"Something you don't forget" - 80 years ago today.

[NutmegCT]

Werner Doehner, last living survivor of the LZ 129 Hindenburg disaster of May 6, 1937, tells his story.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-last-survivor-hindenburg-disaster-20170506-story.html


The Doehner family:


https://facesofthehindenburg.blogspot.com/2009/02/doehner-family.html


On a 1936 flight, the airship passes over Hartford CT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MinmbjRta3w


If I recall, Eckener's zeppelin works was nearly bankrupt in 1931, and construction on the LZ-129 and LZ-130 stopped. Eventually, Eckener obtained funding from the Reich government (1934), and was required to put the swastika symbol on the airship, which became a major propaganda tool.

Some (sad) trivia: much of the duralumin construction material for the Hindenburg came from the wreck of the British R-101 airship, which had crashed and burned in France in 1930. And after the 1937 Hindenburg crash, the Reich gathered what duralumin it could find in the wreckage, and used it in building Luftwaffe aircraft.


Tom M.

 

[PAUL161]

I was stationed at Lakehurst NJ in 1956 in a blimp squadron ZP-753 in hanger #5. There are stories that there are a few pieces of the Hindenburg on the roof of hangar #1, there wasn't anything there in 56, so I doubt very much those stories are credible. Hanger #1 is so big and high inside, it actually can cloud up and rain inside during some outside temperature conditions. I feel fortunate that I had a small part flying in in a US Navy military blimp, a very limited, but close group of fellas. A blimp is the only thing you can get sea sick in besides a ship. Slow roll in the gondola side to side and up and down. :highly_amused: PJ

 

[Gliderman8]

......A blimp is the only thing you can get sea sick in besides a ship. Slow roll in the gondola side to side and up and down. :highly_amused: PJ

Now look what you've done Paul.....

 

[glemon]

Would love to have seen one of those huge dirigibles in the flesh, remember occassionally seeing Navy blimps flying around when I was growing up, as well as the Goodyear blimp coming for a few big college football weekends (do they still do that?). Was always fascinated by them.

 

[PC]

... as well as the Goodyear blimp coming for a few big college football weekends (do they still do that?). ....

Yes, they do.

But around here we don't have to wait for special occasions. One of their operations bases is here in Socal. We see them all the time. (And we never get tired of 'em. They're much loved by all.)

And speaking of Germans and Zeppelins, the Porsche "Experience Center" is only a few hundred yards (er, meters) from the airship base, just across the 405 freeway, both in Carson, CA.

The story I heard (which I can't verify and comes from a close friend who can be both highly reliable and infuriatingly sketchy at the same time) is that Porsche wanted to build a facility in SoCal but, being from Germany, knew little to nothing of the neighborhood. So they asked their buddies at Goodyear if they could spend time in the blimp searching the greater LA metroplex for potential sites.

Supposedly, on the day of their grand aerial tour, even before boarding the airship, they asked "what's with the big empty field across the street?"

And if that wasn't enough of a sign, it's right around the corner form Alpine Village, our local German dining, drinking and shopping venue and home to the biggest Oktoberfest celebration in the area.

It's one-stop shopping for slow aircraft, fast cars, beer and bratwurst.