It's strange that under friendly conditions, these ships had a habit of burning, but during WWI, the RAF had difficulty at first bringing raiding Zeppelins down
@stejer2113 жыл бұрын
It must be a conspiracy!
@randomuser24613 жыл бұрын
@@stejer211 Probably was.
@MrChainsawAardvark3 жыл бұрын
Relative to the size of the thing, the machine-guns make very small holes, and the rate of gas escape is not particularly fast. Furthermore, inside the gasbag, there isn't enough oxygen to support combustion - and even with a leak, it takes a while to get a proper mix for a conflagration. Combined with some safety release valves - well flammability is not much more of a concern than a 747 with thousands of gallons of jet fuel. Everything else about the airship though - is a lot more fragile.
@mikekemp98773 жыл бұрын
the hidenburg according to a history show i watched was quite safe as regards the gas bags.its downfall was a new paint they used on the fuselage.one spark either at docking or lightning caused it to go up with the bags then exploding.they did a reenactment with a scale model and exact spec paint.it was frightening to see how fast it went up! and from a tiny spark! much like the cladding used on the grenfell tower in london recently that turned it into a death trap!
@_NguyenHoangLong-kg6ko3 жыл бұрын
Bullets unlike ones in American Movie, dont ignite or create spark when come into contact with metal let alone gasbag made of intestine, the size of the bullet is also small so holes on the gasbag probably wasnt fatal.
@osirisandilio3 жыл бұрын
Smoking, Asbestos and Hydrogen, sounds like a dream flight
@testaccount41913 жыл бұрын
don't forget fine dining
@davidhollenshead48923 жыл бұрын
The type of lighters used in the German smoking rooms was similar to those on autos, so they couldn't ignite the tobacco but they could get it to smolder. So smoking wasn't the big fire danger, but lightning was...
@Tuberuser1873 жыл бұрын
@@davidhollenshead4892 You don't even need something smoldering to make Hydrogen ignite, just something hot or the tiniest, weakest static spark that would need very sensitive detectors to measure. It also always *will* absolutely leak, especially with the tech of the day because it will slip between the actual atoms of anything containing let alone the sealants and materials back then. There are reasons things like Hydrogen are not used much as fuels outside of things like fuel cells in space flight, its a nightmare fuel, literally.
@slome8153 жыл бұрын
@@Tuberuser187 Thats not exactly right, hydrogen in space flight is not rare at all. The centaur upper stage has been using it since the 50's, The saturn 5 used it for all it's stages except the first stage. The space shuttle used it for it's main engines, and SLS will use it. If you want to look at nightmare fuels, just look at all the hypergolic fuels used in space flight or the lovely toxic fuels like the hydrazine used for the EPU in F16's. It's also not as easily ignited as you say, while a air/hydrogen mixture does indeed ignite very easily, pure hydrogen (like in the gas bags) will not ignite, nor will low concentrations, (you need at least 20% hydrogen in air for it to ignite, compared to the 2% of propane or lpg for example). This is one of the reason why they were almost impossible to set on fire by fighter planes during WW1, at least until the invention of incendiary bullets. They would sometimes crash land because of the sheer amount of holes shot in them, but thats about it. It's also notable that there are way more airships that crashed because of wind or storm then there are that went up in flames. If you want to look at a succesfull airship you don't have to look further then the the Graf Zeppeling, it flew almost 2 million km and was in the air for 700 days. It was in service from 1928, and was only retired after the Hindenburg disaster. By that time air travel was also becoming a better option even for long distance flights. Hydrogen is also not nearly as likely to leak through materials as helium is, while hydrogen is a smaller atom then helium, hydrogen gas is a diatomic molecule (H2), while helium is just atomic (helium does not form He2, it's just He atoms moving about). Leakage was never a problem during normal operation on a airship, since it was acually necessary to vent hydrogen to compensate increased buoyancy from fuel consumption.
@Tuberuser1873 жыл бұрын
@@slome815 I said it was rare "outside spaceflight", not rare in space flight.
@smiffy19473 жыл бұрын
This is family history for me - the Chief Coxswain George ‘Sky’ Hunt was my great uncle and he died when, having actually escaped from the wreck, he went back into the inferno to try to rescue his best friend. I represented the family at the 85th anniversary commemoration of the disaster at the mass grave and memorial to the victims in Cardington, Bedfordshire, not far from the huge sheds where R100 and R101 were built.
@mycroft19053 жыл бұрын
R100 was constructed at Howden, the former RNAS airship station near York.
@smiffy19473 жыл бұрын
@@mycroft1905 Of course she was - I stand corrected.
@mboyer683 жыл бұрын
What an honor to represent your brave Great Uncle! Cheers from the US!
@voornaam31913 жыл бұрын
That weird word Cockswain always makes me smile. You daring Brits, you have the guts to use these naughty words, for it is tradition.
@smiffy19473 жыл бұрын
@@voornaam3191 Except that the pronunciation of Coxswain is “Cox’n” in the same way that Boatswain is pronounced “Bosun” - two words of naval origin that have no other connotation, daring or otherwise!
@afterburner943 жыл бұрын
Just gonna throw this out there : the visuals in this video are absolutely mind blowing. Aside from archival footage, the whole blueprints and 3D models used are really serving the narrative of the documentary. Absolutely zero regrets to be a subscriber. Amazing story telling, voice over, use of visuals and editing skills. Hats-off sir. Cherry on top is the shout out to Bill Hammock, The Engineering Guy at the end.
@millomweb3 жыл бұрын
I will add my comment here. This is a great video but the images interfere with the smooth running of the audio - having to pause frequently to properly view images interrupts the audio. Possibly bizarrely, I have knowledge of Walney where the Mayfly 'didn't' - I believe a gust of wind blew the ship sideways as it was emerging from the building causing the collapsible side of the ship to fail on impact with the doorway of the building. As for Cardington - the 2 sheds are still there and have been sporadically maintained - with the framework cleaned off with angle grinders sending sparks fair distances into a nearby car park damaging car paint. The car park belongs to the DVSA and the buildings are where books and guides on driving are written - including The Highway Code !
@skysunknownheroes3 жыл бұрын
yup the quality of his videos are great! tho, a fair warning, enjoy it while it lasts, sooner or later this channel would probably bombard the viewers with Nebula subscriptions to everyone and their mom
@jimdavison4077 Жыл бұрын
Yes, now that you mention it this channels videos use of archival footage and not CGI from video games and such makes it so much more enjoyable. Nothing more annoying in a history video that a bunch of artificial images showing the creator was to lazy to piece together the mountain of stock archive footage.
@jobbiejew3 жыл бұрын
Your channel is one of KZbin’s hidden gems. Very interesting content.
@panachevitz3 жыл бұрын
Iron Maiden (Bruce Dickenson) wrote a 20 minute masterpiece about the R101's last day, called "Empire of the Clouds." It's an amazing song, and if Bruce's cancer treatment hadn't been as effective as it was, it might have been the last Iron Maiden song ever written. The Engineering Guy channel (professor of engineering) also wrote a book about the R101 and did several presentations on the airship as well.
@ackelcurns48143 жыл бұрын
i love that song! it does a great job of telling the life story of the R.101! it's such a great song to listento!
@Lehr-km5be3 жыл бұрын
Amazing song, in my opinion the very best done by Iron Maiden ever. Simply love it!
@chatteyj3 жыл бұрын
Did Led Zepplin do a song about it?
@Nausica1123 жыл бұрын
my favorite on that album!!!
@tomyrody44122 жыл бұрын
The whole intro is beautiful, it reminds me of the title screen of many JRPGS
@XPLAlN3 жыл бұрын
I gave up my job at the helium factory. I won't be talked to in that tone.
@goawayleavemealone28803 жыл бұрын
Groan.
@morgan25828 күн бұрын
@@goawayleavemealone2880 if I could superlike, I would
@CandleWisp6 күн бұрын
Wheeze🤣
@umvhu3 жыл бұрын
The R100 design team included Barnes Wallis, the R101 essentially used an enlarged R100 frame and Barnes Wallis had doubts about it's strength and when the 14 metres was added he again expressed his concerns. When R101 departed Cardington the altitude was about 25m ASL, just to the South East is Hammer Hill about 4km at about 80m ASL, R101's lift was so poor it failed to clear the hill. A gondola gouged the hill and the furrow was still visible in 1981 when I visited the site.
@brober3 жыл бұрын
Wow. Truly a led zeppelin.
@eleventy-seven3 жыл бұрын
Also the R100 used Aluminum in it's frame and the R101 because of it's unusual design change used cheaper but heavier alloy with steel and aluminum compounding the weight problems. The maker of this video is being polite. Almost all of the problems were the same as all projects when politician's make unreasonable demands and override sound engineering practices with changes along the way. The 100 was a success but was hidden away to prevent the failed 101 from more embarrassment. At least those who were at fault paid the ultimate price by being aboard her. There are many sources of info regarding this debacle. It reminds me of the F-35 as far as political will overriding common sense.
@ZGryphon3 жыл бұрын
Nevil Norway, Wallis's deputy who took over as chief engineer of R100 when Wallis left the project--and who would go on to fame under a pen name as the novelist Nevil Shute--spends a fair number of column inches on the R100 project, and the political mess that was R101, in his memoir _Slide Rule._ He, too, had grave reservations about the corners being cut by the R101 team, but they were ignored when he tried to raise them to the Air Ministry, because he was, after all, working for the competition.
@johnwolf28293 жыл бұрын
@@ZGryphon Socialists never respond well to criticism. Not then, not now. Honestly, there are land mines can can handle more pressure, and do less damage than those people.
@hernanposnansky48303 жыл бұрын
Yes Nevil Shute Norway wrote an accurate account of the development of both Airships. Unfortunately his book Slide Rule as you said ,is hard to find. But very informative about the Industry at the time and technically correct, as he was himself involved with the stress analysis of the 100 which he describes in detail, A good book for engineers.
@peterbrazier71073 жыл бұрын
The Tragedy is that R100 got scrapped and there was no problems with it.
@hurri77203 жыл бұрын
There were problems and it didn't compete even with smaller German airships.
@hernanposnansky48303 жыл бұрын
Peter Brazier The R 100 completed a successful flight to Canada and back as described by Nevil S Norway
@hurri77203 жыл бұрын
@@hernanposnansky4830 , True, and almost surprising, isn't it. But it was too litle and much too late. Nothing to weep about, the time of the airships was approaching it's end. No need to claim the British was any good at it either.
@hurri77203 жыл бұрын
@@hernanposnansky4830 , Nevil was too involved to be honest, try instead the Wikipedia. "The end of the British airships The tale of the design of R100 and its claimed superiority to R101 is told in Shute's Slide Rule: Autobiography of an Engineer, first published in 1954. Although flawed and not quite as overwhelmingly superior as Nevil Shute Norway implied, R100 represented the best that conventional airship technology in Britain had to offer at the time.[citation needed] R101 suffered in comparison partly because of its many groundbreaking but ultimately dubious innovations, and also because of the weight of its diesel engines. In lifting efficiency, both dirigibles were inferior to the smaller LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin.".
@spaceranger37283 жыл бұрын
@@hurri7720 I thought it was interesting how, in Slide Rule, the engineers seemed more concerned about fire hazard of the aviation gasoline that was needed to power the engines than they were of the hydrogen.
@joshuahedges88063 жыл бұрын
The fact that the R. 101 and the Hindenburg had the same metal sure was a twist for me.
@stevemastnick5034 Жыл бұрын
I just learned that a few years ago. Both the R101 and the Hindenburg were magnificently beautiful ships.
@elroyscout4 ай бұрын
At that point, you conclude that the metal is clearly cursed and/or has angered Zeus in some way.
@davidmcintyre81453 жыл бұрын
The Iron Maiden song"Empire of the Clouds"is a moving and powerful telling of the story of this airship
@BrettonFerguson3 жыл бұрын
Let me guess: "Empire of the clooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuououououds!" (Repeat 12 minutes)
@hammondpickle3 жыл бұрын
@@BrettonFerguson Oddly enough it's not. I'm not a fan of Maiden but my wife is and plays me the song quite often when she's drunk (she likes it). It's basically roughly five minutes of singing followed by about ten minutes of guitar solos, drum solos, and guitar solos. I've not stayed awake long enough to find out what happens after that.
@joro57483 жыл бұрын
Thank you for the hint! I just checked the lyrics. A great combination of facts and poetry. Next, I'll listen to the song.
@TheAllAroundMan3 жыл бұрын
@@BrettonFerguson it's actually 18 minutes
@DagarCoH3 жыл бұрын
@@BrettonFerguson Let me add that apparently, you have no idea who Iron Maiden are and what kind of songs they make. It's a good song, even for non metal fans.
@ianmacfarlane12413 жыл бұрын
Although airships were inherently dangerous, (given the available technology of the era) I'd love to have had the opportunity to see one, even travelled on one - perhaps the R100 rather than the R101. RIP to everyone who died in all airship accidents - true pioneers.
@datadavis3 жыл бұрын
What's not safe about flying on thousands of cattle intestines glued together holding hydrogen gas?
@georgethompson14603 жыл бұрын
@@datadavis about as safe as relying on thin canvas sheets to keep you aloft.
@Lucius19583 жыл бұрын
My father was about 10 years old when he saw the R100 arrive in Montreal: we had some photos of it in a family album. As for myself, I saw one of the Goodyear blimps at Johnnycake Field in CT; that was impressive enough in itself.
@arnbo883 жыл бұрын
Try www.zeppelin.nt-de . This modern age short (75m) rigid airship uses a carbon fiber/ aluminium air frame along with helium filled gas bags. Short 45 minute flights over southern Germany are 380 Euros. Not quite the same design as 100 years ago but much safer. I doubt that we will ever see long range airships again but rather only joyrides in blimps and balloons. A modern aircraft can fly non-stop 14,500 km in 17.5 hours and cost $1000 USD return. Our ancestors could only dream of international travel like this.
@flybobbie14493 жыл бұрын
Still not safe, we had Virgin airships for a few years at Halfpenny Green airfield. One day one tried to land, then a short storm dumped snow on it. They decided to fly on to next stop, but it crashed on Clent Hills.
@stejer2113 жыл бұрын
Incredible accurate and great footage as well! Please keep up this quality, even if it takes longer to produce. We don't need another 'Dark Skies' on KZbin...
@TheCommissarIsDead Жыл бұрын
Question,what’s wrong with dark skies? I haven’t watched that group of channels in a while
@aymonfoxc14424 ай бұрын
@TheCommissarIsDead They've made some errors in videos over the last few years, and one error on a niche subject is all it takes for people to turn on you. Plus, I've seen people complaining about 'errors' when a Dark channel simply failed to repeat a popular myth. Sadly, that's an all too common problem. There was also a spate of people complaining about the use of royalty free or cheap footage related to rare and old vehicles on the Dark channels. People tend to forget tht finding good footage can be hard and sometimes expensive. We're watching KZbinrs - not multi-million dollar productions... but some people seem to forget that. More recently, some script flourishes have also led to accusations of AI usage in script writing or translation, which is apparently, unacceptable for some people. To each, their own, I suppose.
@stejer2114 ай бұрын
@@aymonfoxc1442 Several factual errors per video, each video again, year after year. 'Dark' channels are worthless.
@helenprole29603 жыл бұрын
Amazing video! A video on the harrier (callsign ZA176) that landed on a cargo ship (Alraigo incident) would make my dreams come true! And expect to see me here on every video! Keep up the outstanding work!
@PaperSkiesAviation3 жыл бұрын
Thank you, Helen! Glad you liked it! Alraigo incident is now in my list. And I wonder why it wasn't there yet. Great story! Thx for reminding.
@testaccount41913 жыл бұрын
That poor pilot got screwed afterwords
@futurepig3 жыл бұрын
It takes a lot of guts to fly an airship...
@na30443 жыл бұрын
Enter the Imperial German Navy Airship Detachement: "I have an idea, let's leave the parachutes and the reserve fuel at home and go bomb London!" The DELAG operated civillian passenger-ships before ww1, and the germans frequently used them for recon and bombing missions. And that was 15 years before R-101. They housed the ships in gigantic halls, some of which were actually able to be rotated into the wind.
@futurepig3 жыл бұрын
@@na3044 I suspect you missed my point
@na30443 жыл бұрын
@@futurepig Well damn, I guess you're right. takes a lot of the other kind as well though
@futurepig3 жыл бұрын
@@na3044 I was just being silly. Of course, it also takes courage. And cow intestines.
@na30443 жыл бұрын
@@futurepig Sorry, english idioms are hard.
@Foxbat3203 жыл бұрын
Important to remember that R100 designed by Barns (bouncing bomb) Wallace never had an accident but was scraped due to the the R101 tragedy.
@legitbeans9078 Жыл бұрын
I hate when things get scarped
@MrVorpalsword3 жыл бұрын
What a beautiful little film .... lovely historical clips and great new drawings ... VERY informative - well done, and thank you Paper Skies.
@ianababenkova29693 жыл бұрын
Interesting would be to experience a flight on such giant. Successful flight :) thank you for your video. 👏👏👏
@specificnormalperson19723 жыл бұрын
1930: what is airship look like in future? 2021: where is future airship?
@davidhollenshead48923 жыл бұрын
Airships are making a comeback, due to their ability to fly across the world and deliver heavy cargo, to remain in the sky for months for unmanned survalence, and for carrying heavy loads in & out of remote locations. Expect them to have: Diesel Electric Gensets powering multiple Propellers, Variable Buoyancy Systems that don't require venting Lifting Gas, Either lifting bags of Helium or lifting bags of Hydrogen inside Lifting Gas Bags of Helium, To produce some lift aerodynamically as a lifting body, and a fly-by-wire system that controls the multiple fans like electric thrusters on large ships... Given the costs of heavy Cargo Aircraft, and even greater costs of Sky Cranes modern airships will economical, once someone spends the funds needed to build & certify modern designs...
@JMdJ20013 жыл бұрын
@@davidhollenshead4892 I sure hope so... I wish to see an airship during my lifetime, that similar to the Hindenburg's majesty.
@Lucius19583 жыл бұрын
@@davidhollenshead4892 The combo hydrogen/helium gasbags sound interesting: what would be the minimum amount of helium required to insulate the hydrogen?
@cinegraphics3 жыл бұрын
2021: Everyone hiding from a virus.
@chatteyj3 жыл бұрын
@Bill the Welding Sloth We need helium to make funny high pitch sounds at parties, theres no room to be wasting it on air travel.
@Sideshownicful2 жыл бұрын
21:30 There is a single reason that lead to the R101 crash: Government meddling. If the designers of the R101 had been given the time to test the ship instead of being pushed to do a mission they could not accomplish, this may not have happened.
@na30443 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the recognition of the magnificent L59 (LZ-104) and Captain Bockholt. Things like the rings without wires had been tried by Schütte-Lanz in Germany in 1916-1918, and while some things there innovated were quickly adapted by the builders others did not.
@jonskowitz3 жыл бұрын
Also: USS Akron and USS Macon were awesome! The loss of both ships had more to do with poor operational planning and Navy brass not fully grasping the limitations of airships than any design flaw (though I will concede that the tail framework of both airships was substandard).
@Rick-ve5lx3 жыл бұрын
When my dad was a small boy he saw R101 at no great height on a test flight over Coventry. He remembered waving at the crew in the control car who saw him and they waved back. He was later taken to Cardington by his grandfather (by motorcycle) and saw R101 on the mooring mast. His lifelong interest in aviation began at this point and he subsequently flew fighter jets.
@aymonfoxc14424 ай бұрын
That's a nice anecdote.
@AlanTheBeast1003 жыл бұрын
If you can find the Neville Shute book, "Slide Rule" it is very much a great read about the R.100/101project.
@nafs533 жыл бұрын
I think Neville Shute actually worked at Cardington on the R101.
@AlanTheBeast1003 жыл бұрын
@@nafs53 I believe so since the book is his personal life story (in parts) and the detail in there on the airship side could only come from an insider. I haven't found the book yet - buried in the downstairs guest room somewhere....
@firstlast44133 жыл бұрын
@@nafs53 You have got it backwards; Nevil Shute Norway (his actual name, as an aeronautical engineer) helped design the R-100, not the R-101. 'Slide Rule' is a fabulous book, and pulls no punches about the incompetence and political BS in the the government airship program which were responsible for the disaster to the R-101.
@hernanposnansky48303 жыл бұрын
Nick Shaw No he did not . His work was building the R-100 as stress engineer and later as chief engineer
@georgew20142 жыл бұрын
@@nafs53 Schute worked on the R100. The two teams received updates on each other's work, which is how Schute knew that the R101 had serious flaws.
@nor08453 жыл бұрын
Interesting vid thanks for posting. Another British Airship that deserves a mention is the R34 which made the first ever East-West transatlantic flight and also return flight.
@hurri77203 жыл бұрын
I wonder what you mean with the "first ever". I believe what you want to say is that it was the first. Germany had a regular transatlantic passenger traffic for many years. "Hindenburg, which began passenger flights in 1936 and made 36 Atlantic crossings." "In the summer of 1931 a South Atlantic route was introduced, from Frankfurt and Friedrichshafen to Recife and Rio de Janeiro. Between 1931 and 1937 the Graf Zeppelin crossed the South Atlantic 136 times."
@sirjames263 жыл бұрын
You failed to mention that happened in 1919 just a few days after the first nonstop trans Atlantic flight from Newfoundland by Alcock and Brown. The 1919 R34 flight had 22 RN people on board. That flight started near Edinburgh and as you correctly said they flew back again a few days later.
@nor08453 жыл бұрын
@@sirjames26 I didn’t ‘fail’ to mention anything, the subject is airships. I only mentioned the R34 as I thought it may be of interest given the subject of the vid.
@planescaped3 жыл бұрын
As a kid I used to always wonder why airships went extinct, as they were such neat technology. Then as I got older I learned that they were never safe... though that said, I'm sure that with modern tech they could be made significantly safer, there's just little incentive or reason to make one other than as a luxury transport.
@arahman563 жыл бұрын
Its the economics that stands in the way, can't really make an airship that's both safe and economical enough to hit a midpoint between cruise ships and airplanes.
@lemondeepfried2 жыл бұрын
Modern airships are extremely safe, and small ones are still built. They just aren't built on anything approaching the scale of these behemoths for economic reasons. No one wants the combination of both higher cost and slower cruising speeds for any sort of commercial application.
@pepebeezon7722 жыл бұрын
Even then it can't compete with helicopters
@badbeardbill99568 ай бұрын
They’re plenty safe. Especially when well designed and operated. That was never the issue - even after the Hindenburg disaster a second Hindenburg-class airship was built and a third was under construction when WWII broke out. What actually killed airships, or more accurately accelerated their death, was WWII. During the war the Zeppelins were scrapped for material. Meanwhile, you had some countries building hundreds of thousands of aircraft during the war, and producing a similar number of pilots. In the immediate post war world, the sheer number of transport aircraft, airfields, and experienced pilots and ground crew globally made any alternative a non starter. Even the great ocean liners, which had experienced problems in the Depression, would begin to be drastically outcompeted by conventional airplanes. Airships could have potentially become a larger industry though aircraft would have eventually taken over regardless. The immediate post WWI era actually saw a great opportunity for airship travel in Europe, and the Zeppelin company was building passenger airships. However, when the Treaty of Versailles came into effect they had to hand them over to Entente militaries, and wouldn’t get to build another Zeppelin for years. They did try though, and for a short time there was trans-Atlantic Zeppelin service. The Hindenburg and the Graf Zeppelin airships made a number of flights across the Atlantic. Yes, the Hindenburg disaster was not its maiden flight.
@jfangm3 ай бұрын
@@arahman56 A cruise ship easily costs of $2000 USD per person. An airliner will cost anywhere from $90-250 USD for a basic economy flight. Airships COULD nail that midpoint.
@chloeforman3 жыл бұрын
R101 was part of a competition in Airship designed envisioned by Prime Minister Ramsey MacDonald. The other design, the R100, was build by Private Companies. Among those who helped build the R100 was a young Nevil Shute Norway, better known as Nevil Shute, author of the 1957 Nuclear War book On The Beach
@krashd3 жыл бұрын
21:20 We do still build airships, we are one of the few nations that do. There was that arse-shaped airship we were building for the US Navy, the US have since pulled out of the program but the company building it are going ahead and you sometimes see it flying around when it's not slowly crashing into things. It's called the Hybrid Air Vehicles Airlander 10.
@datadavis3 жыл бұрын
Good luck.
@naturewalks6613 жыл бұрын
Not slowly crashing into things, fucking lmao.
@sixstringedthing3 жыл бұрын
"Despite the US Navy cancelling their contract, we are confident of commercial success for this design... as soon as we can get it to stop slowly crashing into things". The marketing department has their work cut out for them it seems.
@timfortune93 жыл бұрын
"To ride the storm to an Empire of the Clouds. To ride the storm, they climbed aboard their silver ghost. To ride the storm to a kingdom that will come. To ride the storm and damn the rest oblivion. Royalty and dignitaries, brandy and cigars, gray lady giant of the skies, you hold them in your arms. The millionth chance they laughed to take down His Majesty's craft. To India they say, magic carpet float away. An October fateful day..." - Iron Maiden "Empire of the Clouds"
@daweshorizon3 жыл бұрын
Incredibly, the huge hangars where these amazing airships were made are still in existence at Cardington, Bedfordshire. Take a look! Love and peace.
@sixstringedthing3 жыл бұрын
I watched a video the other day about tower crane operators. I'm trying to decide which would be a more intimidating way to start your workday; climbing 100 meters up a rickety ladder inside a swaying metal tower to get to the crane cab, or climbing 3 meters down a vibrating ladder 500M above the ground to get into the engine cab with the roaring diesel. I suppose it doesn't really matter... it's not the height of the fall that's the problem, it's the sudden stop at the end. As an electrician I'm not unfamiliar with working at heights, but yeah... no thanks! In terms of critique: well researched, wonderfully produced, and your accent is a pleasant change from the British/American voiceovers, very pleasing to hear. Thanks for the videos! Edit: And thank you for the audiobook link too! :D
@K.A.T.W.M3 жыл бұрын
I’m a tower crane operator and I’d never EVER climb down a three meter vibrating ladder into a cramped Diesel engine.
@brianjones28993 жыл бұрын
The engineer guy audio book over 6 or so hours is absolutely brilliant on a human level and technical. It was free from his site when I listened to it 3 years ago.
@WindowsXPMapping13 жыл бұрын
Hindenburg: I am the most tragic airship disaster in history R-101: hold my engine... oh... sh-t
@die1mayer3 жыл бұрын
Hindenburg was a amazing machine which performed 63 successful flights with a flight distance of 335,000 km, it was a tragedy because its destruction was caused by crew error and the German Zeppelin Transport Company was moving towards profitability with Graf Zeppelin and Hindenburg. The R-101 was a piece of shit which couldn't even survive its first flight, a deeply flawed machine.
@die1mayer3 жыл бұрын
@Opecuted Imperial Airships have more in common with Chinese Knock-Offs.
@Logovanni3 жыл бұрын
@@die1mayer unsurprising attitude coming from Someone displaying a reichsadler.
@callumwilliams14493 жыл бұрын
@@die1mayer A deeply flawed machine describes the entirety of airships and the tragedy is the loss of life, not the loss of the airship and the loss of profits for the company, what the hell? You're pretending the Hindenburg was anything other than that because it made 63 flights? Just over a year since it's first flight it was destroyed and kill over half on board. The Hindenburg and all airships like it were disasters.
@die1mayer3 жыл бұрын
@@callumwilliams1449 Airships are still in use today (albeit with helium and without rigid frame), they are perfectly fine flying machines when done properly. Airships were not phased out because of inherent flaws, but because the evolution of aircraft technology in the 20th century made them obsolete for passenger travel, they were superior to early planes and had a competitive advantage against ocean liners, nowadays they are more of a niche (advertisement, tourism and science) . We'd sooner stop using planes (due to carbon emissions and anti-aircraft regulations) than Zeppelins.
@peterhowell76573 жыл бұрын
Nevil Shute's autobiography 'Slide Rule' has a lot about the design of R100, and the politics between the two. Well worth a read if interested in this story.
@TertiaryBrewing3 жыл бұрын
Really good book that, definitely worth reading if you have any interest in inter-war aviation
@SuperHeatherMorris3 жыл бұрын
Very much recommended.
@456415604564056405633 жыл бұрын
Y The book came to mind as soon as I saw the video but the name of it - and the author- escaped me. Read it many years ago and it wasn't bad. 👍
@georgew20142 жыл бұрын
The novel The Airshipmen, by David Dennington, is a fictionalized account of the R101. The focus is on the personalities involved, like Schute, Lord Thomson, and Major Scott. But the politics are just below the surface.
@hanslebrutal46932 жыл бұрын
RIP the AN-225...
@MRWALKER5000003 жыл бұрын
Built very near to were i live in howden. Think my great great grandparents were involved in the construction. Nothing much left of it now, although you can still seen the remains of the sidings at howden Station that used to branch off to the airship complex
@johnjephcote76363 жыл бұрын
Read 'The Millionth Chance' by James Leasor. The best account I have ever read on this subject. He wrote it in the 1950s when many of the people involved in the project were still alive and even working.
@cyberpunkprussian3 жыл бұрын
"For all you unbelievers The Titanic fits inside!" #Uptheirons
@lexington5053 жыл бұрын
Helium also wasn't available, as the US had a monopoly on its production (as a byproduct of natural gas production) and Congress banned its export under the Helium Act (1925) in order to ensure, among other things, adequate supply for US navy airships. In the 1920s and 1930s the navy experimented with rigid airships for long range reconnaissance, and during World War II large numbers of nonrigid airships (blimps) were used for anti submarine patrols on both coasts.
@RichieWellock3 жыл бұрын
im loving this content, thanx very enjoyable .. (Comet ? , avro Tudor ? next ) ive been to the abandoned avro plant recent in my video. shame it got shut down
@PaperSkiesAviation3 жыл бұрын
I know. It's always very sad when air plants are closing and dying. Especially those that have a long history. To be honest, I wasn't aware about Avro Tudor. I do have Avro Canada Arrow in my list, though. But you gave me something I can search and read about now. Will see, may be I can make a story out of that. Thank you, Richie!
@RichieWellock3 жыл бұрын
Tudor very unknown but it preceded the comet , started as a prop plane on the same development of the Lancaster bomber, the Tudor would have overtaken the comet except the tragedy of a crash that killed its very famous designer Mr Roy Chadwick C.B.E its a interesting sorry. Ive watched the avro Arrow . brill
@The_Modeling_Underdog3 жыл бұрын
@@RichieWellock Agreed on the Tudor. Would make for an excellent video, indeed. Those aerodynamic forces. Cheers.
@alexwest25733 жыл бұрын
Airships are so cool, I have a blow up model of the Goodyear blimp hanging in living room, had it for like 10 years
@krashd3 жыл бұрын
Surely you've had the entire house for ten years and not just the living room?
@alexwest25733 жыл бұрын
@@krashd well I like to take my old living room with me when I move, makes decorating easier lmao
@krashd3 жыл бұрын
@@alexwest2573 RC enthusiasts always have planes, some have helicopters, but I'd love an RC blimp. Considering you can buy a tank of helium for birthday balloons and even buy hydrogen in some places it would be a costly but fun hobby.
@alexwest25733 жыл бұрын
@@krashd a rc blimp does sound really cool, I could never get the hang of rc helicopters, I used to really like the big styrofoam gliders they use to sell, I had a blast with those and the rockets they sold at the hobby shops that had parachutes, I lost one on the top of a church one time because the wind grabbed it while floating down
@meetoo5943 жыл бұрын
@@krashd You can buy RC blimps, they are actually really cool. A mate of mine used to have one that just floated around his living room and you could steer the thing around (very slowly) with a little infrared controller. It was great fun trying to land it on top of things or steer it between chairs etc because it was so unwieldy to accurately control. Very relaxing toy. It was about 3ft long and looked like a Zeppelin. Cost around £150 back in the 90`s.
@rogerb56153 жыл бұрын
@ 18:20 ... one of those emails in my spambox promising to enlarge my airship. The best line of the week. Thanks, mate!
@arthurdavies74073 жыл бұрын
cursed metal
@pietervaness32293 жыл бұрын
Continuing ... circa 1973 during my flight training X. The book had 2 long story's, one of which concerned the last flight of the 101 : this is one of the MOST AMAZING story's in history ... try to find and read it ... You shanty regret doing so X. O S V. CAPT . P. van ESS.
@mustang51323 жыл бұрын
Your thumbnails are some of the best I’ve ever seen. Great thumbnail for a great video!
@david5uper5292 жыл бұрын
I have watched literally hundreds of documentaries about the Hindenburg, not once was I ever told that it was made, at least in part, from a British crashed air ship. Amazing research. Sterling video. Thank you
@andrewwenzel36003 жыл бұрын
The two hangars at Cardington are a sight to see, I drive past them frequently and can only imagine what those bohemoths must have looked like. Those hangars are HUGE!
@Portondown3 жыл бұрын
A great book on the R101 is ( The airmen who would not die) by John G Fuller.
@johannesbluemink4581 Жыл бұрын
I've got that book. Great read! I firmly believe Eileen Garrett communicated with a crew member via 'Uvani'.
@DividedByZeero3 жыл бұрын
Finally, some light on one of the most forgotten yet one of my favorite airships
@christopherr.21373 жыл бұрын
I had never heard the reasoning behind the choice of hydrogen over helium was based on lifting capability I have always heard it framed as US would not sell other nations like German Helium because they considered it a vital military resource. I am so happy I have found your corner of KZbin great channel which I doubt will remain "little" much longer Well Done
@Simon_Nonymous3 жыл бұрын
Hydrogen was also ever so cheap to produce in the volumes needed - this would have been a good addition to the video - helium really was not an option.
@tkmiller_author3 жыл бұрын
Helium act of 1925 forbid the export of helium but yes, at any road, hydrogen gave more lift. That said, helium might have been safer. 😊
@jimdaw653 жыл бұрын
A chemist writes: Hydrogen is diatomic, whereas helium is monatomic. What that means, in practical terms, is that the helium "molecule" is half the size of hydrogen, and is therefore much more likely to leak. For the scientists among us, 31 picometres vs 53. The other reasons stated still apply, by the way; I'm not trying to start an argument :-)
@danamcdonnell90642 жыл бұрын
As usual with Paper Skies, informative and entertaining, outlining a tragedy with lessons that are still valuable today. I have to admit that I did have to stop the video to laugh when he mentioned that the British did not employ an email in their spam folder telling them how to enlarge their airship though!
@Fsrjtyttzma3 жыл бұрын
I can only imagine in horror when the first German Zeppelin air attack happened in Hull 1915. Unseen it slipped in during nightfall and dropped bombs which was to be the first aerial attack on British soil. People must have been in utter panic.
@christopping58763 жыл бұрын
Fantastic documentary with amazing video footage. Two very interesting books on the subject I read many years ago were "The Millionth Chance" by James Leasor (R101 bias) and "Slide Rule" an autobiography of Neville Shute , who was also a design engineer on the R100 project.
@snowcat9308 Жыл бұрын
Rest in peace Mryia. You were loved by so many. 💛💙
@devingraves80443 жыл бұрын
Blew mind when I found out that metal from this airship was used for the Hindenburg construction
@jamesanderson64763 жыл бұрын
Private R100 won, government R101 lost.
@robertdragoff69093 жыл бұрын
That coincidence between the R101 and the Hindenburg is second only to the eerie Lincoln/ Kennedy one.
@SuperHeatherMorris3 жыл бұрын
Not sure there is much coincidence between the two, other than they both ended up on the ground. The R101 flew, out of control, into the ground, the Hindenburg caught fire and then sank to the ground.
@steve-ph9yg3 жыл бұрын
The only coincidence I see is the hydrogen caught fire and exploded in both of them for different reasons.
@SuperHeatherMorris3 жыл бұрын
@@steve-ph9yg Just a technical point, the hydrogen burned, it did not explode. You will only get a hydrogen explosion if it is fully mixed with air (well, oxygen really) before it is ignited.
@PongoXBongo3 жыл бұрын
Doesn't help that the side of the R-101 said "G-FAAW" in giant letters. That's like the old-timey equivalent of "LOL".
@tomg51873 жыл бұрын
I know about this from the Dr Who 8th doctor audio series from big finish, “Storm Warning”. It’s good to remember these things. Thank you.
@nefariousgremlin75543 жыл бұрын
Same here, that's how I learned about the R101
@blueberrypirate36013 жыл бұрын
The Airmen who would not die by John G. Fuller who also wrote about exposure of US citizens to cropduster chemicals in the 50s and 60s.
@BarisHalac3 жыл бұрын
Empire of the clouds..
@davekp67733 жыл бұрын
Bruce Dickinson’s masterpiece.
@hawkeyestiguy2 жыл бұрын
Has communism ever been better at making anything? Other than creating bread lines I mean. Lol.
@KarlBunker3 жыл бұрын
How *NOT* to conduct a test flight of an experimental aircraft: Load it up with lots of government and industry VIPs and set off for a destination thousands of miles away. 🙄
@owenkegg56083 жыл бұрын
An X craft BUILT ENTIRELY BY THE GOVERNMENT. Truly horrifying.
@chrismusix56693 жыл бұрын
Socialist R-101: decadent, unsafe, spurning regulations, over budget. Capitalist R-100: meets expectations, streamlined, conservative, profitable. I rest, my case.
@elliottw13 жыл бұрын
This story was very personal for me too. I inherited several pieces of the airship Akron which encountered a similar fate. Thank you for telling the story.
@markrowland13662 жыл бұрын
Never charge the regulating authority with doing the work. The book of building the R100, the first completed of the pair that finished first, a leading engineer on the project Nevil Shute Norway, the famous author, flew to Canada and return, predicted the failure of the R101. He seems to fear the meddling by the fool, the head of the Air Department. It was overweight, not airodinamic and commanded by a passenger.
@kitbag90332 жыл бұрын
This is the third film of yours I've seen. I have to say your delivery, illustrations and occasional flashes of humor/irony have made it a hugely enjoyable and satisfying experience. Subbed
@nemoskull22623 жыл бұрын
were down lads, came the cry, bow plunging from the skies. 3000 horses silent as the ship began to die..
@surprisedchar24583 жыл бұрын
Seems like combining large vehicles and the term “maiden voyage” is something of a curse for the Brits.
@KebabMusicLtd3 жыл бұрын
Not necessarily... Being an island race we greatly relied on our sea power and over the centuries there have been many great ships that flew the British flag and lasted long beyond their maiden voyage (including the Cutty Sark, HMS Defiance, The Mayflower, The Dogs Hind Quarters etc) We cetainly aren't the only country to lose an airship or a ship at sea. Indeed, the Titanic was an American owned ship (IMM)
@suburbia20502 жыл бұрын
@@KebabMusicLtd What?! No it wasn't, it was owned by White Star Line
@moreblack3 жыл бұрын
To ride the storm, to an empire of the clouds To ride the storm, they climbed aboard their silver ghost To ride the storm, to a kingdom that will come To ride the storm, and damn the rest, oblivion Royalty and dignitaries, brandy and cigars Related giant of the skies, you hold them in your arms The millionth chance they laughed, to take down his majesty's craft To India they say, magic carpet float away, an October fateful day Mist is in the trees, stone sweats with the dew The morning sunrise, red before the blue Hanging at the mast, waiting for command His majesty's airship, the r101
@167curly3 жыл бұрын
As a young woman, my mother saw the R101 flying over London on its last flight.
@UhYeahWhateverDude3 жыл бұрын
Forgotten? Apparently you are not an Iron Maiden fan.
@ianmacfarlane12413 жыл бұрын
This is already an outstanding channel - you've really hit the ground running. I only discovered your channel a day or two ago and I've already been spreading the word. I look forward to seeing whatever you come up with next.
@kewl8513 жыл бұрын
yall, the picture and explanation of the airships in the sky mixed w airplanes is wild. a fabulous reminder that truth is stranger than fiction. I wish for my fellow Americans that they will see this...for more reason than one...
@owenkegg56083 жыл бұрын
As opposed to USA Norwegians?
@kewl8513 жыл бұрын
@@owenkegg5608 ok, I just realized I said that haha
@viktorviktor22033 жыл бұрын
Прав был Константин Эдуардович Циолковский, говоря, что космос нужно осваивать с помощью ракет, а воздушный океан с помощью дирижаблей! Так почему капиталисты не хотят строить дирижабли??? Да по тому, что это выгодно народу, выгодно стране, а не лично им! С космических программ они научились переводить потоки в свой карман за счёт фейковых "полётов", а вот с дирижаблями это сделать труднее.
@aquilarossa51913 жыл бұрын
That is the big difference huh. Motives for producing. Capitalism produces goods and services to accumulate capital for the private capitalist. If it does not profit the capitalist, the goods and services do not get produced. The alternative is producing to meet the material needs of humans, plus their cats and dogs etc. For example, the western economic reformers who went to post Soviet Russia and liquated so many factories for not being profitable enough, but with little apparent regard for the social impact. Huge numbers of people became unemployed. There was severe hardship. I worked at sea here in NZ with a lot of people who lived in the USSR and the post Soviet Yeltsin era (at sea from 1996-2009). They went to sea for work and sent money home. That's how I know about how difficult the post Soviet Yeltsin years were and how it is better now, e.g., living standards have increased ten fold. The USA openly boasted that their money and subterfuge got Yeltsin elected, i.e., election meddling. Now I am a communist like they usually were, but I recently voted for the slightly socialist NZ Labour Party, because we do not have lots of communists like Russia still has. What surprised me is those crew members talked about the USSR like it was the good old days and were very defensive of it. Media had given me the impression that people hated living in the USSR and celebrated its dissolution. I now get the impression those Soviet people liked some things and not others, while the dissolution of the USSR is often considered a disaster. They did not like the vodka and Cossack dancing stereotype and said Russia is so much more than that. Vodka jokes by online westerners usually intend to denigrate Russians. I think some rich westerners want to own Russia's oil and gas, which is currently mostly owned by the Russian public, as are a portion of the profits, i.e., public revenue for roads, hospitals and schools etc. Almost every country that does that with its oil and gas seems to upset Uncle Sam. The USA seems to want another Yeltsin to hand over all those resources to Wall Street. Socialism gets argued over a lot. Usually the argument is about what it is and if it works or not. Many tend to think that only their definition is right. There have been many types of socialism. Utopian versus Scientific for example. Therefore there is no single definition I think. Socialism is not defined by its methods. It is about what it is trying to achieve. Every type of socialism was trying to solve issues the working class face in a capitalist society and in some cases perhaps create a socialist one if they could win enough public support for it. The proposed solutions and attempts vary a lot, but they were all forms of socialism. People in some countries like the USA tend to conflate socialism with liberalism. A political science misunderstanding usually caused by extremely partisan politics. They are very different things. Liberalism was the ideological weaponry during the Industrial Revolution when the emerging social class it created became the new elites, while the feudal aristocrats lost power. Liberty, equality and fraternity during the French Revolution etc. The people removing heads were generally radical liberals of this new social class. The new elite class were what the French called the Bourgeoisie (capitalists and their political acolytes etc). Liberalism was usually their ideology. It is not socialism. Many right wing parties around the world follow the liberal economic doctrine of laissez-faire for example, i.e., not all liberalism is left wing. In fact it tends centrist, because in capitalist society it is the dominant ideology, because the interests of capitalists tend to dominate politics etc (Marx's pobservation said the dominant culture in any epoch is the culture of its ruling class). Liberalism promised peasants and the working class reforms in order to win their support in places like late 1700s France. Radical liberals were sat on the left of their general assembly, while those who opposed the radical approach to liberalism sat on the right and were what became known as conservatives and reactionaries. Therefore that is how we got left and right wing politics in liberal democracies. Socialism arose out of people not liking what the new elites of capitalism were doing, e.g., terrible conditions for the working class in mines and factories etc. The more radical socialists wanted to overthrow those elites, others wanted reforms, while some wanted to create utopian socialist communities, e.g, Owenites etc. Communism is different again. It is partly about what the world could be like when the capitalist mode of production is superseded due to advances in technology. That process has happened several times throughout human history, so will probably continue to happen. Historical materialism. For example, when the production of goods and services becomes so automated that capitalism's need for labour is reduced to the level that hiring workers is no longer the primary method of production. It would not be capitalism any more. It would have evolved into something else. That's because a capitalist hiring workers to produce commodities is what defines capitalism. It is also how new capital is created in its root form, i.e., productive work creates wealth. Communists want the next mode of production and the way it is governed to not be yet another one based on exploitation of the many by the few, while also meeting all our material needs etc. From each according to ability, to each according to need. Marx, Engels and Lenin said that communists would need to harness capitalism's ability to increase productive forces, in order to supply the needs of society. Communists using capitalism. Many seem to overlook that and go directly to socialism, even communists. China may have noticed that advice though. Many conflate markets and making a profit with capitalism. That is an error too. Capitalism is relativity new, but trade and commerce via markets has existed for thousands of years, as has supply and demand. Communists like a good deal and shiny new stuff as much as the next person. People will probably always trade in some form or another. Communism is also about social classes, their function, and which social class gets to govern and after gaining ascendency in the almost perpetual class conflicts throughout history, e.g., the struggle of the orders in ancient Rome, or the peasants revolt in England etc. It is about how that struggle shapes history. Therefore 'workers unite' and self governing is the antithesis to continuing to be ruled by an elite class according the needs of capitalism, with that status quo being the thesis. Much of the modern world is a synthesis of that effort, e.g., the impact of communism and socialism had on the labour movement and decolonization etc. Dialectical materialism. It is possible that a form of communism will still eventuate, because technological advances will require us to reorganise how society functions. A communistic civilization is a better description. Machines and AI do most of the work to provide us with our material needs, while people get on with enjoying life and doing what interests them, while governing it all democratically without a social elite dominating and exploiting the majority. That is what Marx imagined and he knew that if it could happen, it would take many generations, i.e., it can not happen rapidly after a revolution etc. It can only proceed at the pace of technological progress. In the USA it is proven that corporations and billionaires dominate nearly 100% of political outcomes. The working class has almost zero influence upon governance, apart from being able to vote for candidates mostly preselected by just two parties who mostly serve billionaire donors etc. Those representatives rarely represent the material interests of the working class. The US studies called that plutocracy, not democracy. Princeton and Stanford universities, plus others. How can you self appoint as a champion of democracy when you are not a democracy yourself? The slogan 'money out of politics' is popular there. PS. What is my position on Stalin? It's complicated. I oppose all forms of capital punishment and will argue reasons why that is the correct position to take for a communist. The deaths are a stain on communist history. On the other hand, Stalin's mass industrialization and modernization made the Soviets capable of producing 90% of the war material they needed to destroy 80% of Germany's armies. The Soviets did the most by far to defeat the Nazis and then defeated Japan's largest remaining army, which was based was in Manchuria. If the USSR had been conquered, the Axis would have been very difficult to beat. I am forever grateful to the more than 20 million Soviets who lost their lives in preventing that. No wonder Russians are proud on Victory Day, although those who died were from all over the USSR, not just the Russian SSR. I think CCCP 2.0 can be a good idea in practice, providing it only includes nation states who wish to be in it. It could prosper on the new belt and road etc. Russia and China working together is proving a potent partnership, so hopefully there are no major disagreements that derail it and give Uncle Sam hope of remaining the sole superpower in a unipolar world.
@saulekaravirs65853 жыл бұрын
Here Lie their dreams as I stand in the sun. On the ground where they built, and the engines did run. To the moon and the stars. Now what have we done? Oh, the dreamers may die, but the dream lives on Now a shadow on a hill, the angel of the east. The Empire of the Clouds may rest in peace. and in a country courtyard, laid head to the mast eight and forty souls who came to die in France. This is just the ending lyrics of the epic song called Empire of the Clouds written and sung by Bruce Dickinson with Iron Maiden. This song has more incoming with classical music than it does metal. Through 4 movements of lyrics and instrumental interludes they tell the story of the Royal Airship R101. There is no chorus, just poetic verse after poetic verse. Most of the lyrics are descriptive and not just there to be pretty.
@ВикторВиктор-щ2м3 жыл бұрын
Даёшь русские дирижабли! Вместо ненужного "Марса" давайте деньги направляйте на дирижабли!
@aquilarossa51913 жыл бұрын
I like the idea of Mars. Perhaps teaming up with China to do it. If the Americans get there first, Hollywood will never stop reminding us. However if Russian and China get there first, Hollywood will make excuses about spying, stealing technology and copying, because of course only they can invent stuff.
@profpep3 жыл бұрын
Thank you for another great video. A book also worth reading is Nevil Shute's autobiography 'Slide Rule'. He was a 'computer', (a human calculator), for the R100 project, under Barnes Wallis, whose 'geodetic' contruction was used in its design. He had a lot to say about the failure of R101, especially the way the designers were boxed in by political decisions.
@nilsnilsnilsify3 жыл бұрын
Agreed, that was a great book. Mr. Shute definitely had strong ideas about the role of private industry vs. government. Also just a great engineer's story.
@doubledoublechuck3 жыл бұрын
An almost verbatim copy from Engineerguy. Using may of the same graphics he created That was posted 3 years ago. Weaksauce.
@aeroearth3 жыл бұрын
The successful R100 airship was built by the Vickers Co. at Howden, Yorks. The Chief Designer was one very young (23 years old I believe) brilliant Engineer called Barnes Wallis, who went on to design many other things including the Vickers Wellington Bomber, the Dambusters bouncing bomb and the Tallboy earthquake bomb. Chief Stressman or "Calculator" with his two Assistants (who did all their calculations on slide rules in those days) was one Neville Shute Norway. Later to become co founder and Managing Director of the Airspeed Aircraft Co. Then famous author under the name of Neville Shute. In Neville Shute Norway's autobiography "Slide Rule" Neville describes how ALL the design decisions of the R100 HAD to be vetted by the Air MInistry. However ALL the design decisions of the failed R101 were vetted by the Air Ministry for the same Minster responsible for its design. This was a "socialist" government, lets not forget. The R100 was very successful and made its maiden voyage across the Atlantic to Toronto, Canada and back to Cardington. After the R101 failure it could also have successfully made the voyage to India too, but the Labour Government of the day vetoed that of course and as a symbol of a successful "capitalist" venture vs. a failed "socialist" one, had it scrapped. The Airship shed at Howden was dismantled and transported by road to Cardington where it was reassembled next to the failed R101 shed and the two hangers are still there today.
@richardstuart3253 жыл бұрын
"Slide Rule" is a superb book, with a very perceptive description of the events and decisions leading to the R101's disastrous end.
@Simon_Nonymous3 жыл бұрын
As soon as anyone says "this was of course due to socialism" you can, if you wish, disregard anything they say from then on as they might just have a political agenda, let alone debate whether the Labour government of that time could actually be called socialist, with a big S, or even a little one. . Let's just put it this way - how many capitalist/fascist/non-socialist countries made a success out of airships for intercontinental travel in the 20s and 30s. I will buy you a pint of beer for each one who did.
@aeroearth3 жыл бұрын
@@Simon_Nonymous Comrade Simon Nonymous! Ah yes mark of a true communist! NOWHERE did I say "this was of course due to socialism" Most regrettably I have come to expect that of communists/socialists or whatever they choose to currently call themselves. Misquote people and then "cancel" people opposed to their murderous ideology, as indeed history proves to be true. I am curious. Do the communists pay you to post such misleading comments or do you do it out of a misguided sense of ideology?
@SAHBfan3 жыл бұрын
Just a minor point, if anyone cares, Barnes Wallis did NOT design the Wellington bomber, despite this misconception being repeated in many publications and sources. His geodetic construction technique was used in five Vickers aircraft designs, I believe, but the actual aircraft designer was Reginald 'Rex' Pearson.
@davidstroup100 Жыл бұрын
BRAVO! Nevil Shute's "Slide Rule" is a must for historians covering this subject. ...a first person account of the "conservative" and successful completion of the contract. R-100 was not perfect, but compaired to its' politically driven rival, and following efforts.... History may not repeat itself, but it does rhyme. 👍
@robertwilloughby80503 жыл бұрын
I know quite a bit about this. The r100 was far better, but was a bit ugly ... Oh, and do "Your aeroplane has a hole in it", an examination of the DeHavilland twin boom fighters, the Vampire, the Venom, and my personal favourite, the Sea Vixen.
@GermanShepherd19833 жыл бұрын
The R101 reminds me of the trump presidency, it crashed and burned.
@xaenon3 жыл бұрын
Well, Trump was (IS!) a big bloated gasbag.... and quite volatile.
@tristesskartoffel86772 жыл бұрын
I hope this kind of technology becomes a new outcome in tourism. With new Technology this will be a stunning way of traveling!
@johnjephcote76363 жыл бұрын
Very good, but I get so tired when videos start "The forgotten....." They are not forgotten. It is a journalistic way of saying 'I have just discovered this. It is a scoop on my part'
@NucleaRaptor3 жыл бұрын
I wonder if this was the inspiration for Rule of Rose. 🤔 EDIT: Just checked, it was.
@decimated5503 жыл бұрын
2:51 wow epic scene of 4 airships taking off at once! in a brief period when airships had more payload than airplanes.
@owenkegg56083 жыл бұрын
There are 5 airships taking off in that clip lol.
@thomasschuldt4557 Жыл бұрын
It will never be forgotten! Iron Maiden did a song on it on their 2015 album 🙂up the Irons 😎🤘
@chrismoule72423 жыл бұрын
This is a well-researched and presented story. I remember a succinct and similar article about this in the Airfix magazine in the early-to-mid 1960s. This contractual and constructional debacle was one of the main things to convince me that Government-led projects were always doomed to be either technological failures or well over budget, or both. I have seen nothing in the UK since to change my mind.
@Channelscruf Жыл бұрын
Thank you for the simple yet accurate reasons Socialism sucks. Keep posting videos!
@ConsumerWatchdogUK3 жыл бұрын
When somebody tells you "this was made by the government" that should be all the warning you need.
@goawayleavemealone28803 жыл бұрын
Indeed.
@callummckeown48153 жыл бұрын
There are numerous instances where private companies have designed and built something that turned out to be a disaster.
@ConsumerWatchdogUK3 жыл бұрын
@@callummckeown4815 So what?
@ClassMRule3 жыл бұрын
Iron Maiden wrote a beautiful song about R101, called Empire of the Clouds
@bcfairlie13 жыл бұрын
This is a great video. Although I am very familiar with the history of R101, I loved seeing all this footage. I have been fascinated by rigid Airships since I was a little boy. Not one of my fellow school students or friends could ever understand why. I feel that the even greater tragedy was having the R100 dismantled. So much potential lost to cheap politics.
@adamfrazer51503 жыл бұрын
@1:33 don't think I've ever seen this footage until now- actually took me a few moments before I knew what I was looking at, very cool 👍🍻
@tgmccoy15563 жыл бұрын
The R100 was a better ship.
@petehall8893 жыл бұрын
I have an aluminium art deco ashtray. Underneath is moulded the legend 'Made from metal from R101'.
@nafs533 жыл бұрын
Cool👍
@mybestfriendlober9 ай бұрын
18:17 Aircraft Engineers HATE this trick!
@AshrakAhmed3 жыл бұрын
at least this is one tragedy where people who's decision lead to it were onboard to suffer from it! Now only if Boeing would force it's bean counters to fly on 737 MAX regularly!
@carlmalone40113 жыл бұрын
Slaughtering thousands of cows so rich people can fly in comfort. Disgusting.
@resonatorneuronium53243 жыл бұрын
‘Innovation pushed too far too fast’ How rich is that coming from NASA??