Hot Air Airship Directory

Please Note: Active and inactive hot air airships are listed separately.

B 614 L "Red/Yellow"
Model: Zhong Hua ZH-100; c/n ?; year 1998; volume ? cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Gao Xinsheng, China.
Notes:

D-GEFAFLUG "Adler"
Model: GEFA-FLUG AS 80 GD; c/n ?; year ?; volume 80,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Karl-Ludwig "Mucky" Busemeyer, Aachen, Germany.
Notes: Mostly pink.

D-ORCA "Adler"
Model: GEFA-FLUG AS 80 GD; c/n ?; year ?; volume 80,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Rainer Hasenclever, Aachen, Germany.
Notes: Mostly pink.

D-? "Warsteiner"
Model: GEFA-FLUG AS 80 GD; c/n ?; year 1997 or 8; volume 80,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Warsteiner Brewery, Germany.
Notes: This ship was fitted with the rebuilt gondola from Jens Petersen's Thunder AS-80 (G-BROL).

D-? "Warsteiner"
Model: GEFA-FLUG AS 80 GD; c/n ?; year 1997 or 8; volume 80,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Warsteiner Brewery, Germany.
Notes: From what I understand, this is a second "Warsteiner" envelope for the same gongola as above.

F-WGMO "Rainbow"
Model: Lindstrand AS-300; c/n ?; year 1993; volume 300,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Dany Cleyet-Marrel, France.
Notes: This airship was originally built by T&C as the AS-261. Lindstrand built a larger replacement envelope and upgraded the gondola. The ship is used to drop a giant raft on top of the canopy of tropical rain forests in Central Africa and South America to allow scientist to study the fauna and flora of the tree tops.

G-BKNL "Sport Promotion"
Model: Cameron D-96; c/n 3192; year ?; volume 96,000 cu ft
Pilot/Owner: Paolo Contegiacomo/Sport Promotion SRL, Italy
Notes: One of the last unpressurized ships to be flown in competition. It received a custom-made aluminium gondola for the 1996 Worlds in Aosta, Italy.

G-BLSN "Name Unknown"
Model: Thunder AS-56; c/n 616; year 1980s?; volume 56,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Tim Collins (Wisconsin), USA.
Notes: Sold from Enlgand to the USA in 1998.

G-BNKF "Red/White"
Model: Thunder AS-56; c/n ?; year 1987; volume 56,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Ron Miller, Tucson, Arizona.
Notes: This ship is currently looking for a new owner.

G-BPCG "Grana Padano"
Model: Thunder AS-80; c/n 1300; year ?; volume 80,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Nello Charbonnier, Italy.
Notes: Longitudinal rainbow colors with yellow banner.

G-BTBR "Cameron Airships"
Model: Cameron DP-80; c/n 2344; year ?; volume 80,000 cu ft
Pilot/Owner: Tom Sage, Bristol, England
Notes: Cameron factory demonstrator.

G-BWLH "Goodyear"
Model: Lindstrand HS-110; c/n 331; year 1997 or 8; volume 110,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Carlos Diaz de Leon, Mexico.
Notes: This is the first time in history that Goodyear has used a thermal airship instead of a helium airship.

G-BXEY "Mayer Luftwebung"
Model: GEFA-FLUG AS 105 GD; c/n 3936; year 1997 or 8; volume 105,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Dietmar Mayer/Mayer Luftwerbung, Germany.
Notes: Yellow and blue.

G-BXKU "EPUL"
Model: Thunder AS-120; c/n ?; year 1997 or 8; volume 120,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: David Chipping, Portugal.
Notes: This ship is owned by the Tourism Board of the City of Lisbon (EPUL) and displays various banners to advertize local events and attractions.

G-BXNV "Land and Sky Waterbeds"
Model: GEFA-FLUG AS 105 GD; c/n ?; year 1998; volume 105,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Benoit Simeons/European Balloon Corporation, Belgium.
Notes:

G-LRBW "Thomapyrin"
Model: Lindstrand HS-110; c/n ?; year 1998; volume 110,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Oberstdorf, Germany.
Notes: light blue, white, gray.

G-NDRW "NDR Werbung"
Model: Thunder AS-80; c/n 2085; year ?; volume 80,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Franz Taucher, Germany.
Notes: Blue with white lettering and smile face on nose.

G-OVAX "VAX"
Model: Thunder AS-80; c/n 0000; year late 1980s?; volume 80,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Vax Appliances Ltd., England.
Notes: Orange.

G-TRIB "Pittsburgh Tribune Review"
Model: Lindstrand HS-110; c/n 174; year 1997; volume 110,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: John Addison, Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), USA.
Notes: This is the only thermal airship in the USA which is used for commercial advertizing. It is fitted with a transponder to fly in controlled airspace and can be internally illuminated.

G-VIBA "Shark"
Model: Cameron DP-80; c/n 1729; year ?; volume 80,000 cu ft
Pilot/Owner: Ted Moore, England
Notes: Formerly at the Soukoup and Thomas Balloon and Airship Museum in Mitchell (South Dakota), USA. Previously registered as G-UPPY.

G-WZZZ "Smirnoff"
Model: Colt AS-56; c/n 607; year 1980s?; volume 56,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Oscar Lindstrom/OSCAIR PROJECT AB, Sweden.
Notes:

HA-B-401 "Zeppelin Reklam"
Model: Cameron DP-90; c/n ?; year 1995?; volume 90,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Molnar Csaba, Hungary.
Notes: Red with yellow, black and white.

HB-BKR "AS Airship AG"
Model: Cameron DP-80; c/n ?; year ?; volume 80,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Felix Bühlmann, Switzerland.
Notes: This is the first thermal airship I ever saw (without realizing what it was)!

HB-BVC "Le Matin"
Model: Thunder AS-105; c/n 2213; year ?; volume 105,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Jacques-Antoine Besnard, Switzerland.
Notes: Yellow, red, purple and silver.

HB-BYC "Le Matin"
Model: Thunder AS-105; c/n ?; year ?; volume 105,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Jacques-Antoine Besnard, Switzerland.
Notes: Yellow, red, purple and silver. This is an alternate envelope to be used with the same gondola as HB-BVC.

HB-QBF "24 Heures"/"Tribune de Geneve"
Model: Manufacturer Model; c/n ?; year 1997 or 8; volume 105,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Charles-Andre Besnard, Switzerland.
Notes: Blue and red. Removable banners to change from "24 Heures" to "Tribune de Geneve" newspapers, both of which are owned by Edipresse S.A. Features a "new" envelope designed after the acquisition of Thunder & Colt by Cameron Balloons.

JA-A112 "J-Phone"
Model: Cameron D-96; c/n ?; year ?; volume 96,000 cu ft
Pilot/Owner: Saga, Japan
Notes: This early non-pressurized Cameron was still seen flying in Saga, Japan in November 1999.

N142RT "Americana"
Model: Colt AS-90; c/n 357; year 1980s?; volume 90,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Rick Wallace, Santa Monica (California), USA.
Notes:

N9029Q "David"
Model: Boland David; c/n A-5; year 1998; volume 51,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Brian and Louise Boland, Post Mills (Vermont), USA.
Notes: This is the first homebuilt pressurized thermal airship. It is named David, as in David and Goliath.

OK-4000 "Nova"
Model: Cameron DP-90; c/n ?; year 1995?; volume 90,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Vratislav Hlavaty, Czech Republic.
Notes: Mostly black.

OM-ADS "Reprox"
Model: Kubicek AV-2; c/n ?; year 1999; volume 120,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Ales Kubicek.
Notes: Built for a customer in the Slovak Republic.

SE-ZAM "Fuji"
Model: Thunder AS-56; c/n 689; year 1980s; volume 56,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Oscar Lindstrom/OSCAIR PROJECT AB, Sweden.
Notes:

Ultralight "Blimpette"
Model: Boland Blimpette; c/n A-4; year 1997; volume 14,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Brian and Louise Boland, Post Mills (Vermont), USA.
Notes: This is an AX-1 hot air airship. It is all but practical to fly due to its small volume, except in cold temperatures or with a very light pilot.

[unknown] "Coca Cola"
Model: Kubicek AV-1; c/n ?; year 1997; volume 100,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Augur Aeronautical Centre, Moscow, Russia.
Notes: Built in the Czech Republic by Kubicek Balloons and then transferred to Augur in Moscow.

[unknown] "Air Vision"
Model: Lindstrand HS-110; c/n ?; year 1996 or 7; volume 110,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: the late Leopold Richer, Canada.
Notes:

[unknown] "Cristal"
Model: Thunder AS-105; c/n ?; year 1997 or 8; volume 105,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Victor Mardones, Chile.
Notes:

[unknown] "Pepsi"
Model: Thunder AS-105; c/n 0000; year 1997 or 8; volume 105,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: ?
Notes: Mostly blue.

YR9000 "Zeppe"
Model: Thunder AS-56; c/n ?; year 1985; volume 56,000 cu. ft.
Pilot/Owner: Minhea Chris, Romania.
Notes: Formerly registered OE-AZU in Austria, this thermal airship has been flying successful advertising missions in Romania since 1999.

Inactive Thermal Airships are now listed separately.
This list obviously contains some inaccuracies. If you know of a currently flying Thermal (Hot Air) Airship that is not listed here or if you have a correction for the information on this page, please let me know (webmaster@myairship.com) so that I can update this directory.

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