Talk:Götz Dieter Plage

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Was the airship he died in really called the White Diamond? After watching the documentary I was under the impression that that was the name of the new airship.--91.19.195.168 (talk) 22:52, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

That is my understanding too. I'll take it out. --skew-t (talk) 12:50, 5 June 2009 (UTC)

Further/contradictory information re Death section

While clearing out old papers and documents dating back more than 2 decades, I have found a b/w photocopied A4 8pp illustrated document issued by someone in the (UK) University of Southampton's Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics (full details available if desired) apparently dating from 1994.

It solicits funds towards 'Project Hornbill', intended to continue the work done with the airship designed by Donnington and involved in Plage's death. The intention was to complete the construction of an improved 2-seat airship (Wild Horizons) by "September" and be ready to carry out its first expedition "by early 1995." (There are some details about this new airship's design.)

As part of the 'Background' page (p5, the first with text), one paragraph discusses the fatal 1993 expedition, which includes some additional and variant information from the Article as current. I reproduce it here in full.

A single-seat, helium filled, human powered airship was used in 1993 by G. Dieter Plage, one of the worlds's best wildlife camaramen, for filming above the canopy of the Gunung Leuser National Park in Sumatra, Indonesia. The airship was designed and built in the department of Aeronautics & Astronautics at Southampton University by Dr G.E. Dorrington and co-workers (see front cover). The airship, called "Spirit of the Forest", was flown quietly, long distances over the canopy, permitting close observations of birds such as Black Eagles and Helmeted Hornbills. Tragically, the project ended on April 3, 1993, when Plage died in an accident which occurred after the airship had landed and was secured by a rope.

You will note that this passage gives the name of the airship (which is confirmed on p8), and in the last sentence a different account of the accident. The White Diamond of the 2004 film is obviously a subsequent model, being a dirigible rather than a rigid airship as were Spirit of the Forest and the Wild Horizons design. My initial googling has found no references to 'Project Hornbill' or the (earlier) two airship names, and neither are mentioned directly or indirectly on Dorrington's official website (linked on his Article page). {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 2.122.62.241 (talk) 13:56, 17 January 2017 (UTC)