The Patrol Airship Concept Evaluation (PACE) Trials in 1983
at the former Weeksville Naval Air Station (NAS) North Carolina
undertaken by Airship Industries
The PACE Trials were a follow up from the joint evaluation of lighter-than-air (LTA)
aircraft in 1982 conducted by the USA’s Coast Guard and Department of Defense.
The study undertaken by them was “to determine the feasibility of developing an airship to
meet Navy and Coast Guard needs”.
To facilitate things, the US Navy contracted Airship Industries Ltd (AI) in the UK (headed
by Roger Munk) for lease of an AI SKS500 airship for evaluation purposes; considered by them
to be the same size as the Goodyear Blimp, but with a payload capacity by weight of plus
40% - enabled by vectored thrust arrangements to balance serious all-up weight change without
load exchange when hovering.
After all, airships enable long endurance patrol with significant loiter capability
to remain over an area of interest (proved in both WWI and II), but need ways to balance
aerostatic lift (buoyancy) with weight and/or other means (vertical thrust) when there’s
little aerodynamic lift from airspeed.
At the time Luffships.com’s founder Charles Luffman was an aspiring aircraft engineer
in his early thirties employed by AI in 1981 to help with general design, engineering and
structural analysis to enable a type certificate for the SKS500 airship series (awarded 21
Nov 1984, believed to be the first for an airship).
After completing an urgent task to design and then project manage the development, installation
and test of a new better undercarriage needed,
he was tasked to facilitate arrangements for the subsequent PACE Trials at Weeksville in
1983.
This led to similar design/engineering and project management work for SKS500-03 modifications
desired for a deployable boat below its gondola plus means for crew access and boat recovery
with the crew aboard.
The task also included installation of a rescue winch above the gondola’s entrance door.
The task involved: various modifications of the deployable boat (an Avon Sea Rider), the
SKS500- 03’s gondola (for new apertures and reinforcements)
and design of necessary winch mounting parts.
He also interacted with the electrical systems’ engineer Tony Pattison, production/assembly
teams and airship crew led by Peter Buckley, who
also was the test pilot.
Charles project managed the modifications/installations, seeing it all through as one of the trials
test engineers with Tony.
The boat modifications were undertaken in the UK by Aerospace Construction Ltd (Ascon)
who also made the winch mounting parts.
Their team, led by Mick Paton, were proficient in boat construction/modification and composite
structures.
Indeed, Ascon (headed by Jeremy Munk, Roger’s older brother) was a close partner of AI,
where they worked together on this and many other projects undertaken by AI.
Charles first went to the USA in 1983, staying in hotel accommodation at nearby Elizabeth
City NC with the Ascon team.
The short route from there to Weeksville took him past the US Coast Guard Air
Base, whose people assisted the programme and acted as observers throughout the trials.
The former Naval Air Station near Weeksville (a village in NC surrounded by fields and
woods) is sited next to the Pasquotank river, which
flows into the Atlantic Ocean just a few miles away, so was
an ideal sparsely populated location for the trials.
Indeed, NAS Weeksville during WWII was an active station with numerous airships housed/deployed
from there for coastal patrol duties, which the Coast Guard now serves.
The main thing to look out for was snakes, which sometimes were found curled up in quiet
places in the vast dimly lit No 2 airship hangar, used by AI for airship assembly, maintenance
and so forth.
Charles found one in what Americans call the Rest Room.
Waters from the Pasquotank to the East USA NC coastline are protected by the Outer Banks,
a sandy strip of land with dunes that the Wright Brothers flew from.
This was a great place to go for relaxation and sailing on the calm warm shallow inland
waters – also fishing, crabbing and clams, specialities of the region.
It all went reasonably well, so the airship was soon off (launched) for a boat deployment
test onto the Pasquotank river.
Photos show scenes snapped from the airship’s large and open windows plus via
open apertures in the gondola’s floor for crew access to/from the boat and the bifilar
winch lines holding it.
These lines could be released by crew in the boat using a simple lever.
However this was the first time for such deployment – so
unmanned.
It was found during deployment that while the lines were short the boat was stable below
the gondola.
However, as it descended with the lines becoming longer, it began to wobble (yawing) and sway
(sideways) with bigger oscillations.
This was bound to happen, but the test was needed to discover limits for safe operation
without means for stabilisation.
It was found to be “not so bad” as pessimists would think and didn’t cause the lines to
become twisted, although it would spin if the lines were too long.
However, when it entered the water (with a splash) water was taken aboard increasing
its weight.
It therefore was quickly agreed with the pilot (a little anxious) to just cut it free using
the winch line cutters.
There also were hand wire cutters onboard (just in case).
The test thus was over and the winches needed repair.
Then, off again for another trial over the Pasquotank with crew following in the Sea
Rider.
Mick (a noble chap) volunteered for the test – a
simulated rescue recovery operation from the boat to the
airship.
Apart from remarks by him (a big chap) that he had to keep his arms down to prevent slipping
from the strop, the test was successful.
The trials demonstrated that airships can be used for such purposes, although refinements
of the arrangements were desirable.
Such refinements naturally would be part of a development programme for such airships
following either an agreed order for them or further contracts to continue the investigations.
Regrettably, the US evaluation didn’t lead to further development.
Nonetheless, similar and later 1985 trials with the SKS600-01 for the French Navy with
a modified Zodiac boat (the ‘bat boat’ with deployable
fins) and numerous other modifications (also schemed and project managed by Charles Luffman)
did lead to successful stable deployment/recovery with crew onboard; where Roger with a flight
test engineer (Mike Cuming) were the Guinea Pigs for the test.
Roger, in the sky-blue wetsuit, is seated fore – a true leader, sadly missed after
passing away 2010.
Charles was in a similar Zodiac boat at the time, from which the photo was taken (by a
colleague), on Grafham Water.
The US Navy in 1986 subsequently contracted further airship development work via an alliance
between Westinghouse and Airship Industries for the later designated YEZ-2A.
Here is a photo of Charles beside a model of the gondola taken in the foyer of Bond
House (former AI HQ in Chiswick, London) that the draughtsmen he directed for it made.
Unfortunately, none of these projects were followed up to enable service entry, leaving
the world devoid of such capability.
Why?
Airship Industries closed in 1990.
However, Luffships.com is the place for them!