Return of the Zeppelin: The World Prepares to Resume Travel in Zeppelin

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The development of world technologies does not stand still. But it often happens that the new is the well-forgotten old. In today's realities, people strive not only for increased comfort, but also for environmental friendliness of transport. And such a means of transportation as an airship may become relevant again. The Zeppelins are back!

Before the disaster of the Hindenburg airship, when 36 people died, this mode of transport was very popular. Airships are much more economical than airplanes, faster than steamers and an order of magnitude more environmentally friendly, both combined. At the end of the 18th century, French mathematician Jean Baptiste Marie Charles Meunier invented an elliptical aeronautical apparatus. These devices were short-lived and fragile. The design was not very reliable, they could not carry a lot of people and goods. The creation of a reliable rigid structure was required. This is what the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin did. It was he who gave his name to this device.

The first zeppelins were built at the Count's waterfowl factory. Von Zeppelin spent all his fortune on this project, he didn't even have the money left to rent land for the plant. The count's airships were so good that they interested the government and the military. The Count received funding and began mass production of these devices.

Sleek and light, so comfortable, airships could carry people even across the ocean, and it didn't take weeks! Airships were very effectively used for military reconnaissance purposes during the First World War. The most powerful aeronautical powers were Russia and Germany at that time.

Airships improved and their technology advanced so much that in 1929 the airship "Graf Zeppelin" made a round-the-world trip. He made only three intermediate landings. In the Soviet Union, airships began to be built in 1923 at the Dirigiblestroy enterprise. For the construction of these aeronautical vehicles, the design ideas of the Russian scientist Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky were used. The years between the First and Second World Wars can be called the “golden age” of airship construction.

The decline of the era of these interesting devices occurred in 1937, after a terrible disaster with one of them. The huge, luxurious Hindenburg airship was a masterpiece of design thought. He was majestic and magnificent. Its construction was financed by Adolf Hitler himself. This grandiose machine was supposed to show the whole world the triumph of the Third Reich. The airship "Hindenburg" was a real giant - the largest in the world at that time. On board, engineers have created incredibly comfortable conditions for passengers. There was a reading room, a smoking room, a kitchen with electrical equipment. Each cabin had its own toilet, bathroom with hot and cold water. In order to lift this giant into the air, its creator Hugo Eckner increased the volume of the airship to an unheard-of size then. He wanted to use helium instead of hydrogen, which was used then, to fill it. Helium is an inert gas, it is absolutely non-explosive, this would make the Hindenburg absolutely invulnerable. It happened that in our imperfect world happens quite often. Omnipresent politics intervened. The Americans, on whose territory there was the only natural helium deposit, refused to sell it to the Nazis. The airship still had to be filled with hydrogen.

Every precaution was taken on board, even the most absurd. The crew had a special uniform made of antistatic material, as well as shoes with cork soles. Passengers, upon boarding, had to hand over all potentially fire hazardous things. All this, unfortunately, did not help. After flying over the Atlantic, landing at the final destination, an explosion thundered aboard the airship. The resulting fire killed 36 people. After this terrible disaster, followed by a gradual decline in the field of airship construction. Despite the active use of these devices during the Second World War. In the USSR, projects were developed until the 80s of the 20th century. Then perestroika began, funding interruptions and work in this area stalled. Already at the end of the 20th century, scientists revived airship building. With the development of technology, the production of helium has become simple and cheap, and these devices are safe on helium. But they did not dare to make passenger voyages on zeppelins.

There is now a worldwide trend towards the development of environmentally friendly transport. Designers are developing various designs for airships. This transport is very convenient and cheap to transport goods. Development of modern passenger airships is also underway. People would certainly love the return of these graceful aeronautical ships, which are so different from our other standard transport! If you are interested in this topic, read more about why did they abandon airships, in our other article.