It's going to take a while before you see production models of the vehicle, which was originally designed for US surveillance before it was scrapped. HAV only expects to make 10 per year by 2021. If it meets its goals, though, it could prove to be crucial to the aviation world. Ideally, Airlander 10 will stay aloft for about 5 days at a time -- that's ideal for communications, manned military recon and even long-distance passenger flights. They're much quieter and produce less pollution than typical aircraft, so they could fly in areas and at altitudes where other flying machines would create too much of a disturbance.

Airlander 10 makes maiden voyage from Cardington Sheds in Bedfordshire. pic.twitter.com/Z4tN8Gnj5z — BBC Three Counties (@BBC3CR) August 17, 2016