The R101 Airship

The R101 airship was built at Cardington and made her first flight in October 1929. At 777ft, she was the largest airship in the world. There were a number of minor mishaps on her initial flights including sluggishness and lack of lift. In June 1930 she went into a steep dive for over 500ft when returning from the Hendon air show. The crew managed to bring her back under control, only to have to deal with a second and a third dive. The R101 plainly had significant problems but Lord Thomson, the Secre