Spirit of Dubai
Encyclopedia
Spirit of Dubai is one of three Skyship 600
aircraft operated by Airship Management Services
of Greenwich, CT, USA. These ships are currently the world's largest currently operating non-rigid airship
s (the Zeppelin NT
is larger, but has a semi-rigid design.) The airship, N605SK (s/n 1215-05) and was originally built by Airship Industries in Cardington, UK in November 1986 and it is owned and operated by Skycruise Switzerland AG. Airship Industries was bought by Westinghouse Corporation in the very early 1990s.
In November 2006, the ship was leased and decorated with new artwork and flown under the name Spirit of Dubai. The ship is planned to make a publicity tour from London
to Dubai
, United Arab Emirates
. The journey is being undertaken to promote a new land development, The Palm Jumeirah
in Dubai. It is planned that the journey will take in landmarks including the Big Ben, The London Eye and Tower Bridge
in London, Stonehenge
, the White Cliffs of Dover
, the Eiffel Tower
and Versailles
in Paris, the Leaning Tower of Pisa
, the Colosseum
in Rome, the Parthenon in Athens and the Great Pyramids in Egypt.
The airship made it to the island of Crete. The next leg of the journey was planned
to go through Egypt. However, for reasons unexplained, the Egyptian authorities
refused to grant permission for the airship to make the trip. In spring of 2007
the ship returned to Europe for use in sightseeing.
Prior to its departure from London, the aircraft was used for sightseeing tours in Switzerland under its owner/operator company name Skycruise Switzerland.
Skyship 600
The Skyship 600 is a modern airship, originally designed by British company Airship Industries, and now owned and operated by Airship Management Services and Skycruise Switzerland AG.The first Skyship 600 made its maiden flight on 6 March 1984....
aircraft operated by Airship Management Services
Airship Management Services
Airship Management Services, Inc. builds, owns and operates Airship Industries Skyship and Sentinel type airships. AMS, run by George Spyrou, and through associated companies in the U.S., Europe and Japan, provides technical and operational support to airships worldwide...
of Greenwich, CT, USA. These ships are currently the world's largest currently operating non-rigid airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
s (the Zeppelin NT
Zeppelin NT
The Zeppelin NT is a class of airships being manufactured since the 1990s by the German company Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH in Friedrichshafen. The initial model is the NT07...
is larger, but has a semi-rigid design.) The airship, N605SK (s/n 1215-05) and was originally built by Airship Industries in Cardington, UK in November 1986 and it is owned and operated by Skycruise Switzerland AG. Airship Industries was bought by Westinghouse Corporation in the very early 1990s.
In November 2006, the ship was leased and decorated with new artwork and flown under the name Spirit of Dubai. The ship is planned to make a publicity tour from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
. The journey is being undertaken to promote a new land development, The Palm Jumeirah
Palm Jumeirah
The Palm Jumeirah is an artificial archipelago created using land reclamation by Nakheel, a company owned by the Dubai government in United Arab Emirates. It is one of three islands called the Palm Islands which extend into the Persian Gulf, increasing Dubai’s shoreline by a total of...
in Dubai. It is planned that the journey will take in landmarks including the Big Ben, The London Eye and Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, England, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name...
in London, Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
, the White Cliffs of Dover
White cliffs of Dover
The White Cliffs of Dover are cliffs which form part of the British coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliffs are part of the North Downs formation. The cliff face, which reaches up to , owes its striking façade to its composition of chalk accentuated by streaks of black flint...
, the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
and Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
in Paris, the Leaning Tower of Pisa
Leaning Tower of Pisa
The Leaning Tower of Pisa or simply the Tower of Pisa is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa...
, the Colosseum
Colosseum
The Colosseum, or the Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre , is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire...
in Rome, the Parthenon in Athens and the Great Pyramids in Egypt.
The airship made it to the island of Crete. The next leg of the journey was planned
to go through Egypt. However, for reasons unexplained, the Egyptian authorities
refused to grant permission for the airship to make the trip. In spring of 2007
the ship returned to Europe for use in sightseeing.
Prior to its departure from London, the aircraft was used for sightseeing tours in Switzerland under its owner/operator company name Skycruise Switzerland.
Specifications (Skyship 600)
Links
- Spirit of Dubai MySpace
- Press coverage of the start of the publicity tour.
- Official Tour Website -- Contains photo galleries, pilot's blog, etc.
- Airship Management Services -- Operators of the designation Skyship 600.
- Skycruiser Switzerland AG -- Owner and Operator of N605SK, This Skyship 600 performs sightseeing passenger flights during the Summer months.
- an airship caught on Google Street View over London's Elephant & Castle around the time the Spirit of Dubai's tour was launched