NationMaster - Encyclopedia: R101

The R101 Airship was a British airship that crashed on October 5, 1930, in France, during its maiden voyage, killing 48 people. Amongst airship accidents of the 1930s, the loss of life surpassed the Hindenburg disaster of 1937, and was second only to that of the USS Akron crash of 1933. The demise of the R101 effectively ended British employment of rigid airships. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 412 Ã— 599 pixelsFull resolution (495 Ã— 720 pixel, file size: 29 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) (All user names refer to en. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 278th day of the year (279th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... General Name, Symbol, Number hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 1. ... This article is about the fuel. ... USS Akron (ZRS-4) in flight, November 2, 1931 An airship or dirigible is a buoyant lighter-than-air aircraft that can be steered and propelled through the air. ... is the 278th day of the year (279th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1930: Events The Surrey Aero Club inaugurates recreational flights from Gatwick Race Course (now London Gatwick Airport). ... The maiden voyage of a ship or aircraft is the first cruise or flight in revenue service, typically following a series of shakedown cruises or test-flights. ... 1919 American Winged Foot Express. ... LZ 129 Hindenburg was a German zeppelin. ... USS Akron (ZRS-4) was a rigid airship of the United States Navy. ...

History

Design

The R101 was the result of a British government initiative to develop airships. In 1924, the Imperial Airship Scheme was proposed as a military project able to carry 200 troops or 5 fighter aircraft. This was expected to require an airship of 8 million cubic feet (230,000 m³) — well beyond current designs. As a result, the two prototype airships of 5 million cubic feet (140,000 m³) were to be constructed. To increase the development of new ideas, two different teams would be used: one, under the British Government's Air Ministry, would build the R101, and the other would be a subsidiary of the private company Vickers, which would build the R100 under contract for a fixed price. Among Vickers' engineers were the designer Barnes Wallis, later to become famous for the bouncing bomb and, as Chief Calculator (Stress Engineer), one Nevil Norway — later to be known as the novelist, Nevil Shute. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Air Ministry was formerly a department of the United Kingdom Government, established in 1918 with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the (then newly formed) Royal Air Force. ... Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 2004. ... R100 moored in Saint-Hubert The HM Airship R100 was a rigid airship, the successful private counterpart to the British government R101 project, in a competition intended to maximize innovation. ... Sir Barnes Neville Wallis Sir Barnes Neville Wallis, Kt, CBE, FRS, RDI, commonly known as Barnes Wallis, (September 26, 1887 â€“ October 30, 1979) was an English scientist, engineer and inventor. ... The bouncing bomb was a kind of bomb designed by Barnes Wallis of Vickers-Armstrong at Brooklands, Surrey. ... Nevil Shute (London, January 17, 1899 â€“ Melbourne, January 12, 1960) (full name Nevil Shute Norway) was one of the most popular novelists of the mid-20th century. ...

The story of the designs of the R100 and R101, and the competition between them, is told in Shute's Slide Rule: Autobiography of an Engineer, which was first published in 1954. R100 moored in Saint-Hubert The HM Airship R100 was a rigid airship, the successful private counterpart to the British government R101 project, in a competition intended to maximize innovation. ...

Construction

The building of the R101 began in 1926 at the Royal Airship Works at Cardington near Bedford, England. The frames themselves were built by Boulton and Paul in Norwich and transported to Bedfordshire for assembly. Cardington is a village in Bedfordshire in England. ... This article is about the English county town. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... For the post 1934 aircraft manufacturer, see Boulton Paul Aircraft Boulton Paul was a British general manufacturer from Norwich that became involved in aircraft manufacture. ... Norwich (IPA: //) is a city in East Anglia, in Eastern England. ...

Due to a failed attempt to create hydrogen-powered engines and several other new design concepts, the project's completion was delayed from 1927 to 1929. The R101 was meant to have a useful lift of 60 tons but ended up only able to carry 35 tons. General Name, Symbol, Number hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 1. ... The lift force, lifting force or simply lift is a mechanical force generated by solid objects as they move through a fluid. ... The word ton or tonne is derived from the Old English tunne, and ultimately from the Old French tonne, and referred originally to a large cask with a capacity of 252 wine gallons, which holds approximately 2100 pounds of water. ...

The stability of the R101 was doubtful, due to the insufficient span of its fins into the airstream. During its flight at the Hendon air show in 1930, it almost plunged to the ground, as well as repeatedly going into a dive during the return flight. Its gas bags also developed numerous leaks. The gas bag valves were of a novel design and placement. They showed a tendency to open slightly as the ship rolled thus causing a continual leaking of lifting gas and leading to constant decrease of lift in flight. Despite this, it was given a Certificate of Airworthiness. Engineers lengthened the frame, added another gas bag, reversed propellers, and replaced the outer cover. After that, the ship was 777 ft (237 m) long with a total volume of 5.5 million cubic feet (160,000 m³) and a useful lift of just under 50 tons. For other places with the same name, see Hendon (disambiguation). ... A Type Certificate (sometimes called Airworthiness Certificate), is awarded by aviation regulating bodies (such as FAA in US and EASA in EU) to aerospace firms after it has been established that the particular design of aircraft, engines or propeller submitted has fulfilled the regulating bodies current prevailing airworthiness requirements for... The cubic foot (symbols ft³, cu. ...

At completion she was the largest flying craft ever built, surpassing the LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin, which was of similar length but only 3.7 million cubic feet (100,000 m³) in capacity. The LZ 129 Hindenburg would surpass her in 5 years at 804 feet (245 m) long and 7 million cubic feet (200,000 m³). Graf Zeppelin, filled with abundant hydrogen, circumnavigated the globe. ... LZ 129 Hindenburg was a German zeppelin. ...

Accommodation

The passenger accommodation was spread over two decks within the envelope and comprised 50 passenger cabins for one, two or four people, a dining room for 60 people, two promenade decks with windows down the sides of the ship and even an asbestos lined smoking room for 24 people. Most of the passenger space was on the upper deck with space for the crew, kitchens and washrooms and the smoking cabin on the lower.

Engines

The R101 was fitted with five heavy diesel engines made by Beardmore. The engines were designed by combining two four cylinder units in use for railway transport to create the 8 cylinder Beardmore MkI Tornado engine. These were designed to give an output of 700 bhp at 1,000 rpm but in practice had a continuous output rating of only 585 bhp and at 17 tons for the five were 6 tons above design weight. The big end bearings were also found to be liable to early failure and it was reported that gold plating had to be used to lengthen their life and there were two critical vibration periods which unfortunately coincided with idling and cruising speeds. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (689x827, 45 KB) Summary The Beardmore engines for the R101 (sectioned) Original photo Crown Copyright more than 50 years old. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (689x827, 45 KB) Summary The Beardmore engines for the R101 (sectioned) Original photo Crown Copyright more than 50 years old. ... William Beardmore and Company was a Scottish Engineering and Shipbuilding company based in Glasgow. ... This article is about a unit of measurement. ... Piston and connecting rod from an automobile engine, showing the big end bearing at the bottom. ...

Final Flight

The Air Ministry pressured the engineers to finish the project. The final trial flight of the R101 was originally scheduled for September 26, 1930 but an unfavourable wind delayed it until October 1. She returned to Cardington after a flight of 17 hours. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 500 pixelsFull resolution (1086 Ã— 679 pixel, file size: 323 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) (All user names refer to en. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 500 pixelsFull resolution (1086 Ã— 679 pixel, file size: 323 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) (All user names refer to en. ... is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The R101 departed on October 4 at 6:24 p.m. for its intended destination to Karachi (then part of British India) via a refuelling stop at Ismaïlia in Egypt under the command of Flight Lieutenant Carmichael Irwin. Passengers included Lord Thomson, Secretary of State for Air, Sir Sefton Brancker, Director of Civil Aviation, and Squadron Leader William Palstra, RAAF air liaison officer (ALO) to the British Air Ministry. The airship had to drop 5 tons of water ballast to lift off. is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... (Urdu: , Sindhi: ) is the largest city in Pakistan and is the provincial capital of Sindh province. ... Ismailia IsmaÃ¯lia (Arabic: Ø§Ù„Ø¥Ø³Ù…Ø§Ø¹ÙŠÙ„ÙŠØ©) is the capital of Al Ismailiyah Governorate. ... A Flight Lieutenants sleeve/shoulder insignia Flight Lieutenant (abbreviated as Flt Lt and pronounced as flight lef-tenant, see Lieutenant) is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. ... Christopher Birdwood Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson (13 April 1875 - 5 October 1930) was a British military officer who went on to serve as a Labour minister and peer. ... The Secretary of State for Air was a cabinet level British position, in charge of the Air Ministry. ... Sir Sefton Brancker (1877-1930) was an important personality in the history of English civil aviation. ... The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the Air Force branch of the Australian Defence Force. ...

Over France, the R101 encountered gusting winds that tore back the outer covering, exposing and rupturing the first gas bag. The R101 crashed into a hillside near Beauvais, north of Paris, at only 13 mph (20 km/h). The crash ignited the leaking hydrogen and fire quickly engulfed the entire airship. Beauvais is a town and commune of northern France, prÃ©fecture (capital) of the Oise dÃ©partement. ... This article is about the capital of France. ...

46 of the 54 passengers and crew were killed. Two men who survived the crash died later in a hospital bringing the total to 48 dead. Also killed was the Imperial Airship Scheme.

The Court of Inquiry concluded that there was evidence that there had been a failure of the outer cover of the upper nose. This it was postulated led to the destruction of a gas bag loss of the flammable hydrogen lifting gas and causing the nose to drop. The R-101 had exhibited severe longitudinal instability in previous flights, and due to a unique design feature, the lack of any wire bulkheads to prevent gas cell surging they had been seen to move up to 14 back and forth during flight. The exact source of ignition was never determined. General Name, Symbol, Number hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 1. ...

Scrap contractors salvaged what they could of the R101 wreckage, continuing through 1931. The Zeppelin Company purchased 5 tons of duralumin from the wreckage. Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH is a German company which, during the early 20th century, was a leader in the design and manufacture of rigid airships. ... fuck u Duralumin (also called duraluminum, duraluminium or dural) is the name of one of the earliest types of age-hardenable aluminium alloys. ...

The R101 spelled the end of the British attempt to create lighter-than-air aircraft. Its competitor, the R100, despite a more successful development program, and a safe transatlantic trial flight, was mothballed immediately after the R101's crash and sold for scrap in 1931. R100 moored in Saint-Hubert The HM Airship R100 was a rigid airship, the successful private counterpart to the British government R101 project, in a competition intended to maximize innovation. ...

Popular culture

Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Doctor Who (disambiguation). ... Storm Warning is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... Christopher John Judge Smith (born 1948 in England), is a songwriter, composer and performer, and a founder member of progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. ... Monty Python, or The Pythons, is the collective name of the creators of Monty Pythons Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. ...

Contents

History

Design

Construction

Accommodation

Engines

Final Flight

Popular culture

See also

References

External links

Contents

History GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Design

Construction

Accommodation

Engines

Final Flight

Popular culture

See also

References

External links

History