Graf
Zeppelin Airship
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Zeppelin Airship History for kids: Fast Fact
Sheet
Fast, fun facts about the Zeppelin Airship:
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Who invented the airship? Count Ferdinand
Graf von Zeppelin
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How big was the first airship? The
Luftschiff Zeppelin 1 (LZ-1 ) was 420 feet
long and 38.5 feet in diameter
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What was the speed of airships? The later
airships, including the ill-fated
Hindenburg, reached a speed of 135 km/h
(84mph)
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How high did airships fly?
Over 1000 feet
The Zeppelin Airship for kids
William McKinley was the 25th American President who served in office from
March 4, 1897 to September 14, 1901 during which time the Zeppelin
Airship was patented in the United States in 1899. The
Wright Brothers
and their "Flying Machine" would make their historic flight
on December 17, 1903.
The Purpose of the
Zeppelin Airship
What was the purpose of airships? They were used for
air travel and in WW1 airships were used as bombers, on
reconnaissance missions and for propaganda purposes.
Facts and Description of the First
Zeppelin Airship for kids: The LZ-1
The first design was not a great success
but the problems were resolved with subsequent improved designs.
Interesting facts and description and initial problems of the first
Zeppelin airship are detailed as follows:
● The first design was
called the LZ-1 (Luftschiff Zeppelin 1)
● The German word Luftschiff
derives from Luft + Schiff, literally meaning airship
● Airships are also referred
to as 'dirigibles' meaning a steerable, self-propelled aircraft.
The word 'dirigible' is taken from the Latin dirigere meaning
'to direct'
● The airship consisted of a
massive, long rigid metal frame containing individual gas cells
and covered by fabric
● The first massive
structure lacked rigidity due to its weak tubular frame
● The LZ-1 was 420 feet long
and 38.5 feet in diameter
● The LZ-1 contained 399,000
cubic feet of hydrogen in 17 gas cells
● 'Gondola' was the name
given to an external compartment that was suspended from the
airship balloon, designed to carry personnel, cargo and the
power plant
● Two metal 'gondolas' were
suspended below the ship each gondola housed a 4-cylinder
water-cooled Daimler gasoline engine producing 16-horsepower and
geared to two propellers
● A sliding weight secured
to the keel afforded vertical control by raising or lowering the
nose of the airship
● Rudders were provided for
horizontal control
● The first airship was
completed in the winter of 1899 and made its maiden flight in
the summer on July 2, 1900
● The LZ-1 Zeppelin airship
was first flown for a short distance of 3.5 miles over a lake
● It achieved a speed of 20
mph.
● Various improvements were
made to the design and it was replaced by the LZ-2 in 1906
● ● The weak tubular
girders of LZ-1 were replaced by triangular girders which
dramatically improved strength and rigidity
● ● Fins were added for
stability and control
● ● The unreliable engines
were replaced
● Various designs followed
until Zeppelin was happy with the result produced by the LZ-5.
● A total of 21 Zeppelin
airships (LZ-5 to LZ-25) were manufactured before the outbreak
of World War I (1914 - 1918)
Zeppelin Airship Facts for kids: Fact Sheet for kids
Interesting description and facts about the Zeppelin Airship are detailed
in the Fact Sheet. The history of
Zeppelin Airship is told in a factual sequence consisting of a
series of short facts providing a simple method of relating the
history, events surrounding the Zeppelin Airship.
Zeppelin
Airship
Facts and History for kids
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 1: Ferdinand von Zeppelin (1838-1917)
was born in Germany, a member of the wealthy German
nobility. His early career was in the German military
and following his early retirement he founded the
Zeppelin Airship company.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 2: Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin served
as an official observer with the Union Army during the
American Civil War (1861- 1865) during which time he
visited the balloon camp of Thaddeus S. C. Lowe, who was
the Chief Aeronaut of the Union Army Balloon Corps.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 3: Ferdinand von Zeppelin made his first
ascent in a US hot air balloon in his late twenties
during the American Civil War, which ignited his initial
interest and passion for aeronautics and dirigibles.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 4: He worked on his design for ten years
and in 1895 submitted his patent in Germany and then, in
1899, submitted his patent in the United States
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 5: Ferdinand von Zeppelin was not only
the innovator of the first airship, he also piloted most
of the first, prototype airships himself.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 6: The first Zeppelin airship made its
maiden flight from a floating hangar on Lake Constance,
near Friedrichshafen, Germany, on July 2, 1900.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 7: Improvements were made to the first
experimental airships and state-of-the-art Zeppelins
measured 150 to 160 metres (490 -520 ft) in length and
were able to carry loads of around 9,000 kilograms
(20,000 lb).
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 8: The state-of-the-art Zeppelins were
powered by three Maybach engines of around 400 to 550
horsepower (300 to 410 kW) each, reaching speeds of up
to 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph).
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 9: In 1908 the count founded the
Luftschiffbau Zeppelin company (Airship Construction
Zeppelin Ltd.)
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 10: In 1910, Zeppelins provided the first
commercial air service for passengers.
Continued...
Zeppelin
Airship
Facts and History for kids
Zeppelin Airship Facts for kids
Interesting history and the Zeppelin Airship Facts for kids are
continued below.
Zeppelin
Airship
Facts and History for kids
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 11: Zeppelins were first flown
commercially by Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-AG (DELAG), the
world's first airline service.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 12: By mid-1914, DELAG had carried over
10,000 fare-paying passengers on over 1,500 flights.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 13: A fleet of 21 Zeppelin airships (LZ 5
to LZ 25) were manufactured before the outbreak of World
War I (1914 - 1918)
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 14: The fleet of Zeppelins were used to
bomb London during World War I.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 15: The rigid Zeppelins could reach
higher altitudes than the early airplanes
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 16: Bombs were thrown by hand from the
rear cockpit of the airship's gondola
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 17: 1,500 people were killed in Zeppelin
raids on London's East End. The terror they instilled
played a significant propaganda role during WW1.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 18: Cow intestines used to make special
bags called 'sausage skins' to hold the hydrogen gas
used to keep airship aloft. It took more than 250,000
cows to make one airship.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 19: The German Zeppelins proved to be too
slow and too fragile to withstand bad weather. They were
also found to be vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 20: 40 German Zeppelins were shot down
over London.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 21: Count Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin
died before the end of World War I, of natural causes at
age 78, on March 8, 1917.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 22: After WW1 a number of Zeppelins were
distributed to the Allied countries as a part of postwar
compensations by Germany
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 23: In 1918 the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin
company worked with Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company to
build Zeppelins in the United States - there association
continued until the outbreak of WW2
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 24: In 1922 the US Navy started to
construct airships for reconnaissance missions. The ZR-1
(meaning "Zeppelin, Rigid #1" named the USS Shenandoah
was the first to be commissioned.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 25: The 680 feet ZR-1 made its first
flight on September 4, 1923 and was the first ascent of
a helium inflated rigid airship in history
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 26: The names of other United States
airships were the ZR-3 USS Los Angeles and the USS Akron
(ZRS-4) and her sister ship the USS Macon (ZRS-5) that
were launched in 1931
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 27: Blimps: In 1925 Goodyear began using
blimps to advertise their brand.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 28: Blimps: What is a Blimp? Unlike the
rigid framed Zeppelins, a blimp has no rigid
internal structure; if a blimp deflates, it loses its
shape.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 29: The two most famous were the Graf
Zeppelin that was completed in September 1928, and the
giant Hindenburg that was first flown in 1936
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 30: The Graf Zeppelin 1: The LZ 127 Graf
Zeppelin passenger-carrying, hydrogen-filled, rigid
airship which operated commercially from 1928 to 1937
making 590 flights covering more than a million miles
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 31: The Graf inaugurated a transatlantic
flight service and made 144 ocean crossings and then
made a "Round-the-World" flight
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 32: The Graf's "Round-the-World" flight
in 1929 officially began and ended at Lakehurst Naval
Air Station in New Jersey
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 33: The Graf covered 21,500 miles (34,600
km) in a world flight that was completed in 21 days.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 34: The Hindenburg: The LZ129 Hindenburg
(first Hindenburg class airship) was a
passenger-carrying, civilian airship that was launched
on 4 March 1936.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 35: The Hindenburg: The LZ129 Hindenburg
was in tended for filling with helium gas instead of
flammable hydrogen. However the United States, which had
a monopoly on the world supply of helium, feared that
other countries might use the gas for military purposes
and banned its export by law.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 36: The Hindenburg: In 1936 the
Hindenburg carried a total of 1,002 passengers on 10
scheduled round trips between Germany and the United
States.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 37: The Hindenburg Facts and Statistics:
● Length of the Hindenburg:
803.8 feet
● Hindenburg Powerplant: 4
Daimler-Benz 16-cylinder LOF 6 (DB 602) Diesels
● Hindenburg First flight:
March 4, 1936
● Diameter of the Hindenburg:
135.1 feet
● Hindenburg Speed: 84 mph (125
km/h)
● Number of Hindenburg crew: 40
● Hindenburg Passenger: 50
sleeping berths, 25 double-berth inside cabins
● Passenger facilities: Dining
Room, Lounge, Writing Room, Promenades and, of all
things, a smoking room!
● Hindenburg Disaster: May 6,
1937
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 38: The Hindenburg Disaster: On May 6,
1937, whilst landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey, the
hydrogen-inflated craft burst into flames and was
completely destroyed. 36 people were killed in the
Hindenburg Disaster.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 39: Hindenburg Disaster: The cause of the
fire has never been established. Passengers and crew
members jumped out the promenade windows to escape the
burning Hindenburg airship.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 40: The Hindenburg disaster marked the
end of the use of rigid airships in commercial air
transportation
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 41: The Graf Zeppelin 2: In September
1938 the LZ130 Graf Zeppelin 2 (second Hindenburg class
airship) was used mainly for flight testing. It was
modified for helium, but none was provided by the US.
With the outbreak of WW2 it was used in radio
interception and electronic warfare. The LZ130 Graf was
dismantled in 1940 upon order of Hermann Goring.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 42: The Graf Zeppelin 2: In September
1938 the LZ130 Graf Zeppelin 2 (second Hindenburg class
airship) was used mainly for flight testing. It was
modified for helium, but none was provided by the US.
With the outbreak of WW2 it was used in radio
interception and electronic warfare. The LZ130 Graf was
dismantled in 1940 upon order of Hermann Goring.
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 43: In World War II, the United States
Navy had 10 non-rigid airships
Zeppelin Airship
Fact 44: After World War II although airships
are no longer used for passenger transport, they are
still used for advertising purposes, sightseeing,
research projects and surveillance
Zeppelin
Airship
Facts and History for kids
Zeppelin
Airship Facts for kids:
History of Aviation
For visitors interested in the history of
aviation refer to the following articles:
Zeppelin Airship for kids - President William McKinley Video
The article on the
Zeppelin Airship provides detailed facts and a
summary of one of the important events during his
presidential term in office. The following
William McKinley video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 25th American President whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1897 to September 14, 1901.
Zeppelin Airship
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Interesting Facts about Zeppelin Airship for kids and schools
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Summary of the Zeppelin Airship in US history
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Summary and results of the Erdman law
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William McKinley from March 4, 1897 to September 14, 1901
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Fast, fun facts about the Erdman law
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Foreign & Domestic
policies of President William McKinley
● William McKinley Presidency and
the Zeppelin Airship for schools,
homework, kids and children
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