Talk:Aerostat

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[edit] Mergefrom

The following discussion is archived. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section.


I propose that the article captive balloon be merged with this one. Their meanings are identical. Captive balloon is the less formal term. Aerostat the more formal one. Blimpguy 14:11, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

  • No one appears to be too interested in the issue, but I agree with the merge. Vicarious 09:28, 7 November 2006 (UTC)
  • Aerostat and moored balloon should not be merged, as moored balloon excludes all free aerostats. I also think that both aerostat and aerodyne have a place in wikipedia. Other broad categories of aircraft configurations have pages, such as fixed wing air craft, rotorcraft, etc. The pages are extremely useful as part of the link net for someone researching aircraft configurations.24.21.101.33 (talk) 05:01, 25 March 2008 (UTC)
The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section.


[edit] Meaning

I would argue the assumption that aerostat has two meanings. An aerostat is:

  • an aircraft which is supported mainly by its buoyancy in air. Balloons and airships are aerostats (Webster)
  • an aircraft, especially a balloon or dirigible, deriving its lift from the buoyancy of surrounding air rather than from aerodynamic motion. (Your Dictionnary)
  • any lighter-than-air aircraft, as a balloon or dirigible (Dictionary.com Unabridged).

Hence, the "narrower, technical meaning" of moored balloon is erroneous, or at best a misguided usage of the word.

Moored ballons are, indeed , aerostats, but aerostats can by no means be reduced to moored balloons...

vonZep 16:54, 2 December 2006 (UTC)

The narrow meaning is certainly not erroneous, just different from the more common usage. For example, see the products page of one of the premier LTA envelope manufacturers that clearly uses the narrower meaning. That said, I agree that the narrower/technical use of the term is probably more confusing than helpful and not thus appropriate for the general audience of Wikipedia. It probably makes more sense to have the one article named "moored balloon" (FAA terminology) or "captive balloon" (old fashioned terminology) or "tethered balloon" (yet another term) for the narrower meaning and have the "aerostat" article span the broader meaning. Blimpguy 19:13, 2 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Sci-fi

I find the claim that aerostats are commonly used in sci-fi unsubstantiated as there are NO links to ANY sci-fi movies or books where such use of aerostats has been shown or mentioned as described in this article! So, I would suggest adding at least 2-3 links to different sci-fi works to give an absolute minimum evidence of "common use" in sci-fi. I am not a sci-fi specialist, though quite fond of it, and I cannot instantly recall any aerostats being used in sci-fi, although I might be following a different kind of sci-fi...

[edit] Wiktionary

I am wondering whether there should be a WP article for either aerostat or aerodyne. Both can be covered by a Wiktionary entry. The specific types of each should have separate articles. Dhaluza 05:19, 2 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Etymology of "blimp"

Please see the article on the blimp, which says that there never was a "balloon-limp" classification, but rather:

The term "blimp" is reportedly onomatopoeic, the sound the airship makes when one taps the envelope (balloon) with a finger. Although there is some disagreement among historians, credit for coining the term is usually given to Lt. A.D. Conningham of the British Royal Navy in 1915.