In the late 1920s the whole world was experimenting with airships and lighter-than-air travels- Germany had an impressive fleet of zeppelins which would eventually culminate in the Hindenburg and Graf Zeppelin. But Britain experimented too, and the pride of the Imperial Airship program were the airships R100 and R101. Design faults and methodology flaws soon set in and the R101 set out in a dangerous condition leading to the largest loss of life in any airship accident. Let’s take a look at what went wrong and how Britain’s greatest airship was seemingly doomed from the start.
Oceanliner Designs explores the design, construction, engineering and operation of history’s greatest vessels– from Titanic to Queen Mary and from the Empress of Ireland to the Lusitania. Join maritime researcher and illustrator Michael Brady as he tells the stories behind some of history’s most famous ocean liners and machines!
#history #documentary #r101 #airship #zeppelin #hindenburg #engineering
0:00 Introduction
1:28 Airships; Way of the future?
4:39 R100 & R101 Are Born
8:07 Trials and Issues
11:31 Final Flight
17:30 Survivors
18:53 What Happened?
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Everything I've read about the R101's construction and design points to was almost a classic 'Yes, Minister' situation. All of the important decisions were being made by bureaucrats for perfectly sound bureaucratic reasons, with any input from actual engineers somehow getting largely lost in the shuffle.
The comparison to passenger comfort in a DC-3 is a bit anachronistic. The DC-3 first flew five years after the crash of the R101 so passengers at that time would have been used to even older airplanes (if they were used to any kind of flying).
This channel is turning into a TV grade series.
Apparently Hindenburg was made from the salvaged scraps of this
sound effects for the animation courtesy of silent hunter III
Worth mentioning that Big Finish did a 'Doctor Who' audio drama about the R101 disaster called 'Storm Warning' (which was Paul McGann's first DW work since the 1996 TV movie).
I find airships fascinating, please do more videos on them.
I was with a Reserve USMC helicopter squadron in the late 70's.. When we deployed to Santa Ana California for our annual two week training program. We were in on of the huge hangers that had been used for the US Navy Dirigibles.
At the time only the US had the slightly heavier but far more safe helium. In the interwar period we did not sell any to our past and future enemy Germany. But couldn't we have sold it to our past and future ally the UK?
googd mornong
near beauvais in allonne the memoroal is along he road easuy to see
at 2kilometers from the crash side you can visit the air museum jacques MAILLARD in WARLUIS
We have in preservation many press articles about the crash and a very rare parts of the R 101
WE HAVE THE TAIL WHIT LIGHT OF THE r 101
Why is it always why something is inspected by an expert and asked to revoke the use before seing worthy to use, the desktop byrocrat overruns these finds???
The DC3 did NOT EXIST in 1930
The R100 was built by private enterprise. It was successful and was scrapped because of the failure of the R101,built by a state enterprise.
Gotta get on you about pronunciation of American names.
Shenandoah: SHIN-un-DOUGH-uh
Akron: ACK-run
To design and build such a craft seems near-suicidal. That huge volume of hydrogen, propelled by inadequate engines and hardly able to cope with the weather – a disaster waiting to happen. It seems more medieval than modern, despite its beauty.
Sorry it's been with me the entire video. Airships float they don't fly. Very good video it was just itching me.
Iron Maidens song Empire of the Clouds about R101 is almost as long as this video 😀
* Wind Of Fjords by Minomus starts playing *
The R 100 was a complete success. I’ve never read anything bad about it. It flew successfully from England to Canada and back.
The R-100 was an excellent design by Barnes Wallace.
Hydrogen or Helium: that is the crucial issue!