[seiko988]

VICE had did a show called 'Africa's cowboy capitalists' which highlighted how hard it is to move things (vehicles for the UN in this case) across Africa due to poor roads and corruption. An airship would have saved them a lot of trouble.

[jacquesm]

Or get shot down in one of many local wars. Friend of mine flew a homebrew plane across Africa and got shot at multiple times but a plane is quite a bit quicker than an airship. He also got 'arrested' several times after landing because they suspected he was a spy. Typically after they found out he was just a crazy Dutch person on a cross-Africa trip in a device of questionable airworthiness he was let go again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWdpgGryELA

[aldoushuxley001]

Your friend is awesome. I can't help but be reminded of Antoine de Saint-Exupery

[jacquesm]

Check out 'Auto op dak' if you like this, it is hilarious.

[aldoushuxley001]

haha, a thing of beauty. He's a madman.

This is what you were referring to right?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc4HbvjE5OQ

Would be some serious road rash if things went wrong on that thing!

[jacquesm]

Yes, that's it. I didn't want to give anything away about what it is about in the text. You really have to see it. And yes, he's a bit mad but not in a bad way.

He gave this talk in front of a bunch of VCs and LPs, it was really funny. Worlds colliding. So he's up there at the start of the talk, looks over the people there and says 'we probably won't get along well'.