|
The first thing you might be
wondering: Why is the ship called "Chateau Nouveau?"
The last large Helios ship was named Chateau Snow after
my partner's old mountain getaway, so we decided to stick with
the same naming theme for this one. Chateau Nouveau
translates into "New House," which is exactly what this ship is.
As we begin our balloon ascent, the
first thing you will probably notice is this long, vertical area
of the ship directly ahead of us, and the smaller vertical area
located directly beneath the ship's tail. These parts of
the ship are known as the counterweight spires,
and they are essential for maintaining the ship's overall
balance. Most of the ship's hull and sides are in fact
made out of wood, making it very light, overall.
Therefore, without the spires, the heaviest parts of the ship
would be the tail and main propeller. With no
counterweights, the buoyancy of the helium pontoons would be
enough to overwhelm the light ship and simply turn the whole
thing belly-up! The counterweights, however, are made of
aluminum and steel, and are more than heavy enough to balance
the ship out and prevent it from flipping over with a sudden
gust of wind.
To reach the deck of the Helios,
one typically boards a small elevator located at the bottom of
the main counterweight spire. We are not doing this today,
simply because it is not the best way to see many of the
external features of the ship.
Higher we go!
As you may have guessed, these are
the gas-holding pontoons that all Helios ships are famous
for. Chateau Nouveau has four of these large teal
pontoons, and they hold the buoyant helium mixture responsible
for keeping the ship aloft. Between each pair of the
helium canisters, you will see a much smaller, red canister.
There are two of these total--one on each side of the ship--and
they are designed to aid with pressure regulation. All of
these pontoons are made of a thick, thoroughly inspected and
projectile-resistant steel, meaning the likelihood of a leak or
puncture is extremely low.
The pontoons can be manually
regulated via the ship's main control panel, which is connected
to the pontoon control valves via wiring in the wings.
The "wings" are only wings in an aesthetic sense, as they do not
serve at all the same purpose as the wings on a conventional
airplane. They are chunkier than airplane wings and are
not used for flying in any direct way. Instead, they are
used in steering and in providing the ship with balance.
Also, in a case of only the most dire emergency, the pontoons
can be jettisoned and the wings and propellers can be used in an
attempt to glide into a safe water landing. This has not
been tested, and I would prefer not to be onboard if this should
ever occur!
Additionally, the Chateau Nouveau
is the first Helios model to feature solar paneling.
The blue areas are solar panels, and the ship has the capacity
to store the equivalent of five cloudless days' worth of solar
energy to heat the interior, provide electricity, and to power
the ship's four propellers. Of course, we also carry
regular fuel in the counterweight spires in the event that we
travel in complete cloudcover for prolonged periods.
As an interesting side note, the
wingspan of Chateau Nouveau is 319 feet or 97.23 meters,
which is nearly identical to that of the Spruce Goose.
There are a few more features I
would like you to see outside before we hop aboard the main
deck. For example, this deadly-looking device is the
Helionic Cannon, a powerful scientific tool and the ship's
only physical defense. Although it is mainly used to
detonate various test explosives and launch projectiles for
scientific experiments, it can also theoretically be used to
deal a catastrophically powerful Helionic missile into
the hull of a hostile ship. This is largely impractical
however, since the Helios cannot turn itself swiftly enough to
outmaneuver a smaller, better-equipped fighter vessel.
Also, since Chateau Nouveau was built for the peaceful pursuit
of scientific exploration and not for warfare, hopefully
the likelihood of ever having to use this cannon against another
ship is very low.
That smaller cannon and pointed red
piece beneath the Helionic Cannon is the magic cannon.
I think all that magic stuff is a bunch of hokey, for the most
part, but the idea is that the red, spiked channeling rod
is designed to intensify whatever magic we shoot out of the
cannon. We've never used it before, and frankly, I'm not
looking forward to the day when we have to.
Now, let's swing back around to the
rear of the ship...
From here, you can see the four propellers that provide the
Chateau Nouveau with movement; three small ones in the rear for
thrust, and a large one on top to provide lift. As I have
already mentioned, Helios airships need very little activity
from the engines, if any, to stay aloft. Most of the time,
the propellers are activated merely to counteract wind, or to
gain or lose altitude. While on the move, the Helios
typically cruises at a steady speed of about 75 miles per hour
or less. In higher altitudes where the air resistance is
lower, it can easily achieve 100 miles per hour, and I'm told
that in an emergency it can move as fast as 150 miles per hour.
Needless to say, this is not an overly fast vessel when compared
to standard military vehicles. It is designed to slowly
cruise for long lengths of time, and it is very good at doing
just that.
Before we go inside, I would like
to show you one last thing. As we approach the deck, be
sure to look for--hey, I think that's my associate Fresia
Albacore down there on the rear deck! HI FRESIA! HI!
Ahem. Anyway, the triangular sliver you see
here is the exposed end of the ship's freshwater holding tank.
To be as efficient as possible, Chateau Nouveau catches
rainwater or snow during slow cruising or stationary periods for
later use. I will delve more into this once we climb
onboard.
Speaking of climbing onboard, it's
time to jump to the ship! I'll unfold the ladder...
Next:
Jump onto the rear deck of the
Helios. Yippee! >
<
I want to hear all that techy stuff again
|
