The airship, first flown by Henri Giffard in 1852, is often overlooked due to the slower speed compared to airplanes. The Hindenburg disaster in 1937 caused public faith in airships to plummet, but in 1997, the Zeppelin NT was launched, using a semi-rigid frame and helium gas. It has a top speed of 125 km/h and can fly approximately 900 km. Advances in technology may lead to a new golden age of airships, with potential for low-cost transportation of goods and passengers.
The airship is credited with the first controlled and powered flight in history. On September 24, 1852, Henri Giffard, a Frenchman, traveled 27 km (16.7 miles) from Paris to Trappes in his steam airship. More than 50 years before the Wright brothers’ historic flight, Giffard’s flight is less often remembered due to the slow speed of airships compared to airplanes.
In 1900, the flight of the hard-shell LZ1 Luftschiff Zeppelin marked the beginning of the first golden age of airships. This continued until 1937, when the Hindenburg – the largest aircraft ever built at 250 meters long (820 feet) – caught fire and, accompanied by much dramatic media attention, caused public faith in the airships to plummet. Although airships intended for civilian transport were not manufactured after the Hindenburg disaster, the United States Army did build several hundred airships over the course of the 20th century, used for paratrooper training and convoy escort.
In 1997, the airship made a slight comeback, with the launch of the Zeppelin NT. The new airship was created by Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH (ZLG), based in Friedrichshafen, Germany. ZLG was founded in 1993 as a spin-off of the original champions of the Golden Age of Airships, the Zeppelin company. Since then, three Zeppelin NTs have been made, so far only used for rides and advertising space. One has been sold to a Japanese company.
The Zeppelin NT, being built on 60 years of further technological advances, is vastly superior to its predecessors in both safety and cost. Instead of having a rigid all-aluminum frame, the NT uses a semi-rigid frame made primarily of carbon fiber, with aluminum beams. 75 meters (246 feet) long and only 1000 kilograms (2200 pounds), the NT is filled with the non-flammable, non-reactive gas, helium. At maximum payload and a full fuel tank, the NT is not entirely lighter than air, resulting in a net downward force of approximately 600 kg (1,323 lbs), which is canceled by tilting the propellers slightly downwards. down during level flight.
The airship has a top speed of 125 km/h (77 mph), with 70 km/h (44 mph) being a cruising speed more typical for tourist flights. It is capable of flying approximately 900 km (560 miles) without refueling and staying airborne for nearly 24 hours. Commercial flights are offered by DZR, a subsidiary of ZLG. Several dozen flights a year operate around Lake Constance, which is adjacent to the city of Friedrichshafen. Flights range from half an hour to two hours, costing around €150 an hour.
The Zeppelin NT may just be the beginning of a new golden age of airships. Engineers and researchers around the world have begun turning their attention to airships since their successful 1997 flight. Advances in textiles, solar/fuel cells, and batteries will soon transform airships into attractive platforms for observation and telecommunications. Just a few times slower than airplanes, airships could one day be redeployed as a low-cost means of transporting goods and passengers around the world. One could speculate that hundreds of new airships will be produced before 2020 arrives.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
