Re:Where's the beef? (Score 1)

Well the ZR1 Shenandoah was the first US rigid airship, a replica of a WWI "height climber" Zeppelin. Those were indeed fragile to maximize the "payload" fraction. Later civil German Zeppelins like the LZ120 "Bodensee" had much less payload capability. What brought down the later US Navy rigid airships, the Akron and Macon, was more an error in operations, as far as I know. They were beaten through storms and high speed-full rudder manoeuvres. The Deutsche Zeppelin Reederei was quite confident in their Airships and their captains, who reduced speed in severe weather. Best, Johannes