Three Airship Designs
1. The most simple functional blimp ever created
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Brad Larsen created the world's simplest dirigibles (blimps). These patented fling toys were so unique and attention-getting that the blimps were featured on the front page of the Seattle Times, a television show called Northwest Afternoon, and the front page of the McMinnville News after being featured at a science fair in McMinnville, Oregon, funded by Hewlett and Packard.
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The patented design requires no assembly, batteries, or expertise of any kind. Using this toy is much like flying a rubber band airplane.
Brad directed the product development, including engineering, graphics, and manufacturing. As nothing like his design had been created previously, Brad designed the forming machines and manufacturing fixtures that enabled efficient assembly. The product was successfully marketed in the toy, hobby, promotional, and message balloon industries. Key customers included Rhizome Design, the Seattle Chamber of Commerce, Goodrich Aerospace, QFC, and Thriftway.
Famous TV Appearance
Front Page of News Papers
Operation Manual
Custom Short Run Production
Short Run Production, Manufacturing Fixtures, Die cutters, and Vacuum form Molds for wind up blimps
2. Three Fan Stunt Blimp
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Two-engine boats, airplanes, and airships can all be easily steered with thrust differential. By putting the right motor in forward and the left motor in reverse, the vehicle will turn. The stunt blimp takes this 2D function to fully controllable 3D aerobatic flight. This design can perform loops, flips, vertical take-offs, straight-down dives, and other stunts that are not typically associated with blimps. Steering in this way is especially attractive for hovering aircraft such as a blimp. When an aircraft slows down or hovers, all the flaps, wings, and control sources stop working. However, the three motors of the stunt blimp provide full control at any speed. When Brad Larsen completed the product development and manufacturing of these unique flying machines, including molds, graphics, and electronic designs, they were so attention-getting that they were featured on Pioneer Productions' "Extreme Machines," Season 4, Episode 10.
3. Outdoor Aerobatic Blimp
The "Fast Blimp" is an original design capable of climbing at a rate of 1500 feet per minute and performing loops, flips, vertical take-offs, straight down dives, and other stunts that are not typically associated with blimps. Due to the front position of the propeller, gyroscopic correction was necessary, resulting in one of the smoothest flying dirigibles ever created. The gyro automatically cancels out any horizontal movement caused by wind disturbance or speed changes. Unlike traditional gondola designs, this blimp remains stable without wobbling or rocking. These flight characteristics distinguish this platform from other blimp designs, making it suitable for autonomous flight, surveillance, or use as a drone. Additionally, all blimps have one outstanding advantage over airplanes and helicopters: airships can be safely flown over a crowd. In the event of electronics or motor failure, they will not plummet into the ground or a person.
