The world’s biggest aircraft, the 302ft Airlander 10, makes its maiden flight over Bedfordshire
Curvy blimp nicknamed the Flying Bum is 'part plane, part airship, part helicopter'
AN enormous blimp hailed as the world's largest aircraft has taken to the skies of Britain on its maiden flight this evening.
The 302ft Airlander 10, nicknamed The Flying Bum because of its curvy rear end, took off at 7.40pm from Cardington Airfield, Beds, as aviation fans looked on in awe.
The helium-filled aircraft - part plane, part airship, part helicopter - was airborne for around 20 minutes before returning to base shortly before nightfall.
After a successful landing, manufacturers Hybrid Air Vehicles tweeted: "Landed. Just a quick flight tonight to prove the concept and needed to land before dark. #Airlander."
The test flight - days after a planned first voyage on Sunday was postponed because of the weather - thrilled spectators who saw it looming overhead.
Crowds clapped and cheered as the craft soared above them during its first outing from the First World War hangar where it has undergone testing on the ground.
Care home manager Mandy Turner, 43, who watched with her two children, said: "It was like watching a huge balloon take off.
"It actually looked quite surreal in the sky, like it shouldn't really have been there.
"I do feel like we've watched a moment of history which you don't see every day so I'm glad we came down.
"We were a bit worried it wouldn't take off after the other night but when it looked like it was going to, we couldn't take our eyes of it.
"I'd love a chance to fly inside. Maybe one day."
Donna Seymour, 50, said it was absolutely" worth waiting for hours ahead of the highly anticipated lift-off.
She said: "It was beautiful. It's just so unusual."
Others took to social media to share their excitement.
RELATED STORIES
Bubbs1250 tweeted: "So, this huge bloody airship just flew over my house!!!! It's a big bugger!!! #airlander #bedford"
BurtLikesGaming said: "Just watching the #Airlander on its maiden flight - what a sight to behold!! #Awesome"
Michael Serevena said: "Awesome sight from the garden!! Kinda feel part of history!! #Airlander."
Christened the Martha Gwyn, the vast aircraft measures 302ft long and is around 50ft longer than the biggest passenger jets.
It was originally developed as an endurance surveillance craft for the US military before the project was abandoned.
British engineers have spent three years working on the Airlander 10, which is filled with 1.3 million cubic feet of helium - enough to fill 15 Olympic swimming pools.
The craft produces 60 per cent of its lift aerostatically, by being lighter-than-air, and 40 per cent aerodynamically like a plane as it is shaped like a wing.
It also has the ability to rotate its engines to provide an additional 25 per cent of thrust up or down.
This means the Airlander can hover as well as land on almost any surface including ice, desert and water.
The huge aircraft will be able to stay airborne for two weeks at a time, flying up to 20,000ft at speeds of up to 90mph with a 10-ton cargo that could include passengers in a luxury cabin.
Some have hailed the Airlander as the future of air travel because, unlike conventional aeroplanes, it emits little pollution and is not noisy enough to disturb people on the ground.
The Airlander's power comes from four 350hp, four-litre V8 diesel engines - two mounted at the front and two at the back.
It can take off and land vertically like a helicopter, which means it does not need a long runway to operate.
British firm HAV claims it could be used for a variety of functions such as surveillance, communications, delivering aid and even passenger travel.
And there are plans for a larger Airlander 50 that could carry a 50-ton load.
Chief executive Stephen McGlennan said: "Think of a big helicopter, a really giant helicopter.
"This can do the same thing that a helicopter can do - that's to say, provide air transportation for people and goods without the need for a runway - but this thing can take more over longer distances, it's cheaper and it's greener.
"It's a great British innovation. It's a combination of an aircraft that has parts of normal fixed wing air craft, it's got helicopter, it's got airship."
But despite being the largest aircraft in the world at present, it would be dwarfed by the historic zeppelins developed in Germany during the 1930s, some of which were over 800ft long.
The most famous was the Hindenburg, which crashed in 1937 killing 35 people in a fierce blaze fuelled by the hydrogen gas inside.
Unlike hydrogen, the gas used in the Hindenburg, helium is not flammable.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us attips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368