Airship
In 1670, the Jesuit Father Francesco Lana de Terzi published a description of an Aerial Ship supported by four copper spheres from which the air was evacuated. Although the basic principle is sound, such a craft was unrealizable then and remains so to the present day since external air pressure would cause the spheres to collapse unless their thickness was such as to make them too heavy to be buoyant. In 1709, the Brazilian-Portuguese Jesuit priest Bartolomeu de Gusmão made a hot air balloon, the Passarola, ascend to the skies before an astonished Portuguese court. It would have been on the 8th of August 1709, when Father Bartolomeu de Gusmão held in the courtyard of the Casa da Índia in Lisbon the first Passarola demonstration. The balloon caught fire without leaving the ground but rose to 95 meters in height during a second attempt. This small balloon of thick brown paper was filled with hot air produced by the fire of material contained in a clay bowl embedded in the base of a waxed wooden tray. King John V of Portugal witnessed the event along with the future Pope Innocent XIII. A more practical dirigible airship was described by Lieutenant Jean Baptiste Marie Meusnier in a paper presented to the French Academy on the 3rd of December 1784. The 16 water-color drawings published the following year depict a streamlined envelope with internal ballonets that could be used for regulating lift attached to a long carriage that could be used as a boat if forced to land in water. In 1784, Jean-Pierre Blanchard fitted a hand-powered propeller to a balloon marking the first recorded means of propulsion carried aloft. He crossed the English Channel in 1785 using a balloon equipped with flapping wings for propulsion and a birdlike tail for steering.
Airships are classified according to their method of construction into rigid semi-rigid and non-rigid types. Rigid airships have a framework composed of triangular lattice girders covered with fabric that contains separate gas cells. Most but not all German Zeppelin airships were of this type. Semi-rigid airships maintain their shape by internal pressure but have some form of supporting structure such as a fixed keel attached to it. Non-rigid airships often called blimps rely solely on internal gas pressure to maintain the envelope shape. The bulk of an airship consists of the lighter-than-air envelope which may either form the gasbag itself or contain a number of gas-filled cells. Engines crew and payload capacity necessary for function are housed in the gondola one or more enclosed platforms suspended below the envelope. Ballonets are air bags inside the outer envelope of an airship which when inflated reduce the volume available for the lifting gas making it more dense. In non-rigid designs the gas envelope has no compartments but typically has smaller internal bags containing air known as ballonets. As altitude is increased the lifting gas expands and air from the ballonets is expelled through valves to maintain hull shape. To return to sea level the process is reversed as air is forced back into the ballonets by scooping air from engine exhaust and using auxiliary blowers.
World War I marked the airship's real debut as a weapon with Germans French and Italians all using them for scouting and tactical bombing roles early in the war. Raids on England began in January 1915 and peaked in 1916 following losses to British defenses only a few raids were made in 1917-18 with the last occurring in August 1918. Zeppelins proved to be terrifying but inaccurate weapons since navigation target selection and bomb-aiming proved difficult under best conditions. The physical damage done by airships over course of war was insignificant and deaths caused amounted to a few hundred. Nevertheless raids caused significant diversion of British resources to defense efforts. Following introduction of combination of incendiary and explosive ammunition in 1916 their flammable hydrogen lifting gas made them vulnerable to defending aeroplanes. Several were shot down in flames by British defenders and many others destroyed in accidents. During World War II approximately 1,400 airship pilots and 3,000 support crew members were trained in military program. From 1942 till 1945 154 airships were built for U.S. Navy including 133 K-class 10 L-class seven G-class and four M-class. Primary tasks included patrol and convoy escort near American coastline serving as organization center for convoys to direct ship movements. They also served as naval search and rescue operations with highest combat readiness factor in entire U.S. air force at 87 percent. Only one ship tanker Persephone of 89,000 or so in convoys escorted by blimps was sunk by enemy during war.
By mid-1930s only Germany still pursued airship development with Zeppelin company operating Graf Zeppelin on passenger service between Frankfurt and Recife Brazil taking 68 hours. Even with small Graf Zeppelin operation was almost profitable. In mid-1930s work began on airship designed specifically to operate passenger service across Atlantic Ocean. The Hindenburg LZ 129 completed successful 1936 season carrying passengers between Lakehurst New Jersey and Germany. Year 1937 started with most spectacular widely remembered airship accident approaching Lakehurst mooring mast minutes before landing on the 6th of May 1937. Hindenburg suddenly burst into flames and crashed to ground killing 35 of 97 people aboard including 13 passengers 22 aircrew along with one American ground-crewman. Disaster happened before large crowd filmed and radio news reporter recording arrival. This disaster shattered public confidence in airships bringing definitive end to golden age. Day after Hindenburg disaster Graf Zeppelin landed safely in Germany after return flight from Brazil marking last international passenger airship flight. Hindenburg's identical sister ship Graf Zeppelin II LZ 130 could not carry commercial passengers without helium which United States refused to sell to Germany. Graf Zeppelin made several test flights conducting some electronic espionage until 1939 when grounded due beginning of war. Two Graf Zeppelins scrapped April 1940.
In 2010 U.S. Army awarded $517 million contract to Northrop Grumman and partner Hybrid Air Vehicles to develop Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle system form three HAV 304s. Project cancelled February 2012 due being behind schedule over budget plus forthcoming U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan where intended deployed. Following this Hybrid Air Vehicles HAV 304 Airlander 10 repurchased modified reassembled Bedford UK renamed Airlander 10. As 2018 tested readiness for UK flight test programme. A-NSE French company manufactures operates airships aerostats testing two years for French Army providing intelligence surveillance reconnaissance support. Their airships include many innovative features such as water ballast take-off landing systems variable geometry envelopes thrust-vectoring systems. U.S. government funded two major projects high altitude arena including Composite Hull High Altitude Powered Platform sponsored by U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. Prototype ship made five-hour test flight September 2005. Second project high-altitude airship HAA sponsored DARPA awarded nearly $150 million contract Lockheed Martin prototype development first flight planned. In May 2006 U.S. Navy began fly airships again after hiatus nearly 44 years using single American Blimp Company A-170 nonrigid airship designation MZ-3A. Operations focus crew training research platform integrator Northrop Grumman program directed Naval Air Systems Command carried NAES Lakehurst original center U.S. Navy lighter-than-air operations previous decades.
Although airships no longer used major cargo passenger transport still used other purposes such advertising sightseeing surveillance research advocacy. Goodyear operates three blimps United States Lightship Group now AirSign Airship Group operates up to 19 advertising blimps around world. Airship Management Services owns operates three Skyship 600 blimps two operate advertising security ships North America Caribbean. Skycruise Switzerland AG owns operates two Skyship 600 blimps one operates regularly over Switzerland used sightseeing tours. Spirit of Dubai flew Athens during 2004 Summer Olympics security measure November 2006 carried advertising calling Spirit of Dubai beginning publicity tour London Dubai UAE behalf Palm Islands world largest man-made islands created residential complex. Los Angeles-based Worldwide Aeros Corp produces FAA Type Certified Aeros 40D Sky Dragon airships. In June 1987 U.S. Navy awarded US$168.9 million contract Westinghouse Electric Airship Industries UK find out whether airship could used airborne platform detect threat sea-skimming missiles Exocet. At 2.5 million cubic feet Westinghouse/Airship Industries Sentinel 5000 redesignated YEZ-2A prototype design to have been largest blimp ever constructed. Additional funding Naval Airship Program killed 1995 development discontinued.
Common questions
When did Francesco Lana de Terzi publish his description of an Aerial Ship?
Francesco Lana de Terzi published the description in 1670. The Jesuit Father proposed a craft supported by four copper spheres from which air was evacuated, though external pressure would cause them to collapse.
Who demonstrated the Passarola hot air balloon on the 8th of August 1709?
Bartolomeu de Gusmão demonstrated the Passarola hot air balloon before the Portuguese court on the 8th of August 1709. King John V and future Pope Innocent XIII witnessed the event at the Casa da Índia in Lisbon.
What happened during the Hindenburg disaster on the 6th of May 1937?
The Hindenburg burst into flames and crashed minutes before landing at Lakehurst New Jersey on the 6th of May 1937. Thirty-five people died including thirteen passengers and twenty-two aircrew members along with one American ground-crewman.
How many airships were built for the U.S. Navy between 1942 and 1945?
One hundred fifty-four airships were built for the U.S. Navy between 1942 and 1945. This total included 133 K-class ships plus ten L-class seven G-class and four M-class vessels used for patrol and convoy escort duties.
When did the U.S. Army award a contract to Northrop Grumman for the Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle system?
The U.S. Army awarded a $517 million contract to Northrop Grumman and Hybrid Air Vehicles in 2010. The project was cancelled in February 2012 due to schedule delays budget overruns and the withdrawal from Afghanistan.