Comments on: The Airship and Futurism: Utopian Visions of the Airship

By: Lee Barber

Lee Barber — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 05:01:29 +0000

Hi Neal
Thanks for your reply. You confirmed what I thought my “trophy” was. I figured it was awarded to a dealership. Mine does have two holes on the top of the frontside of the trophy. I figured that was for mounting but now I know that it is where the Zeppelin went. There is also a small chip up in that area. Either the Zeppelin was to big of a temptation for a kid to have a playtoy or it possibly fell over and broke. The way the graphics flowed from horses upwards through the evolution of transportaion I wondered why there was no zeppelin included since the trophy was about a zeppelin race. My trophy is missing the zeppelin. I don’t mind though for it is still a wonderful piece of 1930′s art and looks great in my display case in my garage that houses my antique cars collection. Thank’s so very much for solving my mystery.
Lee Barber

By: Neal Sausen

Neal Sausen — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 03:38:08 +0000

Hi Lee….Neal Sausen here.
Yes….Ihave that excat same “trophy” It was awarded to the “GOODYEAR TIRE DEALERS” who sold the most (Goodyear) tires & rubber products that year (not actually a zeppelin race at all)!
I don’t know how many years they (Goodyear) actually sponsored this “event” but it was at least for 2 years. Lee…. does your trophy feature a “detachable zeppelin” @ or near the top?!
It (the zepp) attached to the main body of the trophy via 2 screws or bolts (there should be 2 screw holes @ top of trophy). The Zeppelin has the name “Goodyear-Zeppelin” im-printed @ front & is de-tachable.
Neal Sausen (airship-doc)
12-13-11 @ 7:35 p.m.

By: Lee Barber

Lee Barber — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 21:12:47 +0000

I found this website trying to locate information abouth the Second Annual Goodyear Zepplin race of 1930. I have a aprox. 16-18 high art deco styly plaque. Silver in color. Seems to be a spelter type of metal. It is shaped like a stone plaque that can sit on a table of be wall mounted. It is inscribed with the words ” Winner, Second Annual Goodyear Zeppelin Race July August 1930. The theme is the history of transportation. It starts from the left side showing this evolution from horses, wagons, trains, the automobile, steamships, and airplanes. On the left side this scene is being pulled upward by the mythological figure of a winged Mercury. It is a spectacular piece of art work to look at. I would like to know more about what I have. Hopefully some of your writers can enlighten me.

By: David Erskine

David Erskine — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 07:32:50 +0000

Modern reactors may be smaller and lighter than in the past, but shielding requirements rely solely on mass, so remain unchanged. The idea of airborne reactors is interesting, but even a 1000 kilowatt reactor will emit lethal radiation to anybody on board. Shielding to protect people on board will be so heavy that the airship will not fly.

An unmanned nuclear airship could tow a manned airship with a cable, say half a kilometre long, and range will be almost unlimited but speed slow.

I cannot see regulatory authorities approving umanned nuclear airships, interesting though the idea is.

By: D. Frank Robinson

D. Frank Robinson — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 23:05:48 +0000

In the 1950s, I think, there was a design for an airship powered by an nuclear reactor. Today, there are much smaller lighter reactors under development by the Japanese and maybe others. A nuclear powered electric motor airship remotely piloted could remain above 70,000 feet for perhaps years as a communication platform. Stream me up, Scotty!

By: David Erskine

David Erskine — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 08:15:37 +0000

Windbreaks for airships

Airships are vulnerable when landing or taking off in wind. The airship wants to move at the speed of the wind, but the ground is stationary.

Ships avoid rough sea in sheltered harbours, sometimes with a breakwater. A windbreak for airships will be very large, perhaps a kilometre across and 100 metres high, so that an airship sinks down out of the wind into a sheltered area, large enough to maneuver in.

A smaller option is a circular wall 100 metres high, and say 100 metres in diameter, so that an airship approaches the wall from downwind, and is sheltered from wind when it is close to the wall. The circular wall deflects wind from any direction.

In the early days of aircraft, people imagined flying boats using the harbours of cities on the coast. We could return to this idea for airships, with a circular wall on a huge raft, moored in a harbour.

By: John Flavell Carr

John Flavell Carr — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 05:15:31 +0000

Zeppelins have always captured my imagination. The Graf Zeppelin flew within sight of our family farm in southern Michigan on it around the world flight in the late 20′s. Nowadays, we see the Zeppelin NT on its sightseeing flights around San Francisco Bay. We say, “there goes the Hindenburg”. Our dream is to fly the Atlantic in the next generations of rigid airships. Given the great success of cruise ships, and the safer, more durable technology of the recent offerings of
the Zeppelin Company in Germany, we are convinced that the development of the larger, more capable rigid airships is only a matter of time and that our dream of long distance travel by Zeppelin will become a reality.

By: David Erskine

David Erskine — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 08:13:10 +0000

The air at the equator, plus or minus 5 degrees is extraordinarily calm. There are occasional violent storms, but most of the time the air is calm and on beaches there is no surf. These are the doldrums. I suggest east west airshp routes in this (mostly) calm air near the equator, covering Indonesia, the Congo basin and the Amazon basin, and across the Pacific. These are not heavily travelled air routes at present, but the calm air is a strong advantage for airships approaching a mooring mast.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 17:21:10 +0000

This is a very good page Dan.
I want to rebuild the hindenburg, with modern, double motors, 250-400 passenger compartment, 2 crew compartment (pilot,co-pilot) automatic horizont-holder system,autopilot, 8×1500 HP motors with 3-4 bladed metal props.This is my dream.
I was planing this airship, from original plans, but modern avionics, and instruments,
in a 3d modoeller, google sketch up 8.When I complete, can I send to you?

Regards: Steve

By: David Erskine

David Erskine — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 02:11:29 +0000

I have also seen Miyazaki’s film ‘Castle in the Sky’, based on Swift’s idea in his novel ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ of a flying island, Laputa, held aloft by magnetic forces. An entire nation lives on this flying island.

Modern airships can be a little like Laputa. A rich playboy could stay aloft in his airship for weeks, perhaps even months, riding winds. Satellite pictures give information about the weather that was not possible during the heyday of airships, in the thirties. Large areas of solar panels can provide auxiliary power indefinitely. The engines and propellers would only be used intermittently, to avoid bad weather, or to approach a mooring mast to make a landing.