The biggest airship in the world: was, is or will be?

A dirigible is called an aircraft, which consists of a rudder, a propeller engine and an aerostat. Thanks to such a device, the balloon is able to move arbitrarily in the air space regardless of gusts and wind direction.

Long Leadership

For a very long time the largest zeppelin in the world was considered to be Hindenburg (190,000 m ³ ). The biggest airship in the world was named in memory of the Reichspresident of Germany Paul von Hindenburg.

Its construction began in May 1931. And in early March 1936 the ship made its first flight. By the time of the completion of construction it was the most that neither is a large apparatus capable of moving through the air. Its length was 245 m, diameter in the widest part - 41.2 m.

The airship had four Daimler-Benz engines LOF-6 with an operating capacity of 900 liters. With., The maximum was 1,200 liters. from.

"Hindenburg" is a rigid airship filled with flammable hydrogen. The fuel required for the operation of the engines (about 60 tons) was poured into the tanks (2,500 liters each). The airship could lift 50 people into the air and about 100 tons of cargo. The maximum speed of the "Hindenburg" was 135 km / h.

The beginning of commercial use of the airship is considered March 31, 1936. 37 passengers, more than 60 kg of mail and 1,200 tons of cargo left for South America.

To increase the carrying capacity in the airship there were shower cabins (instead of baths) and almost everything was made of aluminum, even a grand piano.

By the beginning of 1937, the "Hindenburg" salon was modernized and accommodated 72 passengers.

The last flight began on May 3, 1937. On May 6, ending the transatlantic flight and landing, the world's largest airship crashed. For some unknown reason, hydrogen ignited, and the aircraft flared. As a result of the accident, 35 people were killed (there were 97 passengers and crew members of the "Hindenburg" and one working base of ballooning of the US Navy). Resonance was very large, although the number of victims is considered very small for a plane crash.

Today there are two versions of what happened. The first, official, claims that the "Hindenburg" caught fire because of malfunctions in the wiring. The fire provoked a thunderstorm front, from which Zeppelin tried to leave.

The second, unofficial, put forward by the American historian, says that an explosive device detonated on one of the gas cylinders.

The most famous for its size airship-aircraft carrier

Zeppelin named "Akron" (184 000 m ³ ) was designed to accommodate five fighter aircraft. Invented it was in America in 1929. Its air chambers were filled with helium.

Count Zeppelin

"Graf Zeppelin" claims for the title "the biggest airship in the world", which is also considered the most successful engineering project. He made more than 140 flights in almost 19 years. The flights, both cargo and passengers, were carried across the Atlantic. And in 1929 Graf Zeppelin made a round-the-world trip.

Invented it in Germany in 1928. It was filled with helium.

The largest radio antenna

The largest airships in the world are not only passenger or military vehicles. Also known is the softest largest zeppelin in the world - ZPG-3W (23,648 m ³ ), which was intended for radar measurements. The entire cavity of the airship was occupied by a radio antenna. Invented it in 1950 in America. The filling is helium.

From 1958 to 1961 airships of this type made flights lasting up to 200 hours. They could withstand snowfalls, fog and gusts of wind up to 30 m / s.

New technologies in the sky

August 17 this year in the skies of the UK again appeared airship. Today it is the world's largest airship-airship. Airlander 10 is the brainchild of new technologies. It combines the elements of an airplane, airship and helicopter.

Its main ability - experts believe - is a two-week unmanned flight. The airship is filled with helium. He is able to fly with a crew on board five days without landing, to transport about 10 tons of various cargoes. Estimated speed Airlander 10 - about 150 km / h.

True, on the second test flight, the airship-airplane buried his nose in the ground. No harm done. The developers claim that these are trifles. After correcting the shortcomings and new tests, the biggest airship in the world (photo below) Plan to launch the series.

The idea again becomes relevant

"Hindenburg" is still the title of "the largest airship in the world." All the balloons released later were much smaller.

The size of the aeronautical ships was dictated by the need to transport a large number of goods to people. And passengers dreamed of making a flight with maximum comfort.

Therefore, airships were equipped with cabins, salons for entertainment, cozy restaurants. In principle, everything is like on expensive cruise liners, only by air and much faster.

Perhaps, therefore, the idea of creating a huge comfortable airship is constantly in the air. Designers believe that, in addition to speed and comfort, an important role is played by the carrying capacity of such vehicles.

One of the interesting ideas was suggested by the British student Mack Byers. He developed the concept of a particularly large zeppelin of luxury and believes that by 2030 the idea can be implemented. The ship will be called Aether.

Its design length is 250 m, therefore it will be the largest airship in the world. The interior design is impressive. A huge two-story hall was designed in the style of "open space". From it you can go to a spacious restaurant, all tables of which are located near the huge windows. Individual cabins are large and cozy, the beds are double, and the bathrooms are equipped with modern plumbing. Many believe that Aether very much resembles the "Hindenburg" ...