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Aerial Tour of Chateau Nouveau 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... |
