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Airships over Birmingham ?
- Thread starter lesg128
- Start date
DavidGrain
master brummie
My mother told me about an airship flying over. She said they all came out of school to watch it. I guess this would date it to early1930s.
Interesting FarmerDave that you were in Friedrichshafen. I was there two weeks ago. I did not go to the Zeppelin Museum but I did see the Zeppelin from across the airport. These two photos show it coming in to land.
Interesting FarmerDave that you were in Friedrichshafen. I was there two weeks ago. I did not go to the Zeppelin Museum but I did see the Zeppelin from across the airport. These two photos show it coming in to land.
Robert Ensor (bob)
master brummie
A question from my pop does any one recall a German Air Ship flying over in or about 1936 ?, my pop said it was so low he could read the letters on the side, at the time the talk was they were taking pictures.
I told him next time I called not only will I have info on the air ship I will know the captins name but where he lived and what he ate for breakfast Ha Ha
If this needs to get moved else where please do,
I told him next time I called not only will I have info on the air ship I will know the captins name but where he lived and what he ate for breakfast Ha Ha
If this needs to get moved else where please do,
Radiorails
master brummie
Five pages about airships in this thread:
birminghamhistory.co.uk
Airships over Birmingham ?
Hello everyone. For many years I have had vague recollections of an Airship such as the ill fated (RS 101 ? ) flying over Birmingham in the 1930's. This seems so real I wonder if it was true. As I'm an 'old codger' I would guess it was around 1935-36. At that time I would be living in the...
birminghamhistory.co.uk
Robert Ensor (bob)
master brummie
What a great read this thread is, a little of track but in the late 80"s I lived in southern CA , Tustin marine base had 2 hangers left over from air ship operations these building where so big they had clouds inside, these air ships were huge I read a book many years ago on the Hindenburg it had a grand piano on it.Five pages about airships in this thread:
Airships over Birmingham ?
Hello everyone. For many years I have had vague recollections of an Airship such as the ill fated (RS 101 ? ) flying over Birmingham in the 1930's. This seems so real I wonder if it was true. As I'm an 'old codger' I would guess it was around 1935-36. At that time I would be living in the...
Eric Gibson
master brummie
Zeppelin are still in business, ZF automatic gearboxes for cars.
ray evason
master brummie
Hello everyone.
For many years I have had vague recollections of an Airship such as the ill fated (RS 101 ? ) flying over Birmingham in the 1930's. This seems so real I wonder if it was true.
As I'm an 'old codger' I would guess it was around 1935-36. At that time I would be living in the Bordesley Green area.
Can anyone confirm or tell me I was dreaming?
I was about 5yrs old in 1936 and saw the airship following the line of ladypool road,Sparkbrook and Walford rd towards the BSA factory ! I have since wondered if it was taking photographs of the factory?
jonnybrowne
master brummie
My mother used to talk about seeing an airship fly over Birmingham when she was very young and thought it might have been the R101 but that craft apparently flew over the city in 1929 (and crashed a year later) which would have made her three so it's more likely she saw the Graf Zeppelin in 1932 or likelier still the Hindenburg in 1936.Hello everyone.
For many years I have had vague recollections of an Airship such as the ill fated (RS 101 ? ) flying over Birmingham in the 1930's. This seems so real I wonder if it was true.
As I'm an 'old codger' I would guess it was around 1935-36. At that time I would be living in the Bordesley Green area.
Can anyone confirm or tell me I was dreaming?
Mum did also talk of seeing strange, possibly experimental, aircraft going over Pype Hayes before World War II, probably flying in or out of Castle Bromwich - anyone else heard of anything like that?
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BrummieGeoff
Sparkhill Lad
Another newspaper article relating to the Graf Zeppelin flight over Birmingham in July 1932 .... and the passenger who claims to have requested the flight path over Birmingham.
My Dad told me that he had seen a Zeppelin fly over. This was possibly the one he saw.
Allotmenttoddler
proper brummie kid
I have a b/w photo in my parents box of old pics, of a Zeppelin over Bordesley way - thought it was from 1930s. Spooky, just hanging there in the sky over Bham!
C.F. Resting was Danish born, a manager at F.W. Woolworth and employed variously a maid and a chauffer.
Maureen Evershed
New Member
I was born in 1939 and lived in Wood Lane, Handsworth. There was a cul-de-sac off Wood Lane that led to the cricket field (my first school was in the cricket pavilion.) At some point there was an airship tethered in the field. We went to see it. It was amazing. Cant remember what year i.e whether it was during or after the end of the war?
paul stacey
master brummie
What great photo's, Adderics, well done your dad for saving them.
Mark Tooze
master brummie
Goodyear Airship over Goodyear Dunlop HQ at Tyrefort Erdington in 2010:-
Lloyd
master brummie
There are (were?) four of them. The Goodyear Blimp flying in Europe is operated by Zeppelin and based in Friedrichshafen, Germany. The remaining three airships operate out of bases in the U.S., in Pompano Beach, Florida, Carson, California and near Akron, Ohio - the home of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.
From before 2017, they were being upgraded to new designs. See https://www.thedrum.com/news/2017/0...the tire and,Innovation, was retired March 14.
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Lloyd
master brummie
"The recently retired Spirit of Innovation....... In its 11-year tenure, it logged 5,818 flights for a total of 33,938 flight hours."
Hmmm. There's only just over 4000 days in 11 years.....and just over 48,000 hours of daylight. It sure was busy!
That's tickled the little grey cells. In 2010, didn't 2 come over here ? I was working in Wolverhampton at the time.
Janet Hunt
master brummie
It certainly did Pojo, I also remember seeing it near Birmingham
There's a dfference between an airship and a blimp. The airship is designed as something carrying passengers. The blimp may be able to carry a few passengers but tends to be anchored rather than travelling.It's a vague distinction but still.
If you want to see airships, you'll have to go to Germany. Zeppelin still run tours of various places in central and eastern europe.
If you want to see airships, you'll have to go to Germany. Zeppelin still run tours of various places in central and eastern europe.
cookie273uk
master brummie
I remember when I was at RAF Cardington in 1948 doing my 3 month basic training, it was were the RS101 was based, the hanger was huge, we were told if you ran round it 4 times you would have run 1 mile
DavidGrain
master brummie
Radiorails
master brummie
My billet was on the road facing the very large hangars at Cardington. I was there for a short time in 1954 just long enough to get kitted out, take the Queens Shilling and then move on to Bridgnorth. They were still visible, miles away, in the 1980's. I guess they are still there.
what fantastic photos...thanks for sharing them...i bet the people on the ground wondered what on earth it was..
lyn
