By Dr. Timothy Merritt May 17, 2021
Disasters, Airships, and Insurance Part 4
Figure 1 The St. Paul with PIRA Logo
Disasters, Airships, and Insurance The development model that ties national and multi-national level funding to hybrid airship development will result in the opening of global airways to the heavy-cargo lifting capabilities of these vehicles and usher in a new era of massive, rapid global response to humanitarian disasters. Private entities have proved that they can often make more significant advances in technology than are made by government;1 and private and government-backed agencies can actually benefit from collaboration thanks to their inherent differences. In an early sign of the enormous potential for future collaboration, in 2016 Straightline Aviation signed a memorandum of understanding to launch a humanitarian and philanthropic medical assistance program with RAD-AID International, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing radiology and imaging technology to resource-limited communities of the world.2 “Private companies aren’t beholden to the same slow processes that often stall government 1
Houser, K. (2017) Private companies, not governments, are shaping the future of space exploration. Futurism. Retrieved online: https://futurism.com/private-companies-not-governments-are-shaping-the-future-of-spaceexploration/ 2
Mollura, D. (2016) Straightline Aviation and RAD-AID Sign Agreement to Launch Medical Hybrid Airship Program for Humanitarian Aid. Cision PR Newswire. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/straightlineaviation-and-rad-aid-sign-agreement-to-launch-medical-hybrid-airship-program-for-humanitarian-aid593151491.html
projects, and they can secure or reallocate funding much more swiftly if need be. However… they do have shareholders to keep happy and a need to constantly pursue profitability” 3 This profitability could come from selling global disaster insurance. With disasters, airships, and insurance, all of the components are already in place just waiting for the right people to see how they all fit together. A grand demonstration, a "Second Great White Fleet" could address the problems of inadequate infrastructure in developing countries and paint a picture of a future state where these limitations will no longer constrain relief efforts. 4 Meanwhile, in the comfort and majesty of the observation deck, professional negotiators will have an opportunity to explain the details of how the transactions are to take place, and the benefits generated for everyone involved.
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3
Houser, K. (2017) Private companies, not governments, are shaping the future of space exploration. Futurism. Retrieved online: https://futurism.com/private-companies-not-governments-are-shaping-the-future-of-spaceexploration/ 4
Denning, S. (2007). The secret language of leadership: How leaders inspire action through narrative. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons Inc.