[Milsurplus] [MRCA] USS Shenandoah at 100 - Airships

[Ray Fantini]

The ones I was involved with were little , 275 thousand cubic feet (275K) built for the Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS) they had a bulge underneath with the electronics and antenna  but the generator would be just a small ground generator that was hung somewhat from the front, out in the open.
Although having been there for launch and recovery I never got in the ground crews way but always thought that it would be real bad news if you were pulling on that thing and a gust of wind came along and blew it around unexpected on its mooring. Even the 275 was a huge bag of gas.
When the one in Virginia escaped wonder if anyone tried to grab or hold on to its tether?

Ray F/KA3EKH


-----Original Message-----
From: mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net <mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net> On Behalf Of mstangelo at comcast.net
Sent: Monday, November 13, 2023 11:55 AM
To: Milsurplus <milsurplus at qth.net>; Mrca Mailing List <MRCA at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [MRCA] USS Shenandoah at 100 - Airships



When I was sailing with a friend in the Bahamas we saw one of those radar aerostats tethered by a communications building in Georgetown Exuma. This was in the late 90's and low flying aircraft was a popular way of importing drugs.

I recall a radar aerostat coming loose in Virginia. It finally landed on Pennsylvania:

<https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/jlens-aerostat-comes-loose-from-tether-moves-towards-pa>

Mike N2MS


> On 11/13/2023 10:52 AM EST Ray Fantini <rafantini at salisbury.edu> wrote:
>
>
> We had a lot of ground wind that day, not gusting but was some wind. All these little drones somehow take this into account and have the ability to be placed at a point in the air and will not move, have no idea how they do that in an environment that's always moving. Many years ago did a lot of stuff with airships called "Aerostats" where they were equipped with a surface facing radar, transmitter and small gasoline generator to power all that stuff. Would launch them to between three to five hundred feet and they provided a fun way of watching what was going on below.
> We kept them on station with a tether and truck.
>
> Ray F/KA3EKH
>