Airship spotted travelling south along the A1m in Hertfordshire this morning

[diddy1234]

Does anyone know any information regarding an Airship travelling south along the A1m this morning in Hertfordshire ?

I know its not much information, I was driving at the time so I couldn't get any reg number.

If memory serves it would appear to be a Zepplin with some German bank sponsoring on the side.

Its so nice to see an airship in the sky again, I used to see a lot of airship movements when I was younger.

sorry for the scant information.

[angels]

It could be the Stella Artois blimp which I see virtually every day, mizzle permitting.

It's based in Essex somewhere and toddles down the Thames towards the City -- usually quite low.

[Simtech]

Possibly the Zeppelin D-LZNT which left Cardington this morning for mainland Europe.

[Octane]

Are they still referred to as 'Zeppelins" or is it just German for Airship? When I hear the Z word it reminds me of Biggles. Think he shot a few down, can't check (it's been 30+ years) because Mum threw away my Biggles collection Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!
Diddy, when you say you've seen plenty of Airships in your younger days, do you mean R101 etc during the 1930's?
I have seen the damaged Lion? statue on the north bank of the Thames that was hit by shrapnel from a bomb dropped by a Z in WWI. Has a plaque on it.

Cheers

Octane

[diddy1234]

Octane, In my younger days I refer to the 80's when Skyship were flying from Cardington alot over my local town (North Herts).

As for the term 'Zeppelins', The company that makes them is 'ZLT Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH & Co KG' and the Airships model name is Zeppelin NT (Neu technologie).

They are based in Friedrichshafen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrichshafen) in south Germany.
There is a very good Airship museum there as well.

[rsuggitt]

This will tell you everything...

BBC NEWS | England | Zeppelin rises in the East (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7586248.stm)

[AirshipInitiatives]

It's the first international Zeppelin Cruise since the 1930s
The Aerwin Zeppelin Tour has departed from the historic airship base at Cardington near Bedford early this morning. This is the first Zeppelin cruise to offer passengers a taste of international airship flight since the great transatlantic airships of the 1930s. The modern Zeppelin NT accommodates ten passengers on this exclusive northern European tour which includes England, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The airship is flying from Cardington via London and across the Channel to Calais, then on via Dunkirk and Gent for a stop-over at Brussels, and over Antwerp on its way to Rotterdam and its final destination at an airfield at Valkenburg, near The Hague.

This special three day Zeppelin cruise which includes hotel accommodation, meals and tranfers plus various talks and entertainments on a Zeppelin theme is being organised by Aerwin, an airship company based in the Netherlands. Aerwin is a partner with Zeppelin European Tours which is planning for a network of Zeppelins throughout Europe in the future.

It is very fitting that Cardington should be the location for the start of the cruise. The two giant airship hangars stand as a memorial to Britain's giant airships of the past and in recent decades Cardington has continued as a centre for lighter-than-air development. This visit by the Zeppelin is the first since the Graf Zeppelin came to the airfield in April 1930 when it landed beside the famous R100 which was moored to its tall mast. On that occasion the R101 remained in the hangar as there was only room on
the mast for one airship at a time.

The NT N07 is the most advanced airship flying today. 75M long, it has an internal rigid framework which combines lightweight carbon fibre triangular frames with three aluminium girders or longerons. Three Textron Lycoming engines drive the airship at up to 125 km/h and these can be swivelled by up to 120 degrees to provide a superb level of manoeuvrability. With its large panoramic windows the spacious cabin, or 'gondola', carries its passengers in great comfort and it is equipped with a loo.

This is indeed the same airship that has flown over London for several weeks. It has been rebranded in Cardington and, following this first international Zeppelin Cruise, sightseeing flights will be available over Rotterdam until the second half of September. Then it will embark on a journey to the States, where Airship Ventures will operate passenger flights over San Francisco and surrounding areas.

[Knife-Edge]

Does anyone know any information regarding an Airship travelling south along the A1m this morning in Hertfordshire ?



Which lane was it in? Was it observing the speed limit?

Sorry couldn't resist:ok:

[diddy1234]

Knife-Edge, It was southbound in the fast lane. probably speeding (just about)

lol

[angels]

So much for my theory about the Stella craft then!! :)

[VAFFPAX]

Would be good to see Cardington return to a semblance of its old glory...

I used to drive past those sheds nearly every day when I worked in Milton Keynes and commuted from Herts... Glad to see that the US Navy's also leaving their old airship shed standing, except they do it as a risk management exercise (no demolition = no poisonous chems released = low risk).

S.