Are Airships Making a Comeback?
The first powered, controlled flight in history is credited to the airship. On September 24th, 1852, Henri Giffard, a Frenchman, travelled 27 km (16.7 miles) from Paris to Trappes in his steam-powered airship. More than 50 years before the Wright Brothers’ historic flight, Giffard’s flight is remembered less often because of the slow speed of airships relative to aeroplanes. In 1900, the flight of the rigid-shelled 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) – burst into flames, and accompanied by much dramatic media attention, brought the downfall of public faith in airships. Although airships meant to carry civilians were not manufactured after the disaster of the Hindenburg, the United States military has built several hundred airships throughout the 20th century, used for paratrooper training and convoy escort. In 1997, the airship mad
