British Airships, Past, Present, and Future

of an airship was at that time beyond the range of possibility. Discussions had taken place at various times as to the pract

n, or envelope as it is now called, must be cylindrical in shape with conical ends, the ratio of diameter to length should be one to five or one to six and that the smallest cross-sectional area should face the wind. He proposed that the

nchmen turned their attention to airship design and production. To France must be due the acknowledgment

is just twenty-one years ago since Count Zeppelin, regardless of public ridicule, commenced building his rigid airships, and in that tim

few small ships described in the two succeeding chapters, had produced nothing worthy of mention before the outbreak of the great European war. She then bestirred herself, and we shall see later that she h

AN

o the brothers Robert, who were mechanics in Paris. This ship was shaped like a fish, on the supposition that an airship would swim through the air l

in shape with a capacity of 30,000 cubic feet. Oars were provided to propel it through the air, experiments havi

n-Hulin. No valves having been fitted, there was no outlet for the expansion of gas and the envelope was on the point of bursting, when the Duke

he brothers Robert, they succeeded in completing an ellipse and then travelled further in the direction of the wind without using the oars or steer

gs, millwheels, etc., and it was not until the last decades of the nineteenth century, when ligh

els produced were of little real value except in so far as they stimulated their designers to make further efforts. Two of the

he larger one for an air filling. A car 66 feet in length was rigged beneath the envelope by means of ropes eighteen inches long. Above the car the envelope was provided with a long air cushion in connection with a valve. The

on completion to lift its own weight

et, diameter of 48 1/2 feet and a volume of 121,800 cubic feet. An inner air balloon of 6,000 cubic feet volume was contained in the envelope. The method of suspension was by means of diagonal ropes with a net cover

independent velocity of about six miles per hour being achiev

o-day. Between the years 1898 and 1905 he had in all built fourteen airships, and they were continually improved as each succeeding one made its appearance. In the last one he made a circular flight; s

the centre of which was supported the car, and unusually long suspensions distributed the weight throughout practically the entire length of the envelope. To the name of Santos-Dumont much credit is due. He may be reg

ling in external appearance a cigar. In length it was 178 feet with a diameter of 30 feet and the total capacity was 64,800 cubic feet. This envelope was attached to a rigid elliptical keel-shaped girder made of steel tubes, which was about a third of

of 17 feet 9 inches from the girder, with a framewor

ome 800 lb. without cooling water and fuel, drove t

ere continually introduced. The longest flight was 2 hours 46 minutes. Towards the end of that year, while a voyage

fixed and movable planes added to increase the stability. After several trips had

Army. The Lebaudy airship had at that time been a distinct success, and in 1910

arly the full length of the envelope. The disadvantage of this ship was its slowness, considering

out this time. They were manufactured by the Astra Compan

ntroduced by Senor Torres. These ships, some of which were of considerable siz

y promise as airship designers, the chief reason for this being that the airship is peculiarly suitable for work at sea and the French relied on us to maintain the commerce routes on the high

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l be seen that, although the production of satisfactory ships was in very few hands,

oronzowo in Russia. This was of the shape of a fish with a rig

ides and a tail piece was provided behind to act as a rudder. The ship was inflated, b

as considering the use of the fall of inc

ine and propeller were fixed in a triangular framework in front of the airship, supported by the steam pipe of a steam engine fixed u

inium propeller, and another propeller for vertical movement was provided beneath the car. Four trial flights were attempted, but on each occasion the motor gave unsatisfactory results, and Woelfert sought to improve i

ope. A Daimler engine was used, driving a four-bladed propeller. Owing to the great overall height of this ship, experiments were made to determine a system of rigging, enabling the car to be slung closer to the envelope,

famous, and we must now glance at the evolution of the

id Schwartz, and was built in St. Petersburg in 1893. It was composed of aluminium plates rivet

orse-power Daimler benzine motor was installed in the car, driving through the medium of a belt twin aluminium screw propellers; no rudders were supplied, the steering being arranged by means of a steering screw placed centrally to the ship above the top of the car. Inflation took place at the end of 1897 by a method of pressing out air-filled fabric cells which were previously introduced into the hull. This operation took three and a half hours. On the day of the

and had the form of a prism of twenty-four surfaces with arch-shaped ends. In length it was 420 feet, with a diameter of 38 feet 6 inches, and its capacity was 400,000 cubic feet. The longitudinal framework was divided by a series of rings, called transverse frames, into seventeen compartments containing fabric gasbags. The transve

rs were situated on the side of the hull at the centre of resistance. The transmission was supplied by steel tubes with universal cross joints through the medium of bevel gears. Reversible driving arrangements were installed in the cars

ld be altered by the horizontal rudder. The landing on the water was accomplished without difficulty, and could be regarded as free from danger. The faults requiring remedy were, firstly, the upper cross stays, wh

p was broke

t the workmanship was much superior. Increased engine-power was also supplied, as in this instance two 85 hor

ired by the Government, and lasted for a considerable time, being rebuilt twice,

pace at our disposal, to trace the career of all of them. Several came to an untimely end, but as the years went by each succeedin

which she was completed. The fifth, which was the second military airship, was fitted with two 110 horse-power engines and also

y had increased to 536,000 cubic feet, and she was propelled by three 120 horse-power engines. She also fell a victim to t

orse-power engines. This ship carried out her first flight in June, 1911, and was followed four months later by the Victoria

um girders. The gasbags were eighteen in number. This ship was fitted with three 170 horse-power Maybach engines, which were disposed as follows--one in the forward car, driving two two-bladed propellers; two in the after car, each driving a single four-bladed propeller. For st

00 cubic feet. A trial flight was being carried out, and while above the clouds the crew lost their bearings. Descending they saw some French troops and rose again immediately. After flying for four hours th

before the war, twenty-four were of the first type and one of the second. Each type possessed certain salient features, which, for simp

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ion of hull with b

eel with w

ers and

ca

ng prop

ag

on of hull with blu

han in

keel wa

ers and

foremost for

ng prop

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rtion of hull frame

ring

keel wa

plane rudders

foremost for

s close together

nt to look l

our propellers. On

r propeller. Thre

wing and one p

arance, of which the first ship was L 30, completed in May, and to which the ill-fated L 33 belonged. This type is known as the super-Zeppelin, a

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rtion of hull, lo

stern. In all

mline

keel wa

plane rudders

orward (combined

d two amids

ix propellers. Th

sidecars each co

pusher propelle

gines, two of whi

third, placed af

r pro

type of girders wa

sed of wood, the girders being built up of wooden sections. The shape of these ships was much more of a true streamline than had been the Zeppelin practice, and it was on this model that the shape of the super-Zeppelin

T

ntal work. Three types were considered for a commencement, the P type or Piccolo was the first e

00,000 cubic feet capacity. During the war, Italian airships were developed on entirely dissimilar lines to those in other countries. Both we and our Allies, and to a great exte

Flights were never of long duration compared with those carried out by our airships. Height was always of the utmost importance, as the Italian ships were us

essentially non-rigid envelope is reinforced by a metal keel. In the Forlanini and Usuelli types the keel is completely rigid and assists in maintaining the shape of the envelopes, and in the Forlanini is enclosed within the envelope. In the other types the keel is in reality

on. It was built in America in 1908 by Charles Baldwin for the American Government. The capacity of the envelope was 20,000 cubic feet, she carried a crew of two, and her speed was 16 miles per hour. She carried out her trial flight in August, 1908, and was accepted by the American military authorities. During the war

this country in those fateful years before