LZ 7 "Germany" was larger than the previous models with 148 meters length, a diameter of 14 meters and a lifting gas volume of 19,300 cubic meters. The three engines contributed 375 hp. An engine was housed in the control car, the other two in the rear gondola.
For the first time in the history of airship, the LZ was in 7 Goldschläger skin used for the construction of the lifting gas cells. A seven-time layer of this appendix cattle skin was here assembled and processed to the lifting gas cells. [1]
The crew consisted of a driver, a vehicle engineer, two control people and four to five machinists.
The water basin in the center of the airship passenger cabin space offered 24 travelers. It was luxuriously furnished with mahogany -lined wood beams and columns were with mother of pearl -inlaid decorated, the floor covered with a carpet. The furniture consisted of elegant wicker chairs and small tables. The inmates had a clear view through large sliding windows. While driving them food and drinks were served. The day ticket had foie gras, Malossol caviar, lobster, cold French broiler chicken, chocolates, French fruit and drinks on your hard Cabinet, Rhine and Moselle wine, cognac and Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge on.
History [ edit ]
The construction of LZ 7 fell into a period of great enthusiasm for airships in the first decade of the 20th Century. It also had the destruction of LZ 4 changed nothing. The airship was after an emergency landing at Echterdingen on 5 August 1908 was torn from its moorings in the storm and burst into flames. The accident led rather to the wonders of Real things , a collection of donations in the population. She brought more than six million marks , which were incorporated into the Zeppelin Foundation and the Foundation of air Zeppelin GmbH enabled. In November 1908, the German Luftschiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft (DELAG) establishes that the passenger airline dedicated. 6 LZ was in 1909 the first purpose-built for the commercial passenger aviation Zeppelin. LZ 7 was the following year in Friedrichshafen built, christened with the name "Germany" and, like its predecessor, intended for passenger traffic. The construction cost 550,000 marks. The maiden voyage took LZ 7 under the command of Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin , on 19 , 1910. On 22 June 7 LZ met in Dusseldorf. The first round trip from there took place on 24 June. She untied among the 20 passengers, including five women and three Britons wonder at the quiet ride and the view of the landscape from 200 to 300 meters from.
Crash [ Edit ]
The next trip took 7 LZ 28 , 1910. Also on board were Eckener and Alfred Colsman , director of the Zeppelin airship Ltd. To advertise for passenger transport in airships DELAG had 19 journalists, including two major British newspapers reporters, invited to the trip. LZ 7 "Germany" should take a pleasure trip. It was a trip by adverse weather conditions.
After the start in Dusseldorf, the airship first course for Solingen. At 8:35 clock the guests was a champagne breakfast with caviar served. At 8:45 clock failed the rear starboard engine. An hour later reached the airship Remscheid . Due to increasing wind the attempt failed, on Elberfeld to come back in the direction of Dusseldorf. So they tried to East towards Dortmund to land there. At eleven clock sat a heavy rain, the Zeppelin was stripped to the north-northwest. The next landing site, the crew decided to Munster . As the airship at 12:15 clock on Luedinghausen stood storm came up. Now they wanted to cross the Teutoburg forest to the north of the mountain range in Osnabrück to land.
At 13:30 clock succeeded on Kattenvenne to put the engine back in third gear. Well, the crew decided again for Munster. About Ostbevern was the "Germany" to 16:30 clock in the storm, as reported Kurt Puzicha of Hamburg from the Naval Airship camaraderie, "[...] sometimes against the wind slightly encroaching, then by violent squalls driven back" . [2 ] The fuel was only enough for two to three hours. Osnabrück was a last resort.
Kurt Puzicha reported: "Over the Teutoburg Forest was a sulfur-yellow wall of clouds. As the ship plunged into the clouds, it was pulled from 300 m to 1050 m. Umwirbelten the snowflakes, Germany '. The passengers were calm all the time and also not aware of danger. " [3] Shortly after 17 clock Zeppelin dipped below the clouds. Then sat in front of the engine. The "Germany" crashed near the town of Bad Iburg from lying Limberg and crashed into the coniferous forest vegetation of Mt. Eight feet above the forest floor LZ 7 stuck in the branches of trees. First, there was complete silence. Crewmembers were down a rope ladder, passengers and crew left the wreck. The accident caused no loss of life, a crew member on leaving the airship suffered minor injuries.
Graf Zeppelin met the next morning with a fast train in Osnabruck in. He dismounted at the Hotel Schaumburg. There rushed many Osnabrück to cheer him. Zeppelin showed up several times at the window and thanked them. Inaccessible to the crash site on Limberg in a good 15 kilometers away, he no longer drove, because the cleanup was largely completed. Involved had initially 50 workers of a factory Iburger wire, summoned, technicians and soldiers from Osnabrück and Münster.
Although the episode was widely attention, but did not affect the development of airships. The engines of LZ 7 were later LZ 8 installed. [4]
