Airship’s End

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 6764, 23 January 1932, Page 10

Airship’s End

CLOSE OF EPOCH A COSTLY EXPERIMENT The decision to break up the airship IvlOO and sell her as scrap metal closes a chapter, marred by certain memorable accidents, in Britain’s experiments with lightcr-lhan-air craft (says the Daily Telegraph). RlOO’s engines and gas-bags have already been removed, and all that remains at Cardington is the aluminium skeleton and a few fittings. Tho work of demolition by Elton, Levy and Co., metal merchants, whose tender was accepted by the Air Ministry, began at once.

Mr. L. Elton explained to a representative of tho Daily Telegraph that the task would probably take from two to three months. So far as he knew, this was the first time that an airship had been deliberately demolished. There was very little metal in tho ship beyond aluminium and aluminium alloys. Since tho work had to bo done at Cardington, it would mean employment for some of the airship men there, who would otherwise have lost their jobs at. once. Some of the metal might lie used for souvenirs, and the rest for industrial purposes. The mooring mast and sheds at Cardington were to remain.

Built at IJowden, Yorkshire, at a cost of £450,000 —increased by the cost of maintenance and repairs to about £1,000,000 —RIOO was launched in December, Blt-’O. After undergoing her trials she made a voyage to Canada, and in January, 1931, achieved a. speed of SIJ miles an hour, thus beating the record of the Graf Zeppelin. It has been estimated that the ap proximate total cost, with repairs, of 8100 and her sister ship, 11101, which was wrecked in Franco on her trip to India, was £2,000,000. This includes the cost, of mooring masts at Montreal, in Egypt and in India.

The Government announced last May its intention of reconditioning KIOO and keeping her for research and experiment, but after the publication of the May Economy Report it was stated that the airship would be sold. Commenting on this decision, the aviation correspondent, of tho Daily Telegraph said: "The disposal of EIOO means that, Great Britain is surrendering what sho has gained at great cost in the development of airships, and heavy expenditure may be found necessary at. some future date to make up leeway.”

The career of RIOO ends in anticlimax. Sho stood for an ambitious hope which was shared by tho public pretty universally. I remember, when she made her two or threo appearances over London, what excitement there was in tho streets, writes Montagu Slater, who flew in tho airship from Canada. A few weeks later I saw her at closer quarters in Montreal, where, having flown across tho Atlantic successfully, sho was the focus of more attention than the London streets had ever given her

So great was the enthusiasm that, although even now I find it hard to believe it, we, the passengers, were all convinced that we heard the cheering above the sound of our own engines and several hundred feet up when wc set off in the dark to fly back to England.

The vertical .storm of a. few seconds which had torn the envelope badly somewhere near Three Rivers, on the outward journey, had, apparently, tested her airworthiness more even than the prolonged head-winds on the way home, but she seemed to come through with flying colours, and we landed at Cardington persuaded that RIOO was at tho beginning of a varied, useful and exciting career.

But psychological and economic storms havo blown harder. One particularly regrets that Squadron Leader Booth, her young skipper, will lack an opportunity to increase his already great reputation, his experience and gifts, who are now (for (lie saddest reasons) probably unique in this country.