Macon Anniversary Flight

Fight of a 20' model of the airship Macon celebrating the anniversary
of its arrival at Moffett Field 10/15/1933

[@stanleyban]

Wow!! This is an amazing model of the U.S.S. Macon. I've always dreamed of constructing an actual large flying model of it, but never had the room for it. Good for you for having the knowledge to build and display this beauty!!!

[@bl7355]

I found a lovely article about this model. The first was destroyed by the cat & the second was blown away on her maiden test flight, crash landing in an orchard some miles away. The builder Jack Clemens is truly an inspiration for not giving up!

[@Einhauser]

Astonishing! I've read every article I can find about this build. A fitting tribute to those brave men.

[@Firebrand55]

Hail the USS Macon and Akron. A superb concept brought low by misguided tail design and unanticipated bad weather.With Sparrowhawk aircraft the scouting/recce ability of these giants was enormous, especially over the Pacific.

[@Sejnoha56]

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[@youtuuba]

Faulty tail structure design, albeit recognized by the designer and operational folks, who together did not have the clout to override the recalcitrant Navy personnel who wanted airships to fail).

[@DARIVSARCHITECTVS]

Hugo Eckener was always a hero of mine. If I ever built a heavier than air ship, I'd build the Luftschiff Graf Zeppelin. Huge congrats on a successful mode of the Macon!

[@stephenkoehler4051]

"UP SHIP!" The old call the captain of an airship made when she was taken aloft.

[@Sejnoha56]

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[@hoodoo2001]

It's like it is alive. Magnificent!

[@Sejnoha56]

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[@zetapal]

Always wanted to see someone build a flying scale zeppelin ... wonderful work. I would have preferred to see a German version, but this was just as good. Thx, well done !

[@j.d.philipps288]

What German version would you have preferred? A partnership between the German experts Luftschiffbau Zeppelin and the American blimp makers, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., formed Goodyear-Zeppelin to build a new generation of rigid dirigibles for the US Navy and had planned passenger airships too. If you've not seen it before, look for Frank Capra's 1931 movie "Dirigible" which features awesome scenes filmed at a Lakehurst Naval air day of ZR-3 "Los Angeles" and the "tin blimp" ZMC-1 amongst many others. 😊

[@nealsausen4651]

To zeta pal: check out John Mellberg’s Massive scale model of the “LZ-130” (GRAF ZEPPELIN 2) It’s roughly the same size as this USS MACON model And a perfect reproduction! It’s at the EAA Cessna Technical center Workshop wherever that is I believe it’s in Oshkosh. Hope this helps.

[@Sejnoha56]

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[@M4teo.]

Amazing! This Is beautiful

[@stevesloan7132]

A marvelouse and detailed model!

[@CharliChimp]

Great work chaps!! Very cool! (Greetings from Cheshire, England)

[@Sejnoha56]

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[@keithlocke2205]

THIS is an ASPIRATIONAL video!!!!

[@Sejnoha56]

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[@bkrans9]

So many questions! What are the gas bags made of? How did you make them? How do you inflate them? It looks as though there's not a lot of extra buoyancy--and that you need to vector thrust with the motors to stay airborne? Does that mean that 20' is the minimum size for it to lift? Is it mylar on balsa? I have other questions...

[@youtuuba]

Yep, it looks like this model used vector thrust just like the modern full-size Zeppelin NT, whereas the original Akron and Macon did not do that (as far as I have been able to determine). The modern Zeppelin NT uses the three vectoring engines to 'helicopter', partially supplementing or overriding what the airship would do based only on buoyancy alone. But then the Akron and Macon also depended (somewhat, at least) on aerodynamics, driving the airship forward under engine power while using the tailplanes and natural aerodynamics of the 'hull' to change altitude without making any changes to the gasses in the bags and/or the ballast. So maybe the model is only cheating a little but.....

[@jonathanhartfield533]

I recognize that place, that’s the hanger where the Mythbusters did some myths!

[@16-BITFPV]

I had a 3 channel remote control US Navy blimp it was so much fun, I flew it pack after pack. It was made by Megatech in the early 00's.

[@JRudynow1]

Beautiful work. Have you built any more ships ?

[@tomh6183]

Absolutely love this.

[@dylanlovesqueentoomuch8720]

Some company or somebody should sell Zeppelin Models of this scale, and remote control

[@16-BITFPV]

I had a 3 channel remote control US Navy blimp it was so much fun, I flew it pack after pack. It was made by Megatech in the early 00's. I'm looking now for a new one and don't see anything available.

[@7775Kevin]

Nice job. Looks and flies great. Wonder where it is today.

[@Sejnoha56]

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[@paqman67]

Last time I checked, it was inside the storage room of the Moffett Field museum. (last time being February 2020)

[@thatguy.mp7950]

my zeppelin im making has a similar length, what's the diameter of this model? Mine's 3 feet. I'm trying to get lighter parts for control right now.

[@tomh6183]

What Zeppelin are you building?

[@thatguy.mp7950]

@@tomh6183 a custom design

[@harundanisarrasyid9140]

What is the music?

[@rolandpedraza1341]

Just Wonderful !!! love your work!

[@josiahdirami1412]

Hello... for the semi-rigid airship what material did you use for the rudder and elevator

[@nealsausen4651]

Not a semi rigid! The USS MACON Was a full on “RIGID” AIRSHIP.

[@Sejnoha56]

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[@machia-mw1lm]

Is this the hanger in Akron ?

[@steveskouson9620]

Hangar 2, NAS Sunnyvale. (Now, Moffett field.) steve

[@punchline43]

Is it still intact? Who owns it now?

[@Sejnoha56]

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[@mauricevandraanen4286]

With additional ´´Comedy Capers´´ music!

[@Sejnoha56]

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[@JorgeCrespoyMuchomas]

Increíble

[@Scoondog]

No reason why we shouldn’t be using these today. Why would you fill the Hindenburg with hydrogen and not the intended helium gas that was suppose to be used which is not flammable in terms will not be a floating bomb. The Akron carried 207 people and it had 120,000lbs of gas and 20,000lbs of oil aboard not counting the gas and oil that was already onboard. I am in awe of these airships

[@youtuuba]

Tom Dick, there are LOTS of reasons why we should not be using 'these' (assuming you mean airships of the Akron/Macon design) TODAY. The reasons are very clear to anyone who has bothered to read up on them. However, there ARE good reasons why modern rigid LTA airships have a place in today's aviation world, and indeed Zeppelin NT has been successfully doing just that for at least the past decade. I saw one operating in the LA area just a couple years ago, and I myself traveled in another of them for 11 hours about 10 years ago, operated by Airship Ventures (which is listed in the credits of this video). At least one of them is in regular operation by Goodyear in Ohio. And Google and others are designing and building even more advanced modern LTA airships.

[@jonathantan2469]

Just need a couple of micro RC Sparrowhawkes to complete the set... ;)

[@Sejnoha56]

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[@namelessincognito3322]

If only it could launch and recover fighters (drones), It would make the best toy!

[@danielhoffmann67]

Thats cool ! A real rigid Zeppelin airship model !

[@newbeginnings8566]

No an airship.. A zeppelin was the German built airship...

[@danielhoffmann67]

@@newbeginnings8566 The US Navy Airships like USS Macon or USS Akron in the 1920ies / 30ies were basically Zeppelins. Their basic construction was very close to the german airships like the LZ 127 and LZ 129. Without the technology and knowhow oft the german Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH they wouldn't have existed. Karl Arnstein (he was born in Prague, so he was not german but somehow czech / jewish / austrian) was employed by Graf Zeppelin and became chief constructor of the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin in Friedrichshafen at the beginning of his career in airship construction before he went to the USA to become chief engineer at the Good Year Zeppelin Corporation. A lot of inventions like cars, computers and airplanes that became big in / by the USA have their roots in Germany. The USA maybe even wouldn't have landed on the moon that early without german technology.

[@LusipherStarLine]

Vary cool

[@forwardtothepast2411]

wow, really cool

[@Sejnoha56]

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[@CrochetEstilo]

Cuanto peso puede levantar?

[@Sejnoha56]

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[@mauricevandraanen4286]

And give this man a sigar..............

[@markcwells]

That is too cool.

[@Sejnoha56]

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[@MADOUT2VLOG630]

This hot air balloon reminds me of the hindenburg disaster 🎉