R36 (airship)

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For the Subway car, see R36 (New York City Subway car).

R36 was a British airship designed during World War I, but not completed until after the war. When she first flew in 1921, it was not in her originally intended role as a patrol aircraft for the Royal Navy, but as an airliner, the first airship to carry a civil registration (G-FAAF).[1]

History

As airship production increased during the latter stages of the war, it was seen that post-war, the use of airships would change. Civilian use for passenger transport was seen as a likely possibility.

The design was produced by the new Airship Design Department, work commencing in November 1917.[1] She was a lengthened version of the R33 class. These had been influenced by German Zeppelin LZ76 that had crash-landed in England. In this case the LZ96, which was forced down at Bourbonne-les-Bains in June 1917, provided yet more input into the design. The R36, along with a second ship the R37 were to be a stretched version of the R33, getting more lift by adding another 33 feet (10 m) of gas bags. Two of her five engines were German Maybach engines, recovered from the downed LZ113.

Construction began before the end of the war, but the design was altered to carry 50 passengers in comfort, sleeping on folding beds in 25 individual silk-walled compartments.[2] This was more than twice the number envisaged for the two German airships (LZ120 Bodensee and LZ121 Nordstern) intended for passenger carrying.

R36 was launched for her maiden flight on 1 April 1921 from the Beardmore works at Inchinnan near Glasgow. Late the following day she flew on to RNAS Pulham in Norfolk home to the R33 (known locally as a "Pulham Pig", as the blimps based there had been). She was damaged on 5 April over London and returned to Pulham to take the R33's place in the sheds for repair.

After repairs and strengthening work she re-emerged in June for a successful series of test flights, including an epic voyage of 734 miles (1,174 km) over land and sea, in the air for nearly 30 hours. She was immediately used at the request of the Metropolitan Police for observing traffic congestion caused by the Ascot Races. Journalists and senior police representatives were entertained in great comfort on the day; traffic reports and newspaper stories were dropped by parachute over Croydon airfield.

On 21 June, returning from another trial flight, she suffered damage during landing. The release of emergency ballast caused a sharp pitching up, straining the ship against the mooring line. The nearest unoccupied sheds were at Howden in Yorkshire – the Pulham sheds holding the German Zeppelins. The wind increased and it was decided that the LZ109 (L64) would have to be sacrificed to save the R36. Within 4 hours the L 64 had been cut into pieces and cleared to give enough room for the R36. Even then she was damaged by a gust of wind during the manoeuvre into the shed.

Repairs were delayed while policy on airships was reviewed because of the R38 disaster and economic conditions. In 1925 she was refurbished for a meteorological flight to Egypt but calculations cast doubt on her ability to make the trip and in the light of her age and condition she was scrapped in 1926.

Operators

 United Kingdom

Specifications

Data from The Airship Heritage Trust[1]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 28
  • Capacity: 28 crew, 50 passengers
  • Length: 675 ft 0 in (206 m)
  • Diameter: 78 ft 6 in (23.9 m)
  • Volume: 2,101,000 ft3 (59,500 m3)
  • Powerplant: 3 × Sunbeam Maori, 350 hp (260 kW) each
2 × Maybach, 260 hp (190 kW) each

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 65 mph (105 km/h)
  • Range: longest flight, 734 miles (1181 km)
  • Endurance: 29 hours  54 min
  • Service ceiling: highest attained, 6000 ft (1829 m)

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Airship Heritage Trust
  2. ↑ "The British Passenger Airship G-FAAF" Aviation and Aircraft Journal, Vol. 10 (1921)

References

British Admiralty and Imperial Airship Scheme airship designations

Before 1915, each rigid and non-rigid airship was given a place in this numerical sequence. Later, these individual numbers were only assigned to rigids, with non-rigids organised into their own classes.

Aircraft produced by William Beardmore and Company
Airships
  • 24r
  • R27
  • R34
  • R36
Aeroplanes
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