LTA

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The term Lighter than air (LTA) ("plus léger que l'air") refers to the set of technologies associated with balloons and dirigibles. This was the prevailing type of aircraft design, as reflected by successful patents, in the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century.

On Wikipedia: Articles "Aerostat", "Balloon (aeronautics)", and "Airship" discuss the operation and history of these vessels.

Articles "Lighter than air" and "Lifting gas" discuss the physical properties and uses of different gasses which are lighter than air.

In the US patent classification system, USPC 244/24 is a top-level category for lighter-than-air aircraft, while USPC 244/96, falling under a different branch of classification (for navigation) deals with (mostly vertical?) control over LTA aircraft.

Berget, 1909, Conquest of the Air, p. 3:

I may state the fundamental principle of aerostation in a very few words.

Archimedes discovered it, and formulated it as follows:

Every body plunged into a fluid is subjected by this fluid to a "pressure" from below to above, which is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the body.

Enclosing categories Simple tech terms
Subcategories Balloons, Gas, Hot air
Keywords CPC B64B, USPC 244/24, USPC 244/96
Start year
End year

This wiki has 13 patents in category "LTA". Other techtypes related to LTA: Aéronautique, AT 77d, AU 90.1, Ballast, Ballon-sonde, BE 11e, BE Deuxième Catégorie – C. Transport, Buoyancy, CA 244/4, CH 115, CH 129a, Compartments, Compression, CPC B64, CPC B64B, CPC B64B1/00, CPC B64B1/02, CPC B64B1/04, CPC B64B1/08, CPC B64B1/14, CPC B64B1/16, CPC B64B1/58, CPC G09F21/10, DE 77h, Descent, Envelope, FR 6.4, GB 4 aërostats, GB 4 with buoyant, Helium, LU Aérostat, Nacelle, NL 62, NL 62.13, NL 62.6, Non-rigid, Rarefaction, RU 62a, RU Group V, Semi-rigid, USPC 244/127, USPC 244/24, USPC 244/25, USPC 244/26, USPC 244/30, USPC 244/33, USPC 244/5, USPC 244/61, USPC 244/96

Patents in category LTA

Publications referring to LTA