A rigid airship is a type of airship in which the envelope retains its shape by the use of an internal structural framework rather than by being forced into shape by the pressure of the lifting gas within the envelope as used in blimps and semi-rigid airships.

Rigid airships were successfully produced and employed in the 1920s and 1930s, but their heyday ended when the Hindenburg caught fire on June 6, 1937.

Terminology

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Although "rigid airship" is the proper formal term, these aircraft are often referred to in casual use by several other names such as dirigibles, zeppelins (after the most successful ships of this type built by the Zeppelin Company) or the big rigids.

Early days

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The design was first proposed by David Schwartz and was bought by Count Zepplin who commercialised it with his Zeppelin company which to this lends its name to the design.

Production

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As well as the Zeppelin Company, Schütte-Lanz also manufactured them. Both America and Britain have manufactured rigid airships at some point.

Modern Rigids

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There are no rigid airships flying today. The Zeppelin company refers to their NT ship as a "rigid" but this is a misnomer. The envelope shape is retained only in part by super-pressure of the lifting gas, and so the NT is more correctly classified as a semi-rigid.

Airships

Ztužená vzducholoď | Zeppeliner | Starrluftschiff | Star luchtschip | ツェッペリン | Sterowiec szkieletowy | Zeppelinare