NEW ZEPPELIN.

Western Star, 8 March 1938, Page 2

NEW ZEPPELIN.

Dr Hugo Eekner. Zeppelin expert, has expressed determination to complete Germany’ s newest giant Zeppelin by April arid start j,t s maiden voyage to the United States late the next month. « The noted aircraft designer told of plans for a successor in transatlantic air service to the lihidenburg, which burned, May'6, 1937, a f Lakelrurst, N.J. Dr Eckener salt) Germany had stored iu Rio de Janeiro. Brazil, containers to hold 70,000 cubic melt-rs (2,590,000 cubic feet), of gas, which Ire intended to use for- bringing helium front the United States to Friedrichshafen. The new airship, dimensionally identical with the Hindenburg, i s 804 ft long and has a helium capacity of 7,000,000 cubic feet. Because helium has less lifting capaeity than hydrogen, the new ship, to he known as the LZ-130, will be able to carry only 40 passengers, compared with the Hindenburg’s 70. It took some time, he explained, to comply with American regulations for transfer of the containers to Houston, Texas, where they will be sent inland to Amarillo, Texas, tire source of helium. Following the Hindenburg disaster, in which 36 were killed at Lakelrurst last May, Germany determined to abandon use of inflammable hydrogen and replace it with helium, a non-inflammable gas, in which the United States has virtually* a world monopoly. The United States Congress recently relaxed restrictions against helium exports and authorised shipment of 17,900,000 cubic feet to Germany.