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  • Hindenburg airship, the most impressive airship of all time

The Hindenburg airship was not only the largest one ever created, but also one of the most iconic in the history of aviation.

The LZ 129 Hindenburg, as it was also known, represented an engineering prodigy and a symbol of the golden age of airships. Although they are not commonly seen today, they were a means of transport of great significance in the early 20th century.

In this article, we will explore the history of airships in general and the Hindenburg in particular, as well as their applications, achievements and tragic end. Will you join us on this historical journey?


What are airships? Have you ever seen one?

Airships are lighter-than-air airships whose rigid structure gives them shape and allows them to hover in the air.

The design of airships began in the 19th century, reaching their peak in the early decades of the 20th century. They were used primarily to transport passengers and cargo, as well as for military purposes. The Zeppelin is the most famous type of airship used at the time.

In 1852, Henri Griffard, a French engineer specialising in steam engines, made the first flight in a lighter-than-air airship, travelling the 27 kilometres between Paris and Trappes. It was equipped with a 3 hp engine and reached speeds of up to 9 km/h.

After Griffard’s achievement, other pioneers, such as Paul Haenlein or the Santos Dumont brothers, continued to develop and improve the first airships. However, it was Ferdinand von Zeppelin, founder of the Zeppelin airship company, who set a milestone in the development of these airships.

The heyday of airships during the I World War

During the I World War, airships played a key role as bombers, as they were more capable than the aircraft of the time.

One example of this is that in 1917, German airships were able to fly for almost 100 hours, which was unthinkable for an aircraft of the time.

It seemed, therefore, that aviation would continue to evolve through airships, but this was not the case.

How big was the Hindenburg?

The Hindenburg airship was built by the German company Luftschiffbau Zeppelin in the 1930s and was the largest and most luxurious airship of its time.

It was approximately 41 metres in diameter and 245 metres long (equivalent to more than four Boeing 787s in a row), with a displacement capacity of 200,000 cubic metres of gas. Its cabin was fitted with bunks and equipment to ensure passenger comfort, earning its nickname “Titanic of the skies”.

Its duraluminium structure was covered with a special fabric treated with a mixture of varnish and aluminium, which gave it a very characteristic appearance: silvery and highly reflective.

It made its first flight in 1936 at Friedrichshafen airfield and is still considered the largest aircraft ever built.

Also known as «The Titanic of the skies».

The Hindenburg was designed primarily to transport passengers over long distances in luxury and comfort. It could accommodate up to 72 passengers in private cabins and had common areas such as a lounge, dining room, bar and smoking room.

In addition, the airship Hindenburg was also used to transport mail and cargo between Europe and America.

Among Hindenburg’s most notable achievements were its successful transatlantic flights between Germany and the United States in 1936, during which it set records for speed and efficiency. In fact, it managed to cross the Atlantic twice in 5 days.

It was also used as a propaganda tool by Hitler’s regime, flying over the Berlin Olympic Games ceremony in 1936.

In total, the Hindenburg completed 34 successful flights, 17 of them across the Atlantic, carried 2,798 passengers and covered more than 300,000 kilometres before its tragic end.

The helium shortage, the beginning of the end for airships

In those years, Nazi Germany was an expert in the manufacture of helium airships. However, when the United States, the main exporter of helium, found out about this, it stopped selling helium to them. So German engineers had to look for another gas: hydrogen.

Hydrogen shares many properties with helium, but is much more unstable and flammable.

Although the Hindenburg had an outer skin to dissipate static electricity and its internal structure was designed to reduce the instability of hydrogen, it was not enough to avert disaster.

What happened to the Hindenburg airship?

The tragic end of the Hindenburg and the decline of airships.

On 6 May 1937, after crossing the Atlantic from Frankfurt, Germany, the Hindenburg approached Lakehurst Naval Base in New Jersey, USA, to complete its landing.

During the docking process, the airship suddenly burst into flames and became a fireball in just 34 seconds.

Although the exact cause of the fire could never be determined with certainty, it is believed that a combination of factors, such as a hydrogen leak and an electrical spark caused by static electricity (a phenomenon known as the St. Telmo Fire), may have been the cause.

The Hindenburg disaster marked the end of the golden age of airships. This incident, along with advances in aviation technology and the growing popularity of aeroplanes, led to the abandonment of airships as a means of large-scale transport.

However, despite its tragic end, the Hindenburg remains an iconic symbol of innovation and human ambition in aviation history.

Hindenburg’s contributions to aeronautics

In short, the Hindenburg represents a fascinating chapter in the history of aviation and technological innovation.

The Hindenburg airship is a testament to the ambition, ingenuity and audacity of an era when air travel represented a dream yet to be fulfilled and an adventure full of promise.

Today, although airships are no longer the dominant mode of transport, the legacy of the Hindenburg lives on, inspiring us to continue to explore new horizons and to imagine a future full of possibilities in aviation.

We hope you have learned new things about airships, undoubtedly one of the most important machines in the history of aviation. If you want to continue discovering curiosities related to the history of aviation, we recommend you to visit our aviation blog.

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