the.com/dirigible
a balloon that grew ambition, an engine, and the steering to back it up.
means A lighter-than-air aircraft, like a blimp or zeppelin, that can be steered and propelled rather than just drifting with the wind.
from From French dirigeable, 'steerable,' built on the verb diriger, 'to direct or guide' — itself from Latin dirigere, 'to set straight, to arrange' (the same root that gives us 'direct'). The name was the whole point: this wasn't just a balloon at the mercy of the breeze, it was a balloon you could aim. A 19th-century coinage for a 19th-century dream of controlled flight.
- name origin
- French for steerable, what set it apart from drifting balloons
- rigid skeleton
- zeppelins held shape with internal metal frames
- hydrogen problem
- cheap lift gas that famously enjoys catching fire
- transatlantic luxury
- the 1930s offered airborne dining rooms and smoking lounges
- comeback bid
- modern airships eyed for heavy cargo and surveillance
hindenburg — german passenger airship that caught fire over new jersey in 1937, killing 35 of 97 on board
goodyear wingfoot three — american blimp used for aerial coverage since 1925, still operating at sporting events
zeppelin nt — modern german rigid airship that began passenger flights in 2001 over lake constance