The Airlander 10, the largest aircraft ever, got off the ground in England for the first time on Wednesday after an attempted flight on Sunday was scrubbed because of a "technical issue."
The 302 foot-long aircraft, described as "part plane, part helicopter, part airship" by The Independent, and about 50 feet longer than the biggest passenger jet, was launched at Cardington Airfield in Bedfordshire, England.
Hybrid Air Vehicles said the Airlander 10 can stay in the sky for about five days during manned flights, reported BBC News, and can be used for such things as surveillance, communications, delivering aid and passenger travel.
The company said it planned to build 10 more aircraft for use by 2021.
CEO Stephen McGlennan said the company had been waiting for the right wind speed to launch the aircraft.
"Think of a big helicopter, a really giant helicopter," McGlennan said, per the Independent. "This can do the same thing that a helicopter can do – that's to say, provide air transportation for people and goods without the need for a runway – but this thing can take more over longer distances, it's cheaper and it's greener."
"It's a great British innovation. It's a combination of an aircraft that has parts of normal fixed wing air craft, it's got helicopter, it's got airship."
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