National Geographic: Hindenburg Page #3

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flying thousands of miles

on each leg of his journey.

Oscar Fink was the helmsman on many of

the Graf Zeppelin's flights.

Well, it really was

a great time then,

an experience that didn't exist

before-riding in an airship.

You would see something of the world-

not like today in an airplane,

which flies at a height of

It was practically a sea ship

in the air.

In the end, the Graf Zeppelin

circled the globe

in less than 300 hours of flying time,

a little more than 12 days.

Her triumphant achievement would

make a lasting impression

on those who saw her.

I remember going up

with my mother and father

to the rooftop of the apartment house-

we lived in New York City,

just to go see the Graf.

The country was seized by

what was called Zeppelin fever.

Hugo Eckener had proven

what airships could do.

When he landed at the Naval Air Station

in Lakehurst, New Jersey,

he received a hero's welcome.

It was an achievement in technology and

it was an adventure that had succeeded.

Eckener was the toast of the town,

treated to a ticker tape parade

along Broadway just as

Charles Lindbergh had been

only two years before.

Eckener was probably the most

recognized face in modern civilization.

He's very much like Neil Armstrong

from that point of view.

He's a world figure of world renown

and if his name comes up

in a conversation,

it's like everybody knows

who you're talking about.

Hugo Eckener and his airship had

captured the world's imagination.

The record-breaking flight was even

commemorated in a children's board game

The Graf Zeppelin soon embarked

on a regular route

between Europe and the Americas.

It was history's first regular

transatlantic airliner.

But back in Germany, a more sinister

figure was rising to prominence.

Adolf Hitler and his Nazi followers

enjoyed growing support.

In a few years, they would transform

Germany and push Europe toward war.

But for now, the head of the

Zeppelin Company enjoyed the freedom

to pursue a new dream:

Hugo Eckener envisioned a new airship

much bigger than

any of its predecessors.

This would be the Hindenburg.

It would feature the latest advances

in engineering

and it would carry 50 passengers

in safety and comfort.

It would truly be a luxury liner

in the sky.

At 804 feet, Hindenburg would

dwarf today's jumbo jets.

It would be almost as long as

the Titanic-

the largest passenger liner

of its day.

Building something this huge and

being certain that it could fly

was an enormous challenge for

Zeppelin's designers and engineers.

As with all dirigibles,

the heart of this leviathan

and the secret of its flight

was its lifting gas.

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