Ferdinand von Zeppelin

See also: Graf Zeppelin

The count Ferdinand von Zeppelin is a soldier and German engineer born the April 8th 1838 with Constance (Germany) and dead the March 8th 1917. He was the founder of the company Zeppelin and the inventor of the aircraft which bear its name.

Military career

Zeppelin took its first steps at the military academy of Ludwigsbourg and became lieutenant in 1858. The following year, he is enlisted in civil engineering and takes part as an observer in the American Civil War of the the United States of America (with partirde 1863), then with the war between the Austria and the Prussia (in 1866) and finally with the free Prussian war (1870-1871). He is commander of regiment with Ulm between 1882 and 1885 then he is sent of Württemberg to Berlin. In 1906, it is promoted general of cavalry.

Aviation

Since the years 1880, Zeppelin was interested in the problem of the airships and in 1899, it started to build the first rigid airship with which it made three rises. Successes of the count caused a popular euphoria which encouraged it to continue its research: the second version of its machine was entirely financed by gifts and the incomes of a lottery! Irony of the history, the large one of the financing arrived after the crash landing of Zeppelin LZ4 in 1908 at Echterdingen. A search campaign for funds made it possible to raise 6 million marks which were used to create “Luftschiffbau-Zeppelin GMBH” and a Zeppelin foundation.

The same year, the army bought already functional LZ 3. Starting from 1909, Zeppelins are used in the civil aviation. Until 1914, the Deutsche Luftschiffahrtsgesellschaft D transported approximately 35.000 people in 1.500 flights without only one incident.

Having as of 1913 of the doubts about the validity of the concept of the airships, the count creates a branch, in collaboration with Bosch and Klein, the VGO (Versuch Gotha Ost), which will produce giant bombers of traditional design as well as a department of aviation within Luftschiffbau Zeppelin , directed by Claudius Dornier and which will be in charge of a research more pushed on the metal planes.

The count von Zeppelin died in 1917, little before the end of the First World War. He thus did not know the provisional deactivation of the Zeppelin project due to the treaty of Versailles nor the second golden age of his aircraft under his successor Hugo Eckener.

The fire of LZ129 Hindenburg 20 years later, the May 6th 1937, with Lakehurst définivement closes the history of the large airships.

See too

Be-X-old: ФердынандЦэпелін

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