Solar-powered airship lands at Rocky airport

By Diane Spoor
Staff Reporter

A unique airship has made the Rocky Mountain House airport its home for a couple of weeks.

The solar-powered autonomous airship will be conducting damage prevention aerial patrols along the right-of-way of a pipeline for TC Energy between Rocky and Sundre between Oct. 5 and Oct. 9.

The 20-metre long blimp, built by a South African aviation and aerospace company called Cloudline, is just one of four in the world.

Spencer Horne, Cloudline founder and chief executive officer (CEO), said the blimp has a lot of advantages for pipeline data collection. Horne said because the airship is solar powered it can run for up to 12 hours on a single flight, compared to approximately 45 minutes for a traditional drone. The blimp can also be outfitted with multiple sensors allowing several inspections to be done in one flight.

Joe Zhoe, vice president, Pipeline Integrity with TC Energy said, “Unlike traditional technologies, which can be limited by range and payload capacity, we are piloting a helium-filled, solar-powered airship that can carry heavier equipment over longer distances.” He added, “This research initiative creates the potential to gather multiple types of data in a single flight.”

In addition, Horne said the airship is relatively quiet compared to traditional drones, and is also very visible to both other aircraft, and residents in the area of the inspection. Horne is one member of a team of seven from Cloudline, and its Canadian partner, 3Points.

Zhoe said TC Energy also appreciates that the airship is quieter. “This approach is also quieter than conventional aircrafts and can be remotely operated.”

Sean Adams, 3Points president and CEO, said under Transport Canada the blimp falls under drone regulations meaning it will fly at a maximum of 400 feet during its test flights and pipeline inspection. The inspection flight is expected to take place in one continuous flight (weather permitting).