"Remarkable" test flight for new airship

Above: The airship team prepare for its first test flight on Sunday.

A “new chapter” has opened for the hydrogen-powered airship, built in Newport, first flown at Kippa-Ring and "lost" over Moreton Bay.

Before invited guests, the airship initially lifted “perfectly level” in a test flight at Kayo Stadium on Sunday and was brought down to mount landing suspension.

However, while refilling rear ballast tanks, a team member tripped on a wheel of the airship and the gondola separated from the main structure.

“We allowed one last promenade of the freed envelopes around the field,” project leader Jan Bilek said on the H2use report.

“It was meant to be symbolic, but the tethers couldn’t handle the full buoyancy. One by one they gave way. And just like that the airship was gone.”

It was recovered- with one of the two envelopes deflated - from the waters of Moreton Bay by the Reef Cat ferry having floated 21.4kms in three-to-four hours.

“Was this demo perfect? Not by a long shot,” Jan said, “but did we achieve something remarkable? Absolutely.

“The loss of the prototype is not the end — it’s the opening of a new chapter. This was phase one. And now, we begin what comes next.”

Jan said the focus is now “consolidating technical learnings, getting new partners and collaborators, exploring scalable prototypes aligned with practical transport goals and laying groundwork for long-term viability of hydrogen-powered aerial logistics”.

The team’s first test flight validated a hydrogen-powered, electric airship system, a working ballast control and a hover setup and a potential to use hydrogen for lift and power.

While lessons learned include follow the test plan, especially in critical moments, don’t add new features at the last minute and build envelopes to industrial standards.

“But beyond all that, we brought something bold into the world — and it flew,” Jan said.

The project started during the Covid lockdown when Jan, a civil engineer and his son Sebastian started “working on a few things”.

Jan had long been fascinated by the workings and history of airships and his interest in physics and science rubbed on onto Sebastian, now 17.

With hydrogen being the “only element that both lifts and powers” it is “perfect for airships”.

“And with hydrogen production becoming greener and more available, it makes sense to build flight systems ready to use it. No fossil fuels, no noise, no runway — just clean lift.”

The airship was named Greg Williams after a close friend and “quiet supporter” of the ambitious project.

Jan thanked CoreGas, Dolphins NRL, “our brilliant team, our families, especially Veronika, for holding this all together and Sebi for flying our dream into the sky”.