The Project Gutenberg EBook of British Airships, Past, Present, and Future, by
George Whale

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Title: British Airships, Past, Present, and Future

Author: George Whale

Posting Date: August 16, 2008 [EBook #762]
Release Date: November, 1996

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BRITISH AIRSHIPS, PAST/PRESENT/FUTURE ***

Produced by Dianne Bean. HTML version by Al Haines.

British Airships: Past, Present and Future

by

George Whale

(Late Major, R.A.F.)

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER II

EARLY AIRSHIPS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT TO THE PRESENT DAY

CHAPTER III

BRITISH AIRSHIPS BUILT BY PRIVATE FIRMS

CHAPTER IV

BRITISH ARMY AIRSHIPS

CHAPTER V

EARLY DAYS OF THE NAVAL AIRSHIP SECTION--PARSEVAL AIRSHIPS,
ASTRA-TORRES TYPE, ETC.

CHAPTER VI

NAVAL AIRSHIPS: THE NON-RIGIDS--
S.S. TYPE
COASTAL AND C STAR AIRSHIPS
THE NORTH SEA AIRSHIP

CHAPTER VII

NAVAL AIRSHIPS: THE RIGIDS
RIGID AIRSHIP NO. 1
RIGID AIRSHIP NO. 9
RIGID AIRSHIP NO. 23 CLASS
RIGID AIRSHIP NO. 23 X CLASS
RIGID AIRSHIP NO. 31 CLASS
RIGID AIRSHIP NO. 33 CLASS

CHAPTER VIII

THE WORK OF THE AIRSHIP IN THE WORLD WAR

CHAPTER IX

THE FUTURE OF AIRSHIPS

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Lighter-than-air craft consist of three distinct types: Airships, which
are by far the most important, Free Balloons, and Kite Balloons, which
are attached to the ground or to a ship by a cable. They derive their
appellation from the fact that when charged with hydrogen, or some
other form of gas, they are lighter than the air which they displace.
Of these three types the free balloon is by far the oldest and the
simplest, but it is entirely at the mercy of the wind and other
elements, and cannot be controlled for direction, but must drift
whithersoever the wind or air currents take it. On the other hand, the
airship, being provided with engines to propel it through the air, and
with rudders and elevators to control it for direction and height, can
be steered in whatever direction is desired, and voyages can be made
from one pl