A list of all flights of the airship Hindenburg, with dates, departures, and arrivals.
(click to enlarge)
For details on particular flights, visit:
Hindenburg's Maiden Voyage Passenger List
Hindenburg’s first flight to the United States was filled with journalists, prominent notables, frequent zeppelin travelers, and members of the Nazi elite. (For more information...
Hindenburg "Millionaires Flight"
The “Millionaires Flight” of the Hindenburg was a 10-1/2 hour cruise over New England on October 9, 1936, for 72 wealthy and influential passengers. The guests were invited...
A Flight on the Hindenburg: One Passenger's Account
Clarence and Dorothy Hall were passengers on Hindenburg’s flight from Frankfurt to Lakehurst on August 5-8, 1936. Clarence Hall described the flight in his diary,...
Max Schmeling on the Hindenburg
German boxer Max Schmeling returned to Germany in triumph on the June 23, 1936 voyage of the Hindenburg, after his victory over American boxer Joe...
- Hindenburg Disaster: The Last Flight
- Maiden Voyage to USA (Passenger list with photos and bios)
- Maiden Voyage to USA (Journalist Webb Miller’s detailed description)
- The “Millionaires Flight” (A discussion of the flight and the passengers)
- A Passenger’s Diary Entry (Passenger Clarence Hall’s description of a voyage)
- Max Schmeling on the Hindenburg (The boxer’s flight home after defeating Joe Louis)
1936 Flight Schedule
- March 4: Friedrichshafen-Friedrichshafen (3hr6min) [Test flight]
- March 5: Friedrichshafen-Friedrichshafen (8hr) [Test flight]
- March 6: Friedrichshafen-Friedrichshafen (3hr14min) [Test flight]
- March 17-March 18: Friedrichshafen-Friedrichshafen (22hr45min) [Test flight]
- March 18-March 18: Friedrichshafen-Friedrichshafen (7hr49min)
- March 23-March 23: Friedrichshafen-Löwental (6hr23min) [Test flight, Mail flight]
- March 26-March 26: Löwental-Löwental (3ht16min)
- March 26-March 29: Löwental-Löwental (74hr4min) [Propaganda flight, dropping pro-Hitler election leaflets]
- March 31-April 4: Löwental-Rio de Janeiro (100hr40min) [First South America flight]
- April 6-April 10: Rio de Janeiro-Löwental (103hr52min)
- May 4-May 4: Löwental-Friedrichshafen (7hr32min)
- May 6-May 9: Friedrichshafen-Lakehurst (61hr40min) [First flight to North America]
- May 12-May 14: Lakehurst-Frankfurt (49hr13min)
- May 17-May 20: Frankfurt-Lakehurst (78hr57min)
- May 21- May 23: Lakehurst-Frankfurt (48hr8min)
- May 25-May 29: Frankfurt-Rio de Janeiro (85hr13min)
- May 30-June 3: Rio de Janeiro-Frankfurt 93hr17min)
- June 5-June 5: Frankfurt-Löwental (8hr19min)
- June 16-June 16: Löwental-Löwental (9hr4min) [(Krupp/Essen flight]
- June 18-June 18: Löwental-Frankfurt (3hr17min)
- June 18-June 18: Frankfurt-Frankfurt (11hr)(Rhineland flight)
- June 19-June 22: Frankfurt-Lakehurst (61hr30min)
- June 24-June 26: Lakehurst-Frankfurt ( 61hr5min) [Max Schmeling return]
- June 30-July 2: Frankfurt-Lakehurst (52hr49min)
- July 4-July 6: Lakehurst-Frankfurt (45hr39min)
- July 8-July 8: Frankfurt-Frankfurt (1hr26min)
- July 8-July 8: Frankfurt-Frankfurt (1hr)
- July 10-July 13: Frankfurt-Lakehurst (63hr27min)
- July 15-July 17: Lakehurst-Frankfurt (60hr58min)
- July 20-July 24: Frankfurt-Rio de Janeiro (85hr38min)
- July 25-July 29: Rio de Janeiro-Frankfurt (96hr35min)
- August 1-August 1: Frankfurt-Frankfurt (14hr) [Olympic Games flight]
- August 5-August 8: Frankfurt-Lakehurst (75hr56min) [Passenger description]
- August 10-August 11: Lakehurst-Frankfurt (43hr2min)
- August 17-August 19: Frankfurt-Lakehurst (90hr10 min)
- August 20-August 22: Lakehurst-Frankfurt (43hr49min)
- August 27-August 30: Frankfurt-Rio de Janeiro (88hr34min)
- September 4-September 8: Rio de Janeiro-Friedrichshafen (109hr55min)
- September 14-September 14: Friedrichshafen-Friedrichshafen (10hr53min) [Flight over 1936 Nazi Party Nuremberg Rally]
- September 16-September 16: Friedrichshafen-Frankfurt (3hr6min)
- September 17-September 20: Frankfurt-Lakehurst (62hr54min)
- September 22-September 24: Lakehurst-Frankfurt (55hr36min)
- September 26-September 29: Frankfurt-Lakehurst (63hr14min)
- October 1-October 3: Lakehurst-Frankfurt (58hr2min)
- October 5-October 7: Frankfurt-Lakehurst (55hr35min)
- October 9-October 9: Lakehurst-Lakehurst (10hr25min) [“Millionaires Flight“]
- October 10-October 12: Lakehurst-Frankfurt (52hr17min)
- October 21-October 25: Frankfurt-Rio de Janeiro (111hr41min)
- October29-October 30: Rio de Janeiro-Recife (21hr48min)
- October 30-November 2: Recife-Frankfurt (85hr20min)
- November 5-November 9: Frankfurt-Rio de Janeiro (97hr50min)
- November 12-November 16: Rio de Janeiro-Frankfurt (105hr57min)
- November 25-November 29: Frankfurt-Rio de Janeiro (94hr59min)
- November 30-December 1: Rio de Janeiro-Rio de Janeiro (26hr37min)
- December 3-December 4: Rio de Janeiro-Recife (22hr57min)
- December 4-December 7: Recife-Frankfurt (83hr34min)
Hindenburg’s Flights to North America (click to enlarge)
1937 Flight Schedule
57. March 11-March 11: Frankfurt-Frankfurt (6hr17min)
58. March 11- March 11: Frankfurt-Frankfurt (1hr14min)
59. March 16-March 20: Frankfurt-Rio de Janeiro (88hr48min)
60. March 23-March 26: Rio de Janeiro-Frankfurt (97hr8min)
61. April 27-April 27: Frankfurt-Frankfurt (6hr59min) [Udet flight/Rhineland]
62. April 27-April 27: Frankfurt-Frankfurt (2hr23min) [Udet hook-on trial flight]
63. May 3-May 6: Frankfurt-Lakehurst (77hr8min) [Hindenburg crash at Lakehurst]
I was only two years old in 1937 when I saw the Hindenburg pass over my grandparent’s house at 28 Algonquin Street, Dorchester, Massachusetts, on its way to Lakehurst, New Jersey. Of course I did not know then what it was, just that it was very large and very low.
Did all the flights of the Hindenburg in 1936 use helium? Was the first 1937 flight the only one to use hydrogen? Dave from Seekonk, Massachusetts. My father traveled to Lakehurst on May 7, 1937 and took photos of the Hindenburg. When the landing was delayed he left 1 hour… Read more »
Hindenburg was never inflated with helium.
Yes I now know. The Hindenburg was originally designed for the safer helium but hydrogen was actually used because the U.S. banned helium from Germany and it was very expensive.. Hydrogen had the advantage because it was lighter than helium and had better lifting power so more cabins for passengers… Read more »
The U.S. export ban on helium was not specific to Germany; the Helium Control Acts of 1925 and 1927 banned exportation of helium to any foreign country without government approval.
I am wondering whether the Hindenburg
ever flew over the Midwest.
No, the ship never went farther west than NJ/PA.
If it wasn’t the Hindenburg that flew over Muscatine, Iowa at some point prior to 1933 or 1934, could it have been another airship or blimp? My dad told me that he and his father stood out in their back yard and watched something like that fly over!
Hi Gina, Like Dan said, neither the LZ-127 or LZ-129 ever flew farther west than Lakehurst, New Jersey. As there were no other large rigid airships in operation in that part of the country at that time, by process of elimination I’d wager that your father and his father more… Read more »
May have been the Graf Zeppelin on August 28, 1929. For the story, see –
https://qctimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/columnists/bill-wundram/the-day-the-graf-came-to-town/article_4491ab3d-e067-5fd2-a3a2-eb5bd97273c7.html
My grandmother told me that as a little girl she and her family and many others watched the Hindenburg fly over Downpatrick, Northern Ireland. Amazing to validate this story with these flight path maps!!
I am intrigued by the above map showing the Hindenburg’s 10 flights to and from North America. Westbound flight No.4 does not appear to have Lakehurst, New Jersey, as its destination. Where did this flight terminate?
My mother was 10 when her and her sister witnessed the Hindenburg cross over Martha’s Vineyard, where they lived. Is it possible that the flight was a little south of flight plan?
My grandfather was a passenger from Frankfurt to Rio de Janeiro on october 21, 1936. I have his ticket, the letter he wrote to my grandmother, the print he received for crossing the Equador and his photo inside the Hindenburg.
Would love to see a photo copy of that ticke. Would pay you for a photocopy. I am an avid researcher for over 30 yrs . Feel free to call me:
David 704-254-0859
My mother-in-law (who is 93) told me she remembers seeing (but first hearing) the Hindenburg when she was a little girl in Springfield, Mass. when it flew down along the Connecticut River. I don’t know what year. Is this possible? Did it ever take a trip south along the east… Read more »
I have an original passenger list dated May 11th ,1936 . It was the first Eastward Crossing from Lakehurst,New Jersey to Frankfort on Main, Germany. Curious why it isn’t listed in the 1936 crossings .
Great catch and great question! The flight list on this page is based on the official records of the Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei and flight logs of LZ-129 Hindenburg, which record dates and times according to GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). Flight 13 departed Lakehurst at 03:28 GMT on May 12, 1936 and… Read more »
Dan,
Thank you , curiosity solved !
Dan, An observation; if it was the convention at the time to use GMT as the reference time for navigation/logging, then it would be useful to make a note of that at the top of the page rather than making adjustments to the raw data. It would also be useful… Read more »
Great comment! I have been meaning to revamp this page for a long time and provide a more comprehensive, detailed, and useful list of flight information. Unfortunately I don’t have time for everything on my “to do” list, but this particular project is underway!
Was the Hindenburg the only German airship that had a swastika on the tail fins, if so I may have a picture of it flying over my city.
LZ-127 and LZ-130 also had the national insignia on their tail fins.