The challenge was to build a dirigible that was streamlined enough to move easily through the air, large enough to lift a practical payload of men and machinery, sturdy enough not to buckle in mid-flight and with a power source sufficient to navigate.

Count von Zeppelin’s ingenuity, perseverance and experiments began the age of the giant airships. His mammoth airships brought the miracle of long-distance air travel.

World War I missions of the giant airships are also discussed.

The Giant Airships book is one volume included in the Time-Life Epic of Flight series.

Epic of Flight: The Giant Airships
Book Contents

Chapter                                                                         Page             

1          The Count’s unshakable dream                                     17
2          Wartime missions for nocturnal monsters                                   51
3          Probing new horizons of distance flight                          75
4          Touring the world on “the ship with a soul�                                109
5          Crescendo and calamity                                                            139