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In the 1990s, the successor of the original Zeppelin company in Friedrichshafen, Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH, reengaged in airship construction. The first experimental craft (later christened Friedrichshafen) of the new Zeppelin NT-07 Class flew in September of 1997.
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Zeppelin NT-07
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Larger than blimps, the NT-07s are still the smallest airships Zeppelin has ever produced. They are not actually zeppelins in the classical sense, but rather are semi-rigid high-tech hybrid airships.
The shape of the outer envelope is maintained by both air pressure and an internal frame. This allows the ship to cruise at faster speeds than a standard blimp and also permits mounting points for the engines directly on the upper structure, closer to the ship's best thrust line. |
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Another innovation for Zeppelin are the vectorable props, including a dual-propellor engine mounted directly on the extreme aft of the ship allowing for precise attitude adjustment.
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Main Engine of the NT-07 Class
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The triple stabilizer (Y-fin) arrangement allows for better ground clearance than Zeppelin's traditional cruciform fins. This configuration also lessens the likelihood of crushing a fin in a handling mishap. The port and starboard props are tractor-type (pulling, not pushing), the same as Zeppelin's previous airship, LZ-130 Graf Zeppelin II.
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Apart from the greater payload, their main advantages compared to blimps are higher speed and excellent maneuverability.
In January of 2001, Deutsche Zeppelin Reederei (DZR) was reestablished as a subsidiary company of ZLG. On 15 August 2001, they began successfully offering joyrides with Zeppelin NT-07 airships. Additionally, DZR has marketed the hull surface as advertising space.
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Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin
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In June 2004, a Zeppelin NT-07 was sold for the first time to a Japanese company, Nippon Airship Corporation, who will be using it for tourism and advertising mainly around Tokyo.
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Type M Class, 1909 Length = 158m
NT-07 Class, 1997 Length = 75m
The Future
Zeppelin has commercial orders for a further seven NT-07s at a cost of approximately eight million euro each.
In addition, Zeppelin recently announced plans for a 19-seat NT-14 Class.
The NT-14 will measure 85 meters (280 ft.) in length, 16 meters (52 ft.) in diameter, and have a volume of 14,000 cubic metres (495,000 cu. feet). Development is to begin swiftly; Zeppelin expects to fly the prototype during the second half of 2007 and begin commercial operations in the fall of 2008.
A new Zeppelin company, Zeppelin Europe Tours (ZET) is seeking financing for development and production of a much larger (45-passenger) class of rigid airship.
Copyright ©2007 Puget Sound Airship Society
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