In 1926, the first confirmed crossing of the North Pole was achieved, not by land or sea, but from the air. This historic flight was made by the airship Norge, a dirigible steered by the skilled Italian pilot and airship engineer, Colonel Umberto Nobile. The 16-man expedition, aboard the Norge also included the famed Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen who served as the navigator and expedition leader, and American millionaire explorer Lincoln Ellsworth, who helped finance the expedition.

Amundsen, already celebrated for traversing the Northwest Passage and reaching the South Pole, sought to conquer the North Pole. In 1925, he contacted Nobile to build a specially designed airship for this mission. However, a project of this magnitude required the approval of Benito Mussolini, the leader of Fascist Italy, who granted his consent.

On May 14, 1926, the Norge successfully crossed over the North Pole and continued on to Alaska and then Seattle. Despite the shared glory, media attention often favored the dashing Colonel Nobile over Amundsen, leading to tensions.  Filled with pride following the success of the Norge expedition, the Italian authorities enlisted Nobile for another Arctic venture in 1928, this time aboard the airship Italia. The plan was to fly the airship from King’s Bay in Norway to Greenland, then follow the 27th meridian to the North Pole, and onward to North America. Nobile’s mission was meticulously planned and scientifically equipped.

On May 23, 1928, the airship Italia, equipped with scientific instruments, a crew of sixteen, three scientists, survival gear, and Nobile’s dog Titania, took off early in the morning. Their journey began with a successful flight to Cape Bridgman on Greenland’s north-east coast, where they arrived on a sunny afternoon by 5:30 p.m. Then they turned north towards the Pole aided by a strong tailwind. Just after midnight on May 24, they circled the North Pole, dropping Italian and Milanese flags and a heavy wooden cross from the Pope.

The initial triumph soon gave way to a critical decision point. A disagreement arose over the next course of action: Swedish meteorologist Malgren suggested a return to King’s Bay to continue their exploratory flights, while Nobile wanted to fly to the United States. Malgren’s advice prevailed, and they headed back towards Spitsbergen. At 2:30 am, the return flight began, but quickly turned perilous. Ice began forming on the airship’s envelope and they encountered increasing headwinds and thick clouds.

As the airship struggled for eight hours in clouds, fog, and wind, the controls malfunctioned. Nobile ordered to stop the engines for repairs and allowed the airship to rise above the clouds. As they emerged from the fog at 3609 feet in bright sunshine, they could check their location. However, the sun’s heat, was causing the gas to expand and some of it was being expelled through the automatic valves. To prevent further loss, Nobile ordered his crew to bring the airship to a lower altitude, but the foggy conditions below caused the remaining gas to contract, making the airship heavy and unmanageable.

Tragically, on May 25th at 11 am, the Italia crashed onto the Arctic ice, breaking off the control car and the rear engine gondola. The crash left one crew member dead, nine injured, and six missing, as the detached hull of the airship drifted away, never to be seen again. The Italia had crashed 140 miles northeast of Spitsbergen.

Nobile was also among the nine injured survivors. They pitched a red tent, designed to be seen from afar, and waited for help. Though they managed to send out a distress signal, they were not certain if anyone would receive it. Fortunately, a Russian ham radio operator picked up their S.O.S., but it took an agonizingly long time to organize and dispatch a relief expedition to rescue the Italia crew.

Approximately 1,500 people from eight countries were involved in a massive international rescue effort. Despite this, it was weeks after the crash before an Italian rescue plane finally spotted them in their red tent and dropped some supplies. Roald Amundsen, the explorer who had accompanied Nobile on their pioneering flight over the North Pole in 1926, joined the extensive international rescue mission to locate the Italia and its crew. He boarded a French plane as part of the search efforts, but tragically, the aircraft disappeared, and Amundsen’s body was never recovered.

A Swedish two-seater plane later landed on the ice and could only take one person. Nobile, despite his reluctance, was persuaded to leave due to his injuries, a decision that would later haunt him. He was promised that his crew would be rescued immediately after, but the Swedish pilot Lundberg could not fulfill his promise as his returning aircraft crashed by the survivors’ tent.

Nineteen days later, the Soviet icebreaker Krassin finally reached the remaining survivors. By that time, one of them, a Swedish meteorologist, had succumbed to exhaustion, hunger, and frostbite—or so the other survivors claimed. However, skeptics suspected cannibalism.

The survivors had endured forty-five grueling days on the ice. The catastrophe was a major humiliation for the Italian Fascist government. Nobile’s early rescue turned him into a scapegoat.  In a rushed court inquiry, led by Air Minister Balbo, Nobile was unjustly  blamed and wasn’t even summoned to defend himself. Devastated, he resigned from the Italian Air Force and left Italy in the 1930s, accepting an invitation from the Soviet Union to assist with their airship production. He lived there until the onset of World War II. One of his aims was to return to the crash site to recover the bodies of his missing crew, a goal that remained unfulfilled.

 After the war, the report that had blamed Nobile for the 1928 crash was discredited, and he was reinstated in the air force. He resumed teaching at the University of Naples and served as a deputy in the Italian Constituent Assembly in 1946.

However, despite his vindication and achievements, his reputation suffered greatly. It’s worth noting that Nobile had successfully piloted the airship Norge and had reached the North Pole in 1926, showcasing his remarkable skill in navigating the treacherous Arctic terrain. Additionally, his airship Italia also had reached the North Pole, but the tragic accident on the return journey tarnished his legacy, resulting in significant damage to his reputation.

Nobile’s story remains a poignant chapter in the history of both polar exploration and Lighter-than-Air (LTA) aviation, illustrating the triumphs and tribulations of early 20th-century adventurers. Operating LTA crafts is exceptionally challenging, as pilots must contend with harsh and dangerous natural elements that can easily render the craft useless. Despite the adversity and controversy, Nobile’s legacy endures as a testament to the bravery and resilience of those who pushed the boundaries of human exploration.

Featured Image Attribution:
“Bundesarchiv, Bild 102-05738 / Georg Pahl / CC BY-SA 3.0 DE”

In the heart of Moffett Field, California, where the historic hangar doors creak with the weight of aviation history, Pathfinder 1, a cutting-edge modern airship is taking shape at LTA Research (LTA)—an aerospace R&D company backed by Google cofounder Sergey Brin. This diverse team is dedicated to advancing airship technology with a clear mission: to expand and complement humanitarian relief in disaster areas and pave the way for clean transportation.

On November 8^th, Pathfinder 1, the largest aircraft built since the 1930s emerged from its WW2-era Hangar Two at NASA’s Moffett Field, ready for some outdoor evaluation. It was guided by ropes held by a large team of engineers, technicians, and ground crew. Then it was rolled back in. The white, sleek, rigid airship with an elongated hull, reminiscent of the iconic airships of the past and with a gondola-like cabin suspended below, stretches an impressive 400 feet in length and 66 feet at its widest. Pathfinder 1 is a test airship that combines old-fashioned design, new materials, and advanced engineering. This prototype, if successful, will bring a new generation of larger airships to flight. 

The testing unfolded as expected. The initial objective was to understand how the experimental airship with its one million cubic feet of helium and weather-resistant polymer skin, would react to the heating impact of California’s sunlight. When the sun warmed its skin, the airship superheated, expanded, and got lighter. Powered by small electric motors, it smoothly moved in different directions. “It performed really well,” LTA CEO Alan Weston told Mercury News.  Weston is a veteran in the aerospace field and has a passion for pushing boundaries.In the 1970s, he pursued engineering at the University of Oxford. His career unfolded at the US Air Force, contributing to the strategic defense initiative, commonly known as Star Wars. Weston joined NASA Ames Research Center in 2006 and led over 50 missions, including the development of a low-cost lunar lander. At the Ames Research Center, Weston and Brin developed a professional acquaintance, finding common ground in their shared interest in airship technology.

Modern transportation often leaves a significant carbon footprint, with the aviation industry alone emitting nearly 1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) annually. At LTA, the focus is on constructing airships that are not only safer and stronger but also environmentally efficient. LTA envisions a future where zero-emission airships play a pivotal role in supporting and expediting disaster response and relief efforts. These airships can land and take off vertically, even when runways, roads, and ports are damaged, delivering vital supplies to communities in need. If cellphone towers are knocked out, these airships can hover above and provide much-needed communication services.

“It’s been 10 years of blood, sweat and tears,” Weston told TechCrunch on the eve of the unveiling. “Now we must show that this can reliably fly in real-world conditions. And we’re going to do that.”

The initial stages of testing will involve tethered flights to ensure the airship’s readiness. Subsequently, Pathfinder 1 will fly several FAA-approved missions within a restricted zone, not exceeding 1,500 feet over the south side of the San Francisco Bay area, where it won’t interfere with any regular air traffic.

Currently, LTA’s certified airship pilots, flight test engineers, and seasoned ground crew are engaged in rigorous testing and training, preparing for an upcoming extended outdoor flight. Acknowledging the vital role of the ground crew, their skill in guiding the airship in and out of the hangar, and during take-off and landing is deemed as important as the expertise of certified airship pilots.

The Birth and Resurgence of Airships

In the realm of aviation, the first aircraft invented were hot air balloons and gas balloons in 1783 in France. Now, when we talk about lighter-than-air aviation (basically, things that float in the air), there are two main types of aircraft: balloons and airships. Both rise and float due to buoyancy, meaning their total weight is less than the air they displace.
Balloons, both in the past and present, lack engines, but pilots can make them go up or down by changing the amount of gas or hot air inside the balloon. Though they cannot steer it like a car, skilled pilots can control their course and height by riding different air currents at different altitudes.

Since balloons are not navigable, the 19th century saw continued attempts to add methods of propulsion to balloons.  Henri Giffard, a visionary French engineer, crafted the first navigable airship in 1852, propelling it forward with a steam-powered engine. However, practical airships only became a reality with the introduction of the gasoline engine in 1896. Alberto Santos-Dumont continued this legacy in 1898 by developing a gasoline-powered airship. Thus, entered the airship, a powered LTA craft born from the fusion of elongated balloons and engines.

Airships evolved into three forms: the nonrigid blimp, the semirigid vessel offering improved stability, and the rigid giant known as the Zeppelin. The non-rigid blimps rely on the pressure of the gas within, such as helium or hydrogen to maintain their form. On the other hand, semirigid airships introduce a subtle framework, providing some structural support, while rigid airships (aka Zeppelins) have a full rigid structure to ensure steadfast stability.

Typically, as seen with many innovations, the military swiftly identified practical applications for both the balloon and the airship. In the early 20^th century, among various countries engaged in airship construction, the United States stood out as the primary producer of these innovative aerial vehicles. Airships played a role in World War I for military reconnaissance and even bombing missions. Certain massive U.S. Navy airships had the capacity to transport a fleet of biplanes and refuel them using a hook system.

Once the war ended, airships found commercial success, becoming symbols of luxury travel. They were the marvels of the sky and were at the height of travel innovation in the 1920s and 1930s, offering an exhilarating way for sightseeing and traveling over long distances. In fact, the world’s first airline DELAG established in Germany in 1909, pioneered a new era in airship travel. The company offered the world’s first transatlantic passenger airline service, using LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin, which completed an impressive 143 Atlantic crossings before being retired after the Hindenburg disaster in 1937.

The golden era of airships declined in the 1930s, due to the rise of airplanes and some tragic disasters such as the storm-related losses of the helium-filled airships USS Macon and USS Akron, and the explosive incident involving the hydrogen-filled airship, the Hindenburg.

Today, few companies remain in the airship business. The iconic Goodyear blimps, a remnant of a bygone era, still grace the skies during major events, serving as a floating billboard for advertising.

The last airship was built by the Navy in 1960, in the Akron Airdock. By this time, airships were no longer employed for passenger or cargo transport and their use in the military also decreased. However, the past 20 years has seen a resurgence of interest in airships, with various projects and innovations emerging globally.
In 2006, the U.S. Navy resumed airship flights, after a 44-year hiatus. In 2010, the U.S. Army awarded a $517 million contract to Northrop Grumman and UK’s Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) for a Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) system, but the program was scrapped for lack of funds and HAV bought the rights to the project. After years of research and development, Airlander 10, the hybrid airship, went through a complete transformation, and it is being tested for the commercial market.

Pathfinder 1

Alan Weston began researching airships in the archives in Akron, in 2014, and engaging with airship designers, including the German manufacturer Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH and the American multinational Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. Subsequently, LTA established facilities in Akron, Ohio; Gardnerville, Nevada; and Moffett Field, California, generating new jobs in these regions. In 2022, LTA became the official owner of the Akron Airdock, and a year later after months of pre-flight training and tests, Pathfinder 1 progressed to its inaugural indoor flight in Mountain View, CA, which led to its outdoor testing on November 8^th.

From construction to pilot training, Pathfinder 1 surpasses early 20th-century airships in being lighter, safer, and more capable. Notably, its safety is enhanced by utilizing helium, a non-flammable lifting gas.

The airship’s impressive design features a strong yet light carbon fiber skeleton and a nonflammable outer layer made of lightweight Tedlar. This construction ensures sturdiness, UV resistance, and the ability to block visible light.

Pathfinder 1’s propulsion, powered by a dozen electric motors, along its sides and tail, promises speeds of up to 75 mph with precise control. Two generators (150-kilowatt) distribute power to the electric motors integrated into the airframe.

Solar panels and ongoing research into hydrogen fuel cells hint at a future where these airships are not just clean but also self-sustainable.

The nose cone of Pathfinder 1 has been crafted in partnership with Zeppelin. It’s a mix of titanium dock, aluminum adapter, Kevlar shield, and carbon fiber. This cone doesn’t just moor the airship gently; it can withstand winds up to 80 mph.

Controlled by a fly-by-wire system, Pathfinder 1 responds to joystick commands from pilots in the Zeppelin-built gondola with sensor feedback data to actuate the 12 electric motors and four fin rudders to fly the airship.

The airship’s main frames are like a skeleton. Welded titanium hubs and carbon fiber tubes form a circular rib cage, and reinforced joints in critical areas make sure Pathfinder 1 stays tough and safe even when it’s carrying significant loads for humanitarian missions.

 The interior of the ship has 13 sections, each with a helium cell made from ripstop nylon-based fabric and monitored by Lidar sensors. The company’s website says, “At LTA Research, we treat helium like the precious resource that it is and keep our helium footprint small by containing and recycling it. We are always looking for new ways to increase our efficiency.”

The gondola is designed to accommodate up to 14 people, with a single-pilot operation setup, complete with dual controls for flight testing.

The team also came up with significant breakthroughs in the assembly of Pathfinder 1. Unlike the precarious methods of the past, where workers climbed towering scaffolding, LTA introduced a rotisserie system. The entire airship skeleton rotates, allowing workers to operate mostly at ground level, ensuring both safety and a ten-fold increase in manufacturing efficiency.

Anticipated to transport payloads ranging from 4,400 pounds (2,000 kg) to 11,000 pounds (5,000 kg), Pathfinder 1 has a versatile capacity depending on the airship’s final weight and the nature of each mission. Following the success of this prototype, LTA plans to build much bigger airships with greater cargo capacity in the coming years. The potential of these airships to access remote and disaster-affected areas and transport substantial cargo, holds promise for making a significant impact in saving lives and delivering crucial relief supplies.

However, the airship industry faces several challenges, as is seen in the ambitious undertaking by Flying Whales, a French company dedicated to developing heavy-lift airships for transporting cargo, especially within the forestry industry. Overcoming technical hurdles in loading, unloading, or executing a cargo-ballast swap proves to be a significant challenge. As heavy cargo is unloaded, making the airship lighter and causing it to ascend much higher, it becomes imperative to carefully balance buoyancy and weight. While some solutions appear straightforward in theory, maintaining this equilibrium in a dynamic timeframe proves challenging. Among the available options, adding and releasing large quantities of helium during each flight is economically unfeasible. Modifying the airship’s lift during flight requires extensive research and development. One potential solution entails carrying an equal weight of water as ballast and dispensing it as the airship lifts heavy cargo, but this approach also has some practical challenges.

Additionally, inclement weather conditions, such as thunderstorms or high winds, may lead to the grounding of airships for safety reasons. While modern airship designs incorporate advanced technology and control systems to enhance stability, pilots still need to consider and navigate through changing weather patterns.

However, with technological advancements in manufacturing, Weston and Brin seem optimistic and Weston envisions a fleet of airships darkening the skies. These airships, with their ability to hover for hours without burning fuel, could fill critical gaps in transportation, particularly in disaster relief and humanitarian missions.

In the hangar, the whispers of Brin’s financial commitment reach $250 million. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Brin, with an estimated net worth of $105 billion, also funds a disaster charity called Global Support and Development that provides rapid response aid after volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and storms.

With companies like Hybrid Air Vehicles, Lockheed Martin, Aeros, VariaLift Airships, OceanSky Cruises, Flying Whales, LTA Research and others actively contributing to the narrative of airship resurgence, the once-forgotten giants of the sky may well reclaim their place in aviation history.

Top featured image: Pathfinder 1 tethered to concrete ballast blocks inside Hangar 2 at Moffett Field in preparation for pre-flight testing. Photo Credit LTA Research

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Sitara Maruf
Sitara@ltaflightmagazine.com

Airship Dreams is an artistic enquiry into Bedford’s identity as the historical center of the UK’s airship industry, led by award-winning artist Mike Stubbs. Following a call-out to the local community to share memories, artifacts and ideas around the airship for an online archive, the project will culminate in an exhibition at Higgins Bedford (England) in 2021, featuring commissioned airship-inspired art installations alongside a selection of community contributions.

Bedford Creative Arts (BCA), The Higgins Bedford Gallery, the Airship Heritage Trust, and award-winning artist Mike Stubbs have joined forces to launch the project, and are inviting people across the UK and beyond to share their personal airship connections, family tales, objects and also dreams for the future. Contributions will be included in the Airship Dreams program of exhibitions and events that will celebrate this beautiful, graceful, arcadian and romantic form of flight.

  “We want you to ‘unbox’ those items tucked away in your shed and loft, share your photos, talk to us about your and your family’s memories, and show us your airship-inspired creations,” explained BCA Director Elaine Midgley. “Perhaps your grandparents have memories they could share of Bedford’s Cardington Sheds, where the R101 was built, during your online family chats or while on your socially distanced daily walk?”

Airship Dreams will feature many fun activities for people to take part in throughout the project, as well as provide an opportunity to learn from experts at the Airship Heritage Trust and The Higgins Bedford about the history of the airship. Throughout the summer, BCA will be offering exciting creative opportunities through a series of activities people can do in their own home and share with others through a variety of social media channels and platforms.

“From creating your own animations to taking your own airship flight from the comfort of your living room, there will be lots of ways to get involved,” continued Midgley. “This project is hugely significant for Bedford and airship enthusiasts worldwide. Particularly now, when we consider how travel is changing today both due to current circumstances and because of a desire for greener options, the question and exploration of new modes of travel is very timely.”

Airship Dreams Community Champion Sita Thomas (better known as a presenter from Channel 5’s Milkshake) will be releasing various videos online, including a short film about Bedford’s airship history, as well as presenting the ‘unboxing’ videos received from the public. “I’m very excited about being part of Airship Dreams,” she said. “It is a wonderful opportunity for people to explore airship heritage and dream of where we might go next!”

Airship Dreams is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England and The Harpur Trust.

More information can be found at the Airship Dreams website at www.airshipdreams.com, while stories can be shared on social media using #AirshipDreams or emailed to hello@airshipdreams.com

The world’s largest and futuristic aircraft, Airlander 10, combines the characteristics of a plane and helicopter with lighter-than-air technology. Filled with the safe and non-flammable gas helium, it is as tall as a nine-story building and almost the length and breadth of a football field.  It can stay airborne for up to five days at a time and could be used for surveillance, communications, and transportation of passengers and cargo. Moreover, the mission and operations could be achieved from door-to-door, even in remote areas with no runway or infrastructure.

As 2018 came to a close, HAV received certification from all air authorities, including the Design Organization Approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and a Production Organization Approval from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). “[The POA] demonstrates that the safety, quality assurance, and supply chain management processes are in place, along with the production facility,” said David Lindley, HAV’s Head of Aviation Safety & Quality Assurance.

The airship will be able to fly up to 20 passengers and can reach destinations inaccessible to other conventional means of transport. Airlander’s first test flight took place on 17^th August 2016, from Cardington Airfield in Bedfordshire, UK. Over the course of two years the prototype completed six test flights, suffering two mishaps. On its second flight, after staying aloft for 100 minutes, the 302-foot long aircraft slowly nosedived, and landed heavily crashing its cockpit, but the two test pilots and ground crew were reported alive and well. The crash led to a nine month of assessment and repair phase, which brought in a more powerful and more maneuverable Mobile Mooring Mast (MMM), and the additional “inflatable landing feet” of the Auxiliary Landing System (ALS).

The impressive blimp-shaped airship returned to the skies in May 2017 and flew for three hours. Then on 18th November 2017, the aircraft had another accident. It broke free from its mooring and ended up in a deflated and ripped heap on Cardington airfield. The deflation is a result of the safety feature which kicks in when the aircraft breaks free of its mast.  Following the incident, HAV released a statement that the craft sustained “substantial damage” when it “detached from its moorings in light winds” and two people suffered minor injuries. The statement further read: “We are testing a brand-new type of aircraft and incidents of this nature can occur during this phase of development. We will assess the cause of the incident and the extent of repairs needed to the aircraft in the next few weeks.”

After analysis, HAV filed for £32 million  in insurance claim, which it said was the “maximum insured value,” but received £20 million payment from the insurers for the “very significant damage.” The prototype could no longer be used as a “test article and sales demonstrator.” “While the incident and its effect are disappointing,” said HAV’s CEO Stephen McGlennan “they do not take away from the fact that the company is now better positioned than ever to deliver production-standard aircraft to its global markets.” According to McGlennan, the test model served its purpose as the world’s first full-sized hybrid aircraft and provided the necessary data to move forward from prototype to production-standard. “As a result, we do not plan to fly the prototype aircraft again,” said McGlennan.

HAV also has plans to use Airlander for luxury travel and adventure. Almost noiseless, the new breed, of environment friendly airships, promises to offer a unique and luxurious, sightseeing experience as it floats 1000 to 3000 feet above the Earth’s surface. So when can we expect to see Airlander flying again? “Look for many, many Airlanders flying again, ready to be delivered to customers and used around the world,” says McGlennan. And despite its seemingly vulnerable appearance, it’s very safe. “You can put 500 machine gun bullets through the aircraft, and it can still happily carry on,” says HAV’s Executive Director Nick Allman. — by Sitara Maruf

The new exhibition traces the stories of inductees, beginning with those who launched the age of human aviation over two centuries ago through ballooning. Since then, people have pushed the technology of ballooning and lighter-than-air (LTA) aviation in order to reach new heights, gain new knowledge, and advance human capabilities. The International Ballooning Hall of Fame recognizes and memorializes the accomplishments of these legendary aeronauts.

“Due to the nature of ballooning and LTA aviation, the inductees have been leading practitioners of science, technology, engineering, and math,” adds Garver.

Technology is a major theme of the new International Ballooning Hall of Fame, which includes a section on airships that features the steering wheel from an early 20th-century dirigible.

In light of this, the exhibition explores how inductees mastered physical forces to achieve flight; experimented at high altitude to better understand our physical world; created and adapted technologies to help us go higher and farther; explored new frontiers and pushed the boundaries of performance through competition and setting records; and they have enhanced, preserved, and shared history, science, and technology for the benefit of each other, as well as the public, government, and private enterprise.

“Without the efforts of these inductees,” says Garver, “our understanding of aeronautics, the natural world, and the cosmos would be greatly diminished along with our potential as humans.”

The “Voyages of Discovery” section of the exhibition chronicles inductees who went beyond known frontiers, were the first to achieve unprecedented milestones and passed thresholds of earlier ballooning records.

Technology is a major theme of the “Science of Flight” exhibit, which includes a section on airships that features the steering wheel from an early 20th-century dirigible.

“There are dozens of legendary aeronauts in the International Ballooning Hall of Fame,” says Paul Garver, Balloon Museum manager. “Of course, this includes a number of people from New Mexico and Albuquerque, in particular, but also people from around the world and from different historical periods.”

The multi-media exhibition includes many unique and never-before-seen artifacts from the Balloon Museum’s extensive collection, including burners, instruments, and inflation devices. A centerpiece touchscreen interactive, nearly 8 feet tall, invites visitors to learn more about all of the inductees.

The World Air Sports Federation’s International Ballooning Commission, or Comité International d’Aérostation, founded the Hall of Fame in 1994 to honor those who have made significant contributions to ballooning and airships, including those who have excelled in business, history, design, engineering, competitions, and record-setting. The Balloon Museum has been home to the International Ballooning Hall of Fame since 2011.

Named in honor of Albuquerque’s pioneering aeronauts Maxie Anderson and Ben Abruzzo, the Balloon Museum opened in 2005 and has since welcomed over one million visitors from across New Mexico, the United States, and around the world. Through its extensive collection of artifacts, interactive special exhibitions, and engaging educational programs, the Museum is a gateway to science, exploration, and discovery. The Museum is open year round and hosts many community-oriented special events, features unique art and architecture, and offers distinctive rental spaces for meetings, weddings and receptions, and other celebrations.

 Living Legends of Aviation celebrates remarkable people of extraordinary accomplishment in the aerospace industry, including astronauts, entrepreneurs, innovators, industry leaders, record breakers, and pilots who have become celebrities, as well as celebrities who have become pilots.

Kendrick, 72, from Shropshire, UK, was officially inaugurated at a ceremony, held on July 26 in Salzburg, Austria, and joins the coveted group of 97 worldwide, which also includes Elon Musk, Felix Baumgartner, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, and John Travolta.

The ceremony was conducted by Airbus Chief Executive, Tom Enders, who praised Kendrick’s contribution to aviation as truly remarkable, and inspiring, particularly in the lighter than air sector.

On receiving the award, Kendrick said: “It was a true surprise. I’m honoured and deeply humbled to be recognized in this way.”

Kendrick was inducted into the Legends group after nomination from Sir Richard Branson and following a lifetime in the balloon and airship industry, which started in the early 1970s, when he brought about a change in the law to allow advertising on aircraft. This gave birth to the global aerial advertising market and the familiar sight of advertising balloons and airships seen worldwide today.

In partnership with Branson, Kendrick also formed the Virgin Airship and Balloon Company (VABC) in Telford, in 1988. VABC grew quickly to become the world’s largest aerial advertising agency, operating over 180 aircraft in 30 countries, with clients such as Goodyear, Budweiser, Met Life and Sanyo.

Kendrick also introduced balloons and airships to many places that had never seen them before, including the first passenger flights over the Valley of the Kings in Egypt.

Now, Kendrick leads work for his company Straightline Aviation, on a heavy-lift hybrid airship, designed to transport cargo and passengers to remote parts of the world. He says that he is committed to ensuring that the commercial success of hybrid airships is combined with a commitment to make the planet a better and less toxic place to live. “We intend to use our new aircraft for the good of all communities, particularly in remote places for those in need of help, in keeping with the spirit of the Living Legends movement,” said Kendrick.

His company has attracted interest from the oil, gas, and mining industries following its announcement that it would be buying 12 Lockheed Martin Hybrid Airships for $480 million (£330m).

As a keen balloonist himself, Kendrick has set several aviation world records, and project managed many of Branson’s high-profile ballooning world record attempts, including a crossing of the Pacific and an attempt to fly around the world.

“You’ve got to be a certain type of individual to run balloons and airships,” Kendrick added, “and have a determination to succeed, push boundaries, and take risks.”

Copas is also a veteran balloon pilot, flight instructor, and LTA historian. He has flown over such varied landscapes as the Swiss Alps, Australian Outback, and the Arabian desert and spoken at numerous ballooning safety seminars and symposiums.

Copas will sign books and talk with visitors at the Soakum Fall Festival in Noble County, Ohio, from September 30 to October 1. Here, he shares his experiences as a writer and balloon pilot, with Sitara Maruf.

Your book, “The Wreck of the Naval Airship USS Shenandoah,” published on August 21^st has an amazing compilation of images. That has a powerful impact.

Yes, and that is how it came to me. I was interested in things that fly. When I first saw the photo of the Shenandoah wreckage, in an elementary school library book, I wondered how it got there and the story behind it. I wish I could recall the book. I was fascinated with the story for many years.

So, when did you pick it up again and decide to write this book?

Lighter than Air history has always been a passion of mine, and over the years, I’ve collected a lot of books on ballooning, airships, and memorabilia. It was in the 90s when my wife and I were traveling in southeast Ohio, I knew I was in the area where the ship went down and wondered if anybody would know exactly what field that was. I found the field and it is well-maintained. There was a flag there and a sign that locals have put up and an official government monument; there were a lot of other commemorations to that day and that inspired me to meet some people in Noble County and make friends and that’s how it came to putting down in the book.

I started working on the book a couple of years ago. There have been several fine books on the USS Shenandoah before mine, and hopefully there will be many more, but I thought if I could do my part and keep the legacy alive and keep people’s interest in the event, it would be worth the effort.

And later you took the captain’s daughter, Peggy Lansdowne Hunt on a balloon flight?

Yes. She was three years old in 1925 when her father died, so she vaguely knew him, but obviously she is familiar with his illustrious career. He was one of those few naval captains who literally went down with the ship and that’s quite a distinction. The Navy takes great pride in someone with that degree of devotion.

Had Peggy been on a balloon ride before, and what was her reaction when you were flying in the area where the Shenandoah went down.

No. I’m sure she had invitations, but I don’t think so. She was in town for some dedication for the Shenandoah, but she had never visited the crash site before. The locals have made an outline with stones of the fallen airship. When the grass is mowed you can see that outline from the highway. We inflated the balloon inside this outline where the ship lay, and I had brought along 14 red carnations to toss out on the crash site; she kept one in honor of her father.

I have flown balloon all over the world in many different situations, but that was a very special flight considering what had gone on in that very same airspace, where her father gave his last full measure of devotion to our country. The day we flew, it was a beautiful summer evening and the sun was going down, a stark contrast to the September 3, 1925 stormy night flight of the Shenandoah. We had a nice landing in the valley and dozens of people showed up and wanted to see inside the balloon and touch the basket. It was a distinct privilege for me to meet her first of all, and then take me up on the offer for the balloon ride. It was a highlight of my ballooning career.

It seems that Noble County is still remote and rural, and people had not seen a hot air balloon?

No, there is not much ballooning in Noble County, but it’s a beautiful place to fly a balloon. Most of the people who came to the basket knew about the Shenandoah, and they were very happy when they learned that Capt. Lansdowne daughter was in the basket.

Did you talk with any surviving witnesses?

When I first started encountering people in Noble County, I met a couple of eyewitnesses. They were children at the time. And a couple of people did tell me that they were toddlers and they remember the day of the accident. When I was taking Peggy Lansdowne on the balloon ride, in that photo on page 122 there is Brian Rayner who grew up on the farm and the other one is Stanley Nichols. The nose section came down on Nichols’ family farm, when he was just a kid.

How many images in the book? And any content left out?

There are 156 images, and yes, lot of text and stories did not get included. There was a balance between text and illustrations, and the series had a form to it and each book is about 128 pages. I had to shorten a lot of other stories too, but the key ones they allowed me space. I wish I had a better photograph of the woman who allegedly found the captain’s class ring in the vegetable garden and the neat part of the story was that, that class ring was discovered on a mustard plant, when she was pulling out a weed in the garden. She found that precious relic from the terrible accident all those years before.

I recall reading about his ring that it was rusty and had a scratch, but the ring that was returned was almost new.

Yes, that is intriguing. Some people are weary of that lady’s story. You know when the ship came down for the lack of a better term there was looting, and the fact that the captain’s class ring was missing was just scandalous at that time, and the family was wondering where could it be–he had it on all the time. By the way, when this lady found the ring it was 12 years after Shenandoah came down and also just a few weeks after the airship Hindenburg crashed.

The family had their suspicions, because his ring had some previous damage and Capt. Lansdowne was very busy and never had time to repair it. After it was “found”, the damage had been repaired, so how could that be?  And there were some people who said that she was fighting a guilty conscience all those years and the Hindenburg’s accident brought it back to her again, so she thought maybe I should give this ring back to where it belongs. But who knows all those stories have gone to the grave now. We will never know whether that ring was stolen from the poor man’s body or that it fell off his finger in the yard.

What was the most fascinating part to you while writing this book?

I’m fascinated by things that fly, and I make my living off lighter than air. What’s most intriguing about this story is that the most modern state-of-the-art flying machine of the future basically, fell into this rural, disconnected, unenlightened part of America. There were roads in Noble County that had not even seen an automobile before and then by the end of the day there were traffic jams! So, this was such a contrast between old and new. Some of them knew what an airship was, but many of them had no clue particularly those who were just farming and living their daily lives and boom all of a sudden, the ship descends on their existence. They had never seen light-weight metals, they had never seen airtight fabrics; so, the contrast between this old and new was so fascinating to me and the impact it had on these people back then.

When did you take to hot-air ballooning?

I’ve always liked anything to do with aviation and flying. In my formative years in the 70s ballooning was becoming very popular and unless you’re a kid fortunate enough to live close to an airport, you cannot really get close to planes, helicopters, and things like that. But balloons land right in your schoolyard sometimes. And that’s what happened to me. I got to know some balloonists and I got my license to fly balloons in high school, and I have been doing that ever since. It has been a full-time job for me for years and my wife is a balloon pilot and my son who just started college also got his pilot’s license.

Is the average person aware of lighter than air history in America? I know most of them know about hot air balloons as recreational balloons, but do people know that there is more to lighter than air history and ballooning?

I don’t think enough people know about lighter than air, as much as they do about heavier than air. I fly passengers in my balloon every week and at the end of every flight when we have our balloon packed away, we have a champagne toast. I tell the story of the Montgolfier brothers and how they invented hot-air ballooning and most people are very surprised to know that was 120 years before the Wright brothers flew their airplane at Kitty Hawk.

So, anytime I get a chance to go talk to a school group or anybody about lighter than air history, I tell them how long people have been flying balloons, and the impact of airships and zeppelins. Less than a year and a half after the Lindbergh flight, the Zeppelin Company began transatlantic service for civilians with luxurious staterooms, gourmet meals, and even shoeshine service. Most people don’t realize that it had gotten quite far that along, and many people are not aware about the story of Shenandoah, but when they find out, they show a lot of interest.

The USS Shenandoah was a 680-foot-long rigid airship and the pride of the American Navy in 1925. It was built to fly as a scouting platform for the fleet at sea. But as she proved her super flying capabilities, she was turned into a publicity tool, cruising over cities and towns, where eager crowds waited for her glimpse across the skies.

It was during one such publicity tour that the airship was caught in a violent storm over Noble County, Ohio, on September 3, 1925. The ship was twisted and ripped with the debris falling on three crash sites. Fourteen men were killed, including Lt. Commander Zachary Lansdowne, who remained at his post to the very end. Miraculously, twenty-nine people survived the catastrophe.

Jerry Copas’s book “The Wreck of the Naval Airship, USS Shenandoah” tells the story of America’s great airship and captures its epic tragedy with 156 images, text, and some extraordinary stories never published before.

Passionate about aviation, especially lighter than air (LTA) history, and a veteran balloonist and flight instructor, Copas felt inspired by the bravery and dedication of the crew. “In 1920s, they did not even have the benefit of a basic doppler radar that we have on our smart phones today, and they had no clue what lay ahead of them,” said Copas in an interview. He says he feels

for the crew and for Capt. Lansdowne who had repeatedly requested the Navy to postpone the flight as Lansdowne was concerned about the late summer thunderstorms in Ohio. “I know he had reservations about that particular trip,” says Copas, “but they followed through and some of them gave the last measure of their devotion to follow those orders and do what the country wanted. It’s just very sad and they deserve their commemoration and their respect.”

The foreword is written by Captain Lansdowne’s granddaughter Julia H. Hunt who was “thrilled” when the author invited her to do so. She notes: “I remember my grandmother’s recollection of the day the Shenandoah embarked on her final journey. It was September 2, 1925, in the late afternoon in Lakehurst, New Jersey. As she watched the gleaming rigid zeppelin slowly emerge from Hangar One, my grandmother distinctly recalled feeling a sense of dread as the airship slowly took flight and faded into the distance.”

In the introduction, Copas briefly tells the story of the Shenandoah highlighting the events prior to that fateful flight, Capt. Lansdowne’s concerns, and the airborne drama on that fateful night, which whets the reader’s appetite. The story progresses along four chapters and has a powerful impact with images. Each chapter opens with a topic and then the images show and tell the story with interesting scenarios, captioning, analysis, and context.

In the chapter entitled, “An Airship for America” Copas discusses how the symbol of technological advancement was built, tested, and christened. Shenandoah in Native American means “Daughter of the Stars.” She was the first rigid airship to get lift from the safe helium gas and not the explosive hydrogen and was the first one to be moored on a surface ship’s mast proving the concept of replenishment at sea.

Copas relates how the ship’s notable accomplishments, including an epic 19-day journey across the United States, turned her into “A Publicity Tool” (title of chapter 2). It’s clear how the Shenandoah became a victim of politics and vested interests as much as a victim of that terrible storm.

In the third chapter, “The Morning After” Copas looks at the events of that tragic night on September 3, 1925 and what followed. He says, as a balloonist, he can somewhat relate to what he calls the “miracle” of the story where seven men brought the fragment of the ship down that was free ballooning at 8,000 feet into the heart of the storm, without engines or steering capability. “Even in that situation, they had their senses about them,” said Copas. “Much of the credit goes to Lieutenant Commander Charles Rosendahl, who took command and gave direction to six sailors. They slashed those gas cells and vented some of that helium and made a controlled descent and when they got closer, they dropped ballast and made a pretty good landing in the middle of a rip-roaring thunderstorm.”  Rosendahl would retire with the rank of admiral in 1945.

In “The Shenandoah’s Legacy” he covers the court appearance of the captain’s young widow, Margaret Lansdowne, whose testimony “proved to be an embarrassment to Navy brass.” Copas reveals insights and stories from residents of Noble County, who were alarmed and amazed when this high-tech, state-of-the-art marvel descended on their rural and isolated community; some of whom were eye witnesses to the tragedy. While lavishing care and support on the wounded, many locals also looted the wreckage. “Due to the rampant looting, 20 Department of Justice operatives were dispatched from Washington. They collected four truckloads of wreckage items from private homes in the area,” writes Copas.

One highlight is the captain’s missing Naval Academy class ring mysteriously found on a mustard plant at the crash site, 12 years after the accident. It was missing from his hand when his body was recovered from the wreckage.

The author’s interaction with the Lieut. Cmdr. Lansdowne’s daughter and granddaughter and also with Noble County residents, during his several visits to the site, adds a personal flair to the great airship’s epic tragedy.

Wreck of the Naval Airship USS Shenandoah is a gripping story with a new dimension and powerful images, for aviators and anyone else.

All photos reprinted from “Wreck of the Naval Airship USS Shenandoah” with permission, by Jerry K. Copas (Arcadia Publishing, 2017) 

At 5:20 p.m. the Airlander was taken off its mooring mast at Cardington Airfield and after accomplishing all the objectives during a three-hour flight, it landed at 8:15 p.m.

“It was truly amazing to be back in the air. I loved every minute of the flight and the Airlander itself handled superbly. I am eager to get back into the cockpit and take her flying again,” said Chief Test Pilot, Dave Burns who was accompanied by Experimental Test Pilot, Simon Davies.

Airlander’s flight test program began in August 2016 when the airship flew twice around Cardington Airfield. Its cockpit crashed on the second test flight following a heavy landing but the two test pilots and ground crew were reported alive and well. The crash led to a nine month of assessment and repair phase, which brought in a more powerful and more maneuverable Mobile Mooring Mast (MMM), and the additional “inflatable landing feet” of the Auxiliary Landing System (ALS).

Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), the British manufacturer of the giant helium-filled airship said that the ALS performed as expected on landing, and the Flight Test Team were very pleased with the initial analysis of this new addition to Airlander’s landing system.

The company noted in their press release that today’s flight successfully achieved the three test objectives:

To conduct a full test flight – i.e. complete a safe take-off, flight, and landing of the aircraft.

To establish basic handling characteristics of Airlander within a well-defined flight envelope including assessment of the new ALS.

To collect flight performance data, such as handling, airspeed and all vehicle systems, for post-flight analysis. (This increases the understanding of the aircraft’s performance, capabilities, and operating envelope.)

“This is a great testament to the tenacity and ingenuity of the team of engineers at Hybrid Air Vehicles, who are continually pushing the boundaries of aviation with this amazing aircraft,” said Technical Director, Mike Durham.

HAV officials are hopeful that the Airlander 10 will usher in the era of the new generation of airship, and provide an ultra-stable, powerful, and long endurance platform that will be useful in many ways. With a price tag of $33 million dollars, (£25m) — less than one-tenth of the cost of jetliners– the airship could be used for search and rescue, border control, coast guarding, crowd monitoring, security, academic research, filming, and also for transportation of passengers and cargo. Moreover, the mission and operations could be achieved from door-to-door, even in remote areas with no runway or infrastructure.

According to HAV, the airship “will have a hugely positive impact on the world by providing low carbon aviation and brand new capabilities in the sky.” Those capabilities are lifting 10 tons of payload over longer distances, less fuel consumption than an airplane, ability to rise to 20,000 feet, staying aloft for five days on manned flights, and reaching speeds up to 90 miles an hour.

In doing so, the company landed in the Guinness Book of World Records for creating the smallest airship in the world.

Thanks to the success of this smaller airship, which has an 80 m³ volume, now the company is building similar and larger airships with a 25,000 m³ volume, which could transport 40-foot containers in desert areas.

“The airship is called NATAC for Navette Aérienne de Transport Automatique de Containers. The translation in English is Automatic Air Shuttle for the Transport of Containers,” says Arnaud Siegel, technical manager for Voliris. “The structure uses buoyancy and aerodynamic lift and has STOL [short take-off and landing] configuration.”

The airship can fly 500 km maximum, land and dispatch the fret, then come back without refueling.

“It’s very important to insist that it’s an automatic system; it means that anybody can have the control on the flight, or the control of the airship,” Siegel says. “Whereas for classis UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), there is a pilot on the ground who can pilot the UAV. For security issue, we do not want that a person can change the mission.”

For the maximum distance (500 km), the average flight time is five hours (range 500 km and speed more than 100 km per hour).

Helium gas, which is lighter than air, lifts most of the structure (envelope, tail, metal structure, landing gear, etc.) and the aerodynamic mechanism lifts the payload (container) and fuel, says Siegel. Kerosene is also a unique fuel that’s involved.

“It’s steered exactly like a plane, with pitch, bend and roll–thanks to the horizontal and vertical tailfins,” he says. “It uses two Turboprop 5000 hp (for propulsion), like a regional aircraft.”

The airship requires two people to control the operating system on the ground for take off and landing but there is no pilot (or passengers).

It can fly at an altitude of 3,000 meters and can attain a speed of 150 km/h. It’s not like a helicopter. It doesn’t have VTOL (vertical take-off and landing), as it takes off in an 800-meter unprepared airstrip. It can land on any surface that isn’t water.

As for wind speed, on the ground it can fasten on its mast at 80 knots (150km/h), and while flying, it depends on the mission, but it can take off and land with 30 knots (55kmh). However, the company plans not to fly in rain or severe winds.

“It could resist on the ground to severe conditions,” he says. “We do not need a hangar to protect it. We have a mast. Besides, we assemble and disassemble the airship in the place of the mission.”

The cost of the airship program is 300 million euros, and one NATAC costs about 10 million euros.

Desert areas on our planet stretch for 45 million square kilometers, so Voliris sees a lot of practical applications for its airship and the company expects to sell close to 2,000 units over the next 20 years, with the main target being north of Africa, North America, and Russia.

“The container is carried between the rigid structure and it can lift 30.4 tons and a 40-foot container,” Siegel says. “It can be utilized in any desert area where these is no infrastructure.”

Currently, there are no rules and regulations in place for this sort of aircraft, and the company has no plans to certify it as of yet. Siegel notes there are no regulatory requirements because such aircraft don’t exist, so the company will need to build them and test them and write all the regulatory requirements.

“We just need the authorization of the government in place,” Siegel says. “We want to manufacture all the parts of the airship in France. We put everything into ten containers to deliver the airship. We assemble the airship on site, use it for the mission with the authorization of the government, and disassemble the airship, putting all the parts in containers to send them to another mission.”

Youtube video: Flight of the smallest airship.