Zeppelin turns 110

Today is the great day for all Zeppelin lovers. On July 2, 1900 the Luftschiff Zeppelin No. 1 (LZ 1) emerged from its Lake Constanz shed:

and made the first successful flight:

It was powered by two 14 HP Daimler piston engines:

At its first trial the LZ1 carried five persons attaining an altitude of 400 metres (1,300 ft) and flew a distance of 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) in 18 minutes, but the wind then forced an emergency landing on the water.

After repairs the ship flew two more times showing its potential, beating the speed record then held by the French Army airship, La France, of 6 metres per second (22 km/h) by 3 metres per second (11 km/h), but this could not convince the possible investors. Because funding was exhausted, Graf von Zeppelin had to dismantle the prototype, sell the scrap and tools and liquidate the company. But it was not the end - only a beginning.

Tags: air, german, transport, zeppelin

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