Abstract: An airship and a magnetically operated anchoring assembly adapted to provide rotation of the airship with respect to the ground, includes a gondola mounted to an envelope structure adapted to house lighter-than-air gas as well as any enclosures which may be used for containing the gas and a magnet device mounted to and operable from the gondola for attraction to a magnetically attractive anchoring structure secured to the ground. As preferably embodied, the magnet device is adapted to permit rotation of the gondola about the anchor point and the gondola is mounted to the envelope so as to be positionable at various desirable points under the longitudinal axis of the airship. Alternatively, the magnet may be mounted to a generally front-facing portion of the airship and the anchoring structure includes a mast with a magnetically attracting cylinder rotatably mounted to the mast at a height sufficient to enable mating with the magnet device on the airship.

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for anchoring an airship containing lighter-than-air gas includes positioning one or more magnets, flush with the edges of a support member attached to the airship for enabling the magnet to contact a magnetically attractive anchoring structure affixed to the ground when anchoring is desired, and, when ascent is desired, bearing against the anchoring structure with the support member to separate the magnet from the anchoring structure. The support structure may comprise a hollow shaft attached to a downwardly-facing portion of the airship, with a relatively large area base portion at its other end, having a cavity formed in the bottom of the base portion in communication with the hollow portion of the shaft. The magnet is coupled to a lifting device which bears against the top end of the shaft to control the magnet's position in the cavity.

Abstract: A composite magnet includes at least two magnet members oriented to have their polar axes parallel and aligned, with corresponding poles facing the same direction, and two pole members made of magnetically attractive material abutting the polar surfaces of the magnets, each one abutting all the poles of a particular polarity so that one pole member forms a composite North pole and the other forms a composite South pole. A permanent magnet anchoring assembly includes a casing, made of a non-magnetically attractive material, encasing a permanent magnet member to expose at least one surface thereof. The casing is formed with at least one bearing edge located adjacent and extending parallel to and in the same plane as the exposed surface and a leverage arm extends generally perpendicular to the bearing edge for rotating the anchoring assembly about the bearing edge.