambitious project.
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“The most important thing is to get the financing, we even need to have a 40-meter hangar, large but simple. Basically with $600,000 I could finish the first airship and do the necessary tests, and then start the tourist flights. The idea is to operate them in Costa Rica and Latin America and sell them in the rest of the world,” explained Blenn.
What is an airship?
Airships dirigible balloons are piloted aerial vehicles, built for about 120 years, large and elongated that float in the air because they are filled with a light gas such as helium or hydrogen.
They are driven by engines and have aerial rudders to control them. The most famous brand was Zeppelin, made in Germany from 1900 to 1938.
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