Are there any hybrid hot airships? That is hot air dirigible hybrids? That’d really tickle my diesel- & steam- punk interests.
Edit: they’re called “thermal airships”; Cameron Balloons sells them. Less lift than a helium balloon of the same size (by ~30%), but about 20x cheaper to fly. I really want one, now.
Not hybrids. You may be familiar with Cloud Nines, the observation that if you make it but enough a very small temperature difference will be enough to achieve lift for a very large vessel (i.e. more like kilometers). Very difficult to figure out the construction though.
Edit: they’re called “thermal airships”; Cameron Balloons sells them. Less lift than a helium balloon of the same size (by ~30%), but about 20x cheaper to fly. I really want one, now.