Throughout aviation history, what airships were built with metal skin instead of fabric or other material?
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asked Jan 21, 2018 at 13:57
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10$\begingroup$ There was a wooden airship. Everyone was very excited about it, but it wooden fly. $\endgroup$– RichardCommented Jan 21, 2018 at 19:57
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2$\begingroup$ @Richard: If I were you I wooden tell that joke anymore. $\endgroup$– Fred LarsonCommented Jan 22, 2018 at 18:43
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3$\begingroup$ @FredLarson - I should leaf now before I tell acorny joke. $\endgroup$– RichardCommented Jan 22, 2018 at 18:49
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1$\begingroup$ @Richard: I saw what you did there, and it really goes against the grain. But I think your bark is worse than your bite. $\endgroup$– Fred LarsonCommented Jan 22, 2018 at 19:01
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1$\begingroup$ @FredLarson - We should stop this now before the moderators take a fence. $\endgroup$– RichardCommented Jan 22, 2018 at 19:15
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3 Answers
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At least two all-metal airships are known to have existed, the first one invented by David Schwarz, and test-flown in Tempelhof, in 1897. It flew, but crashed when landing.
Another one, a really successful and better known aircraft, was an American airship, the ZMC-2, that first flew in 1929.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Schwarz_(aviation_inventor)
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There is a metal airship currently being built by an Englishman in France, called the VariaLift. https://www.varialift.com/
The specifications are as follows:
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2$\begingroup$ Welcome to Aviation! While this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here and provide the link for reference. Maybe you could include an image and a couple more details about it? $\endgroup$– CalvTCommented Jan 22, 2018 at 13:51
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1$\begingroup$ "metal airship currently being built by an Englishman". While it was expected the first prototype should have been ready last summer, it seems they are still building the hangar. $\endgroup$– minsCommented Jan 22, 2018 at 19:13
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$\begingroup$ It doesnt need a hangar. If youre looking at photos of a hangar shaped structure - thats the airship frame - the build it outdoors in sections on a production line. Theres no hangar, just assembly sheds and they are old WW2 buildings which are still in place. $\endgroup$ Commented Jan 23, 2018 at 16:55
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There was no stipulation on whether the airship had to carry anybody. This Myth Buster experiment successfully flew a very large LEAD balloon (30-50ft dia).
answered Jan 22, 2018 at 18:40