MAAT Cruiser/Feeder Airship: Connection and Passenger Exchange Modes 2013-01-2113

In the general framework of the EU FP7 MAAT project, a novel green air transport architecture is under development. The paper presents the possible architectures for the cabin connections and the transfer modalities for people, crew and freight, for to the European project MAAT. Different architectures have been evaluated setting out to cover the structural and propulsive needs and to enable the transport modes between the Cruiser and the Feeders. The different possibilities are discussed conceptually, by considering the advantages and disadvantages of the presented configurations. The bases for future detailed design and research are established, as through such conceptual study the main parameters are identified and found to affect the general design of both airships and their operability. The aim of this paper is to specify the necessary elements, which are necessary to perform the docking operation by taking into account the prescribed Feeder-Cruiser geometries. Consequently, it provides the guidelines for the initial validation of the feasibility to apply the proposed Cruiser- Feeder shapes. It is expected that the results will be applied to the new generation of airships design by allowing the definition of the future Cruiser/Feeder based aerial transport.