Manufacturing Minute: This Plane-Blimp Hybrid Is Called A Plimp

The unmanned 28-foot aircraft contains a helium-filled envelope that gives the craft the buoyancy of a blimp.

Jon Minnick
Oct 11, 2017
Latest in Aerospace
Heart Aerospace X1 First Fight
World's Largest Electric Aircraft Completes First Flight
August 13, 2026
An illustration shows how the NASA CADRE rover team will explore the lunar surface.
Exploring the Moon Will Require Rovers That Can Think for Themselves
August 13, 2026
In this photo provided by NASA, Helga and Zohar, two female manikins in the Matroshka AstroRad Radiation Experiment investigation, undergo post-flight payload inspections, Jan. 17, 2023, inside the Space Station Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida.
Radiation Vest Tested on NASA Moonshot Can Cut Astronauts' Exposure in Solar Storms
August 13, 2026
1786327042070
North Carolina County First to Deploy eVTOL for Emergency Medical Response
August 12, 2026
Related Stories
(Image credit: Goodyear)
Aerospace
Photos Of The Day: Goodyear's New Airship To Sail Over 10 States Headed To Base
Mnet 108950 Space X Launch Ap
Aerospace
SpaceX Launches 10 More Iridium Communications Satellites
Mnet 108949 Pence Nasa Ap
Aerospace
Pence Pledges That US Will Go To The Moon, Mars And Beyond
Boeing Building Med
Aerospace
Boeing to Acquire Drone Manufacturer
More in Aerospace
Heart Aerospace X1 First Fight
Aerospace
World's Largest Electric Aircraft Completes First Flight
It used approximately $5 worth of electricity.
August 13, 2026
An illustration shows how the NASA CADRE rover team will explore the lunar surface.
Aerospace
Exploring the Moon Will Require Rovers That Can Think for Themselves
An upcoming mission will test whether they can.
August 13, 2026
In this photo provided by NASA, Helga and Zohar, two female manikins in the Matroshka AstroRad Radiation Experiment investigation, undergo post-flight payload inspections, Jan. 17, 2023, inside the Space Station Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida.
Aerospace
Radiation Vest Tested on NASA Moonshot Can Cut Astronauts' Exposure in Solar Storms
A 57-pound protective vest could slash astronaut radiation exposure by 60% on the moon.
August 13, 2026
1786327042070
Aerospace
North Carolina County First to Deploy eVTOL for Emergency Medical Response
It could shorten response time dramatically compared to an ambulance.
August 12, 2026
Va 55+website+background+(square)
Aerospace
Drone Maker Plans Centralized Manufacturing Hub in Michigan
It's looking to relocate assets from California and Arizona.
August 12, 2026
The SpaceX logo is displayed on a building, May 26, 2020, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Aerospace
Vietnam's VinSpace Signs Deal with Elon Musk's SpaceX to Launch First Satellites in 2027
Vietnam's space ambitions soar as VinSpace teams up with SpaceX for orbital breakthrough.
August 11, 2026
20221003 Wisk Aero Gen6 Photo Gallery 2 633af008cbd0f
Aerospace
Boeing Sells Air Taxi Business to Rival Archer Aviation
It gave up Wisk Aero but gained a stake in its eVTOL competitor.
August 10, 2026
Northrop Grumman employees celebrated a new Florida facility with federal, state and local officials during an employee engagement event.
Aerospace
Northrop Grumman Expands Florida Campus to Support Sixth-Generation Airpower
The new 300,000-square-foot site features space for over 1,200 engineers.
August 10, 2026
Northrop Grumman
Aerospace
Northrop Grumman Signs $3B Deals to Accelerate Missile Interceptor Production
The company will collaborate with the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin.
August 10, 2026
Ap26219570127925
Aerospace
FAA Orders Crack Inspections for Hundreds of Boeing 737 Max Jets
So far, no cracks have been found.
August 10, 2026
Ap26206018730248 (1)
Aerospace
SpaceX Aims to Use Rockets for Superfast Cargo Transport Across the Earth
Can the company overcome the host of challenges that stand before them?
August 6, 2026
Handshake
Aerospace
AE Industrial Closes Purchase of L3Harris’ Space Propulsion, Power, Electronics Units
The firm will launch the entity as Rocketdyne.
August 7, 2026
A rendering of the SpaceX and Tesla Terafab in Grimes County, Texas.
Aerospace
SpaceX Picks Texas Home for Massive, Multi-Billion-Dollar Terafab
The first phase alone will cost $16.8 billion.
August 7, 2026
Current events on the geopolitical stage have seen increased investment in aeronautics, space and defense.
Aerospace
Why Integrated Manufacturing Solutions Beat Standalone Machines
Process expertise now matters more than the equipment itself in production.
August 7, 2026
Space X
Aerospace
Satellite Reveals Before, After Views of SpaceX Rocket's Moon Crash
See the spacecraft's photos.
August 7, 2026