That massive plane that looks like a butt successfully flies now, so that's good news
Life may be a bit chaotic right now, but hey, at least that massive plane that looks like a butt is back in the sky.
The world's largest booty-shaped aircraft, Airlander 10 -- aka the "Flying Bum" -- successfully completed a 180-minute test flight this month, almost a year after crashing at its Cardington Airfield base in Bedfordshire, England.
Though the helium-filled aircraft briefly flew for the first time on Aug. 17, while attempting its second test flight days later it took a nosedive into a field and sustained damage to its cockpit.
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In February, the aircraft's developer, Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) announced the world's largest aircraft was back in business and that the ship's damaged flight deck instrument panels, overhead console, and wiring, had been successfully repaired. And now the 302-feet-long Airlander 10 is back in action.
"It was truly amazing to be back in the air. I loved every minute of the flight and the Airlander itself handled superbly. I am eager to get back into the cockpit and take her flying again," Chief Test Pilot, Dave Burns said in a press release.
The main test objectives HAV hoped to achieve, and did, were to conduct a full test flight, establish basic handling characteristics of the Airlander, and collect flight performance data that could be further analyzed upon landing.
The next few flights will reportedly be a week or two apart so a full analysis of the data collected can be conducted so that the ship's performance and operating capabilities can be better understood. The aircraft is designed to stay airborne for up to five days in a row, so it will be exciting to see longer flight attempts in the future.
For now, all that matters is the Flying Bum is back, baby, and all is right with the sky. 🍑 ✈️
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Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.
