This is a post I am contributing to Airshipworld. It is an interview with a present-day Aviator-Engineer in the sense of Glenn Curtiss and Alberto Santos-Dumont. Eric Raymond has built and flown one of the world’s first practical solar fixed-winged aircraft, and is setting his sights on Lighter-than-Air vehicles with his Sunship Project.

Eric Raymond is the head of Solar Flight, a world leader in manned solar powered aircraft.

Solar Flight’s Sunship Project will be the first zeppelin-class rigid airship constructed since 1939, the next chapter in his scalable approach which has been used successfully on Solar Flight’s fixed-winged Sunseeker Aircraft.

In this interview, Eric reveals how the Sunship can be kept small – 125 feet long – using modern materials such as Vectran cables. Another intriguing aspect is the use of a rocket-fired land-anchor for use in emergency moorings. And finally, he advises any newcomers with convincing ideas to start work on their ideas rather than leave projects on paper, and to assemble a high-powered advice-network of doers and creators in the field in which the big idea is relevant.

This interview was recorded on October 14, 2009.

Thanks to Kenneth Deacon, Airship Heritage Trust, and Solar Flight for use of images in the film.

Thanks to George Raymond for setting up this contact.

Thanks to Airshipworld for publishing this interview.

Thanks most of all to Eric Raymond for his time and insight.

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