Near Future Airborne Aircraft Carrier's

So, I've been writing a massive document about a universe I'm making that's set in the nearby future of 2014, but if technology advanced quicker than it already has and if corporations took control at a much earlier time. (Pretty much during the cold war/end of the cold war)

Forgive me if this sounds like a mess, first time posting such an idea in Tvtropes and i want to make this sound "right" enough.

Right, So Because technology has advanced so quickly, there was the development of Airborne Aircraft Carrier's for Military forces, something like that huge-as-fuck SHIELD Helicarrier from he Avengers or something like that... But because there is no war to talk about, they became more like a combination of an cruise ship for civilians, a container ship for transporting goods quicker from long distances, They also have a prison area in which the main character finds herself in at the start of the story and these ships are often guarded by a small battalion of soldiers just so these colossal sized ships don't get hijacked and make a massive crash site where a city used to be. Also, these ships are maintained by an advanced AI system to further protect the AAC from hijacking and errors from whoever is steering the ship. As for weapons, because it's used for more peaceful means, it has limited weapons only used for extreme emergency and counter measures for missile attacks and the like. But these things are really now a massive floating cruise ship that also carries cargo.

I should maybe mention that the Main Character doesn't know that she is in a AAC until a little later, then she finds a room with glass flooring. Everyone else in the "facility" as it is normally called inside know its a flying fortress if you can say that and don't even question it.

Thing is, the AAC's i have planned are a bit massive. Around 3 miles long, taking around an hour to get from one end of the ship to another by FOOT. We’re talking the length of New York’s central park here. These things are supposed to be the next big step from getting into the start of space travel. Could it be that i am making these ship's a little... too big? Is any of this making any sense to anyone else?

Edit: I've just noticed my name has a space between wind and 017... are you serious? My OCD is kicking in because of that.

edited 20th Jun '13 11:00:01 AM by highwind017

The biggest problem is still going to be mass.

How the hell are you going to get something that heavy airborne?

Also, the big engines you saw in the movies? What will fuel them?

It will be hell expensive and a logistical nightmare. You need to burn fuel to carry the weight of the fuel you need to....

Nanomachines, son.

...I jest, although i don't think it would matter "how" we have all that mass in the air indefinitely. I think the best explanation could be Nuclear Powered. The United States and Russia both have a handful of Nuclear Powered ships, as well as other counties. And there was supposed to be Nuclear Powered aircraft, There was a B-36 bomber converted to try this method out during the cold war. In theory, nuclear-powered aircraft could stay in flight for weeks at a time.

As for engines... very massive Vtol engines? I suppose the Airborne Aircraft Carriers can spend some time as a usual sea ship for maintenance or something.

edited 20th Jun '13 11:25:43 AM by highwind017

The engines would have to be very carefully waterproofed if you wanted to stick them in the sea for long periods without them breaking.

Would have just gone for a really big helium balloon platform.

Worse case scenario with it crashing into a populated area would be a lot of squeaky voices instead of irradiated people.

A giant helium zeppelin could work, especially hybridized with heavier than air vehicles. Those huge engines don't carry the whole thing; most of it's carried by gas. The best thing; due to the square cube law, an airship is 4 times as effective if the size is doubled.

Vacuum balloons are even more effective if you have the technology. They're more buoyant than hydrogen without the flammability.

Hydrogen can only burn when the envelope is breached (allowing the hydrogen to mix with the oxygen outside). And if you already have a breach in a vacuum balloon...well, that would probably be every bit as bad as it sounds, fire or no fire.

I can sort of see it either implode or drop like a rock or both.

http://acecombat.wikia.com/wiki/P-1112_Aigaion_Heavy_Command_Cruiser

Wouldn't something like this (that I'm aiming for, the SHIELD Helicarrier works too but i think the Aigaion HCC will be a easier example) work with nuclear powered engines powering turbojets, if the Cruiser was bigger than that though? and because i don't imagine this working as a helium zeppelin.

The Aigaion is (length, height, wingspan): 233'4"x88'2"x506'7", i would try and get a real world example of that but i don't have the time right now.

The main downside I can see with using balloons for something like this is the sheer size it requires. It takes about 1L of hydrogen or helium to lift 1g of weight. An aircraft carrier typically weighs between 10,000 to 100,000 tonnes (with all American ones falling into the 100,000 tonnes category); meaning you'd need 10 to 100 billion litres of gas just to lift the vessel (never mind getting it off the ground). For reference, that's 50 to 500 Hindenburgs.

edited 21st Jun '13 1:05:03 AM by peasant