Most airships built since the 1960s have used helium, though some have used hot air. Significant amounts were first discovered in the United States and for a while helium was only available for airships in that country. Helium gas has almost the same lifting capacity and is not flammable, unlike hydrogen, but is rare and relatively expensive. In early dirigibles, the lifting gas used was hydrogen, due to its high lifting capacity and ready availability. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air.ĭirigible airships compared with related aerostats, from a turn-of-the-20th-century encyclopedia Not to be confused with Balloon (aeronautics).Ī modern airship, Zeppelin NT D-LZZF in 2010 The LZ 129 Hindenburg was the largest airship ever built and was destroyed in 1937.Īn airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power.
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