Mention the word zeppelin in modern day company and people will either regale you with tales of the Hindenburg disaster of 1937 or how they have heavily influenced the steampunk genre of culture. If you’re in particularly mature company, or dining with those that have a penchant for military history, then you may also hear tell of how they were used in World War I primarily for reconnaissance missions but also for a few bombing runs.
The zeppelin will be a thing of military past, and cultural genre, no longer, however. Cargolux, a Luxembourg based cargo company, has said that it is creating new versions of the airship, that are safer and more efficient, and they will be used to carry cargo in their holds. The first fleet of 22 of the zeppelin airships will launch in 2016, carrying cargo over Europe.
You shouldn’t struggle to spot one as it passes. The vehicles, which will take off and land vertically, will be 554ft long, which is more than twice the length of a 747. It will reach speeds of 120 knots and will be capable of travelling more than 3,000 miles in a single go. That’s about a third of the distance from London to Sydney but is only about a third of the distance that a 747 could conceivably travel.
The original Zeppeling design, pioneered by Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th Century relied on Hydrogen, but the flammability of the gas is what caused 36 people to die on board a passenger zeppelin in Hindenburg in 1937, and brought the use of these airborne vehicles to a standstill. The new models will use helium, which is non-flammable, and should set may peoples’ minds at ease.