null
1-855-215-2914
Free Shipping on orders $75+ (Shipping Details Here)
loginLogin
Cart Cart

Aviation Oil Outlet Aviation Oil Outlet

  • CUSTOMER SERVICE
    • Contact Us
    • Credit App
    • Quote Request
    • Shipping Info
  • ABOUT US
    • Our Products
    • About Us
    • Mission
    • FAQ
  • RESOURCES
    • Videos
    • Articles
    • Email Sign-up
  • login
    Login
  • cart
    Cart
    • Aviation Lubricants By Application
      • All Aviation Lubricants By Application
      • Aviation Piston Engine Oils
        • Straight Grade Mineral Oil for Engine Break-in
        • Straight Grade Ashless Engine Oil for Normal Use
        • Multi-Viscosity Mineral Oil for Engine Break-in
        • Multi-Viscosity Ashless Engine Oil for Normal Use
        • Multi-Viscosity Grade Oil for Light Sport Aircraft
        • Aviation Oil with Lycoming LW 16702 Additives
      • Aviation Turbine Oil
      • Aviation Hydraulic Oil
      • Aerobatic Smoke Oil
      • Aviation Greases
    • Aviation Lubricants By Weight
      • All Aviation Lubricants By Weight
      • Aviation Grade 65, SAE 30
        • Straight 65 Grade Mineral, Break-In Oil
      • Aviation Grade 80, SAE 40
        • Straight 80 Grade Mineral, Break-In Oil
        • Straight 80 Grade, Normal Operation Ashless
      • Aviation Grade 100, SAE 50
        • Straight 100 Grade Mineral, Break-In Oil
        • Straight 100 Grade, Normal Operation Ashless
        • Grade 100 with Lycoming LW 16702 Additives
      • Aviation Grade 120, SAE 60
        • Grade 120 Mineral, Break-in Oil
        • Grade 120 Ashless for Normal Operation
      • Aviation Oil SAE 10w-40
      • Aviation Oil SAE 15w-50
        • Multi-Grade 15w-50 Ashless for Normal Use
      • Aviation Oil SAE 20w-50
        • Multi-Grade 20w-50 Break-In Oil
        • Multi-Grade 20W-50 Ashless for Normal Use
      • Aviation Oil SAE 25w-60
        • Multi-Grade 25w-60 for Engine Break-In
        • Multi-Grade 25w-60 Ashless for Normal Use
    • Lubricant Accessories
    • Shop By Brand
      • AeroShell
      • BlueSky Lubricants
      • Mobil
      • Phillips 66 Aviation
    • About Us
      • Our Products
      • About Us
      • Mission
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of Online Sales
      • Online Shopping Security
      • Terms Of Use
    • Resources
      • Videos
      • Articles
      • Email Sign-up
      • Bookmark Our Site
      • Get Our Free Web App
      • Site Map
    • Customer Service
      • Customer Service
      • Return Policy
      • Contact Us
      • Credit App
      • Quote Request
      • Shipping Info
      • FAQ
      • Paypal Resource Page
    • Login Create an Account


    1-855-215-2914
    The Flight Blog - Read Articles The Flight Blog - Read Articles
    Back to Blog Homepage
    SPIDER: The Answer for Lockheed Martin Airship Repair

    SPIDER: The Answer for Lockheed Martin Airship Repair

    By Sarah Simonovich on Aug 2nd 2016

    A Robotic SPIDER may hold the answer to furthering hybrid airship efficiency

    While the airship industry certainly isn’t “huge” compared to other methods of [aviation] transportation technology, it is seeing a resurgence–especially with Lockheed Martin’s P-791 Hybrid Airship. Hybrid Airships, Lockheed Martin claim, offer the benefits of “large cargo capacities with significant reductions in fuel consumption compared to other air vehicles while remaining faster than land and sea transportation systems.”

    Sounds fantastic, right? There certainly is nothing better than high-efficiency air travel –unless, of course, the means to repair the craft hinder the overall efficiency.

    How do you repair an airship?

    Holes happen. They come with the territory of an aircraft consisting of an inflated envelope. Even the tiniest pinholes affect aircraft efficiency: a non-airtight envelope can significantly affect the airship’s efficiency and, overtime, its ability to fly.

    How do you repair these holes? Up until now, this has always been a manual task. Traditional airship maintenance involved a crew of workers partially inflating the envelope while one team located holes using a bright light while another team inside patched them. This method has always been time consuming and expensive–neither characteristic wanted for an innovative project.

    In comes Lockheed Martin’s SPIDER.

    SPIDER

    The solution to the human problem is, naturally, a robot. Lockeed Martin’s Skunk Works researchers developed SPIDER (which stands for Self-Propelled Instruments for Damage Evaluation and Repair) to inspect airship skins for holes and repair them.

    Hybrid airship engineer told IEEE Spectrum the concept “originated when the P-791 Hybrid Airship demonstrator flew 10 years ago. The idea of eliminating the pinhole check, a serial step in the production schedule, is attractive when you are producing a significant number of large airships each year. SPIDER allows this check to be performed in parallel with the airships final assembly.”

    The SPIDER works in a manner somewhat similar to magnet-style cleaners for fish tanks. The robot is actually two halves: one half goes on the exterior of the envelope, and the other on the interior. Magnetically-coupled, the robot moves across the entire surface of the envelope; the outer half shines light on the airship’s surface while the inner half detects potential pinholes using light sensors in the (otherwise) dark envelope. When SPIDER detects a hole, it is able to repair it using a patching mechanism, and then sends before and after photos of the area for repair verification.

    Streamlining airship repair helps to establish better overall efficiency for the utilization of hybrid airships–an aircraft that Lockheed Martin believes will define sustainability for the future.

      

    You can read the entirety of Ben Szpak's interview with IEEE Spectrum here. 

     

    Cover Photo: Lockheed Martin
    • #Technology
    • #air ship
    • #aviation technology
    • #blimp
    • #blimp repair
    • #how do you repair an airship?
    • #lockheed martin
    • #Lockheed Martin P-791 Hybrid Airship
    • #p-791
    • #rigid airship
    • #spider
    • #SPIDER robot
    • #sarah simonovich

    You might also be interested in:


    Newsletter | January 2023
    by Aviation Oil Outlet on Jan 12th 2023

    Do You Use Our FREE Web App? Now you can save our website as an app on your
    monthly newsletter
    Newsletter | November 2022
    by Aviation Oil Outlet on Nov 22nd 2022

    Other Smoke Oils Pail in Comparison to Bluesky Bluesky White Lightning Smok
    monthly newsletter
    Newsletter | October 2022
    by Aviation Oil Outlet on Oct 28th 2022

    Shop One of Our Most Popular Products - In Stock While Supplies Last One of
    monthly newsletter
    !

    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Get the latest updates on new products and upcoming sales

    aoo logo
    Aviation Oil Outlet
    454 South Main Street
    Wilkes Barre, PA 18703
    United States of America

    1-855-215-2914

    E-mail:
    sales@aviationoiloutlet.com

    Follow us on Social:

    Customer Service

    • Contact
    • Credit Application
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Quote Request
    • Returns
    • Shipping Information
    • Sitemap

    Resources

    • About Us
    • Accessibility
    • Brands
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Online Shopping Security
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions of Online Sales
    • Terms of Use
    • Video Library

    Account

    • Account
    • Cart
    • Checkout
    • Order History

    © 2023 Aviation Oil Outlet

    payment method icons Bizrate
    ​