Airships?

People have long dreamed of being able to fly. Through the centuries a variety of ways to take to the air have become reality. But one type that has continually been depicted in films and art is that of an airship. What makes these things so interesting, and what do they mean to us today? Are they possible? And of course there is the question posed above: could there be Airship Pirates?

Zeppelins were a real thing, and still are, as are blimps. But neither of these are really as complex as the airships that are described in films and literature. Blimps are still use on occasion,

The idea of airships has been embraced by pop culture. As steampunk and fantasy ideas have become more accepted we have seen the inclusion of their elements in many films. For example in the film The Three Musketeers released in 2011, there is a running theme of fantastic steampunk type contraptions.  One being an airship based (supposedly) on a design made by Da Vinci. The photo below shows a pair of airships, mid battle.

Airships from The Three Musketeers circa 2011

 Another film that shows some elaborate types of airships is Castle in the Sky. But there are a number of instances of this type of interesting technology mentioned in films and literature. While the uses of the devices vary depending on the subject matter, the usage is generally about the same. A flying ship. These seem roomier than airplanes, and afford the passengers space to move. Also offering amazing views while traveling through the vast skies.

Abney Park : Airship Pirates

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Even Disney has gotten in on the idea of airships. In their space bound version of Treasure Island (called Treasure Planet released in 2002), we see a variety of different spaceships that could pass for airships. Not only that the style in general speaks to those interested in steampunk as an aesthetic. Plus there's pirates, and everyone knows how cool pirates are.

Treasure Planet featured a number of Airships

Which leads us to our question. Could there be airship pirates? Well, in my opinion there is no reason if there were airships there couldn't be. After all, there's been pirates on the seas for ages, and the skies are merely a vast counterpart similar to the ocean. So my thought is, why not?

What do you think? Do you think the interest in these fantastical flying devices is interesting? Or do you favor planes over the more romantic notion of flying ships?