The Zeppelin

Abstract

An airship or dirigible is a bouyant aircraft that can be steered and propelled through the air. They stay afloat by means of a cavity filled with gas of lesser density than the surrounding atmosphere. They were the first aircraft to make controlled, powered flight. ZEPPELIN is a type of dirigible, more specifically a type of rigid airship pioneered by German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, whose name it derived, in the early 20th century. Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin became interested in constructing a 'dirigible airship' after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/1871 when he witnessed the use of French balloons during the Siege of Paris. He started working on various designs shortly after leaving the military. He eventually purchased the rights to the designs of Croatian inventor David Schwartz after the inventor died suddenly before successfully flying. [excerpt]