Although Giffard made the first zeppelin flight, Ferdinand von Zeppelin became the father of zeppelins, also known as guided balloons. His name soon became synonymous with airships and dominated long-distance flight until the 1930s. He founded the company Luftschiffbau Zeppelin.
General Ferdinand Adolf August Heinrich Graf von Zeppelin is a German aircraft manufacturer and also a famous inventor. He gained his real fame by inventing the zeppelin bearing his surname. In fact, the first airship flight was made by the French engineer Henri Giffard on November 24, 1852. Giffard took off from Paris and landed in Trappes, 30 km away, by attaching the 160 kg, 3 horsepower steam engine under a 43-meter-long and 12-meter-diameter hydrogen-filled bag. Although Giffard made the first zeppelin flight, Ferdinand von Zeppelin became the father of zeppelins, also known as guided balloons. The reason is the very important work he has done in this field. An airship, a type of aircraft, is a hydrogen-filled transport vehicle with cabins underneath to carry passengers. It is also sometimes referred to as an airship. This aircraft became popular during the First World War. Ferdinand von Zeppelin, the father of the idea of the airship, which was quite innovative in its age, also took part in the control of many of the first airships.
Ferdinand Zeppelin; He was a German inventor and industrialist (Konstanz/Baden 1838 -Charlettenburg/Berlin 1917).
He received a military education. He became interested in guided balloon making while he was in the US as an observer. After retiring in 1891, he spent all his time and fortune making balloons. In 1900 he succeeded in constructing the guided airship identified as the "airship". He received support from the German government to develop new models. The first airship LZ-1, which he launched near Lake Kontanz in 1900, was 120 m long and 10 m in diameter. It overcame aerodynamic problems by making the structure of the balloon section in a flat oval shape. He built a metal spine made of 40 aluminum rods. The linen-covered balloon had a capacity of 10,000 m2 of hydrogen gas. Added two internal combustion gas engines of 16 B6 power. It provided horizontal balance with the wings attached to the tail section. When the zeppelins used in transoceanic transportation caused many major accidents, their construction was discontinued when the Second World War began.
Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin (German: Ferdinand Adolf Heinrich August Graf von Zeppelin; 8 July 1838 – 8 March 1917) was a German general and later inventor of the Zeppelin rigid airships. His name soon became synonymous with airships and dominated long-distance flight until the 1930s. He founded the company Luftschiffbau Zeppelin.
Ferdinand von Zeppelin was born on July 8, 1838, in Konstanz, a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. His father is Field Marshal Friedrich Graf von Zeppelin and his mother is Amélie. Ferdinand spent his childhood with his sister and brother at the Girsberg estate near Konstanz. Here he was brought up by private teachers and received a good education. Ferdinand von Zeppelin left home in 1853 to attend the Polytechnic School in Stuttgart. In 1855, he entered the military academy in Ludwigsburg, near Stuttgart, and after graduating, he joined the Württemberg army as an officer at the age of 20. In the same year, he got permission to study science, engineering, and chemistry at the University of Tübingen and graduated from the University of Tübingen. In 1859, he began to serve as an officer in the army. In 1863, he went on leave to serve as an observer in the Potomac Army during the American Civil War in Virginia. In America, he met German-born travel balloonist John Steiner. On August 19, 1863, he made the first aerial ascent with him at a location near the International Hotel in downtown St. Paul. Afterwards, Ferdinand von Zeppelin was appointed adjutant to the King of Württemberg in 1865. One year later, he served as a general staff officer in the Austro-Prussian War. For his duties, he was honored with the Ritterkreuz (Knight's Cross) award, Württemberg's Distinguished Service Order. He married Isabella Freiin von Wolff on August 7, 1869, and they had a daughter, Helene, from this marriage. In 1870-71, he participated in the Franco-Prussian War as a cavalry and general staff officer. During this assignment, he observed how balloons were used to provide the connection between besieged Paris and the hinterland. He narrowly avoided capture during a reconnaissance mission behind enemy lines. This event made him famous among the Germans.
He wrote down the idea of making the first airship in his diary in 1874. He was promoted to regiment commander in 1882. Zeppelin served as commander of the Uhlans in Ulm from 1882 to 1885. He was later appointed as Württemberg ambassador to Berlin. In 1890, he gave up the embassy to return to army service as commanding a Prussian cavalry brigade. He was promoted to the rank of general in 1891, and shortly thereafter he retired from the army and quickly began building airships. An expert commission appointed by Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1894 declared the project proposal impracticable. Despite this, Zeppelin received a patent with the title "routable sketch". In 1896 he became a member of the Union of German Engineers (VDI). Another evaluation commission evaluated his project positively this time. Following this, Ferdinand von Zeppelin founded the company “Aktiengesellschaft zurörderung der Luftschiffahrt” with a capital of 800,000 marks in 1898. He covered 420,000 marks of the company's capital from his private wealth.
Ferdinand von Zeppelin spent 10 years building his lighter-than-air ship. Their first vehicle, the "LZ-1", made its first flight attempt on July 2, 1900. But it was not completely successful. The company was liquidated because capital was exhausted. Also, VDI has stopped supporting Zeppelin. Despite this, Ferdinand von Zeppelin continued his struggle. In 1903, he financed the production of the second airship with lottery proceeds. The "LZ-2" airship made its maiden flight on January 17, 1906. Unfortunately, this 2nd airship was destroyed by a hurricane at the landing site at Allgäu Kisslegg. The first test of the third airship "Z1", produced using the wealth of the Zeppelin family, was carried out on October 9. The third airship was purchased by the military in 1908 after several successful voyages. LZ-4 was destroyed at Echterdingen by a storm and gas explosion on 5 August. Of course, the success achieved as a result of all these trials enabled the collection of donations of approximately 5.5 million marks for the continuation of the project. Thus, it was possible for Ferdinand von Zeppelin to continue his work.
Our inventor founded the company “Zeppelin-Wohlfahrt GmbH in Friedrichshafen” in 1913. As it is known, in the 1930s, large and magnificent zeppelins carried passengers to America over the Atlantic. In total, 52,000 passengers were transported across the Atlantic. Ferdinand von Zeppelin, the inventor of the airship vehicle, died on March 8, 1917, in Charlottenburg, near Berlin, at the age of 79. He was buried in the Pragfriedhof cemetery in Stuttgart.
More than 100 airships were used for military operations in the First World War. The effectiveness of these vehicles during the war fell far short of their expectations. Because very large airships were vulnerable to attacks by warplanes. However, Germany managed to bombard England with the zeppelins it produced in this war. Zeppelins were an important symbol reflecting German superiority, which Hitler embraced very much at that time. However, in the years when zeppelins were used, there were many fatal accidents and many people lost their lives as a result of these accidents. The most important accident happened to the gigantic Hindenburg, a technological marvel and a source of pride for Germany, for the first time in human history to fly non-stop between continents.
Designed on the shores of Lake Constance, the LZ 129 Hindenburg was manufactured by the airship company Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH. The Hindenburg was a giant 245-metre aircraft. It was a magnificent vehicle with luxury restaurants, passenger cabins, air conditioning, and cabins, powered by four diesel engines, but able to glide silently through the air. Developed with the financial support of the Nazis, the Hindenburg made its first flight on March 4, 1936. It was even used as a propaganda tool during the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Competitors, referees, and many visitors from different countries watched the flight over the Berlin Olympic Stadium. On this flight, it stayed in the air for 1 hour at an altitude of about 750 ft.
However, while the Hindenburg was about to land at the Lakehurst naval airbase in New Jersey on May 6, 1937, an explosion occurred and the flammable hydrogen caught fire, killing all 36 passengers and 27 crew members on board. Although it is said that the accident may have occurred due to sabotage, it was understood that the static electricity in the outer hull of the ship created sparks and then the sparks that turned into flames caused the ship to explode. Previous fatal accidents raised serious doubts about this technology, but the Hindenburg disaster put an end to these debates, leading to the end of the then-very popular airships.
The Hindenburg was a luxury aircraft that served only the wealthy. At its time, it was the only vehicle to allow regular flights between Europe and North and South America. With its features such as being the fastest and most comfortable vehicle of its age, it provided a comfortable journey to the wealthy guests from the upper echelon. Today, there is no similar aircraft that provides the comfort and luxury offered by this vehicle. In the Hindenburg, passengers could listen to live music accompanied by a piano while eating their meals. It was possible to travel at twice the speed of the fastest cruise ship. Unfortunately, this giant aircraft has been erased from history with the unfortunate accident we mentioned.