R-100--At Last

R-100--At Last

Banged and buffeted by storms that stood her on end and ripped her tail, the British dirigible R-100 last week completed, twelve hours later than expected, her long-deferred flight from Cardington, England to St. Hubert Airport, Montreal. Largest lighter-than-air craft in the world, fourth to fly the Atlantic, the R-100 made the crossing in 78 hr. 49 min.-- She carried 37 officers & crew, seven passengers, including her designer, Commander Charles Dennistoun Burney.

The great ship was winding up the St. Lawrence valley toward Quebec when fabric covering her port stabilizer finally yielded to the whipping of the wind and tore loose--a mishap similar to that which befell the Graf Zeppelin on her first Atlantic flight. Without parachutes, members of the R-100's crew crawled precariously about the tattered fin, made makeshift repairs.

Later the R-100 poked into a squall. Officers and men clutched for support. Fuel slopped out of tanks. Worse, the hydrogen balloonets were in danger of bursting because of the sudden pressure release. The fabric of the starboard fin let go, as the port had done. After a minute of severe tossing the R-100 was again master, plowing ahead on an even keel. The laconic log-entry by Squadron Leader R. S. Booth, in command: "Ship's height varied rapidly between 1,500 and 4,000 ft. . ."

Hardly had the dirigible been made fast to its special new $750,000 mooring mast,* when Commander Burney observed that a vessel twice her size with a minimum cruising speed of 85 m. p. h. would be needed for regular traffic.

Beyond sportsmanlike plaudits for the R-100's victory over the storm (which the officers and crew tried to minimize) there was little public fervor shown over the flight. Apathy may have been due partly to British propaganda emphasizing the experimental aspect of the venture. But also was expressed dissatisfaction that the Air Ministry's $11,000,000 program (the R-100 cost $2,250,000) begun six years ago for linking distant units of the empire, should still be so far short of fulfilment. Enthusiasm had been dampened by mishaps to the R-100 and its sister, R101,/- and by talk of "obsoletion."

Although shorter than the Graf, the R-100 has greater volume. Dimensions of both, compared to the U. S. Navy's ZRS-4 and ZRS-5 now being built by the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corp. at Akron, Ohio: R-100 Graf ZRSs

Length 709 ft. 772 785

Diameter 133 100 132.9

Height 133 113 146.5

Capacity (cu. ft.) 5,157,000 3,710,000 6,500,000

Engines 6 (3 pairs) 5 8

*In 1924 the ZR3 (now the U. S. Navy's Los Angeles) flew from Friedrichshafen to Lakehurst, approximately 1,500 mi. farther, in 81 hr.

*The mast functioned to perfection. Henry Ford last week ordered one like it for his Dearborn airport.

/-The R-101, testflown last October, is again in its hangar being lengthened by the addition of a 75-ft. midsection.

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