France: ONF seeks to transport logs from mountain forests by airship
15.03.2017 France: ONF seeks to transport logs from mountain forests by airshipLe Figaro, 15 Mar 2017, online:-
The supervisory board of France's national forestry office, Office National des Forêts (ONF), has approved the acquisition of a minority stake in a project to use airships known as 'Flying Wales' as a transport solution for timber harvested from forests in the Alps, the Pyrenees or the Massif Central. According to the ONF's calculations, this means of transport would be cheaper than building a road and more efficient than using helicopters. A first prototype is expected in 2021 and an investment of EUR 200mn (USD 213.47mn) is planned, while the office will contribute its expertise in methods for hanging logs. According to ONF engineer Benoît Fraud, this is currently the only hover transport project currently capable of carrying a load of 60 tonnes (equivalent to 20 helicopters). The Flying Whale, a heavy-duty airship measuring 140 metres in length, will be manufactured in Istres at a Dassault site that has recently been sold to the Franco-Sino-Moroccan consortium in charge of building the airship.
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