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Maiden flight of giant helium-filled airship postponed

The Airlander 10, part plane, part airship, goes through pre-flight checks at Cardington airfield in Bedfordshire, England, Sunday Aug. 14, 2016. The makers of a blimp-shaped, helium-filled airship billed as the world's biggest aircraft postponed its maiden flight at the last minute on Sunday. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)
The Airlander 10, part plane, part airship, goes through pre-flight checks at Cardington airfield in Bedfordshire, England, Sunday Aug. 14, 2016. The makers of a blimp-shaped, helium-filled airship billed as the world's biggest aircraft postponed its maiden flight at the last minute on Sunday. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP) The Airlander 10, part plane, part airship, goes through pre-flight checks at Cardington airfield in Bedfordshire, England, Sunday Aug. 14, 2016. The makers of a blimp-shaped, helium-filled airship billed as the world's biggest aircraft postponed its maiden flight at the last minute on Sunday. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)

By Associated Press 2 min read

SHORTSTOWN, England (AP) – The makers of a blimp-shaped, helium-filled airship billed as the world’s biggest aircraft postponed its maiden flight at the last minute on Sunday.

The 302-foot- (92-meter-) long Airlander 10 was due to take off for from an airfield 45 miles (73 kilometers) north of London on the first in a series of test flights.

Stephen McGlennan, chief executive of Hybrid Air Vehicles, said the airship had “a slight technical issue” and there’s not time to fix it before darkness fell.

He didn’t say when the flight might be rescheduled.

Nicknamed the “flying bum” because of its bulbous front end, the Airlander is a hybrid air vehicle – part lighter-than-air blimp, part plane. It’s designed to use less fuel than a plane, but carry heavier loads than conventional airships.