Airship over Sydenham?

The History of Sydenham from Cippenham to present day. Links to photos especially welcome!
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Falkor
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Joined: 10 Feb 2006 17:45
Location: Surrey Quays

Airship over Sydenham?

Post by Falkor »

Does this look like anywhere in Sydenham to you!?
Image
tulse hill terry
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Location: sarf lunnen

Post by tulse hill terry »

It's a bit flat!

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will greenwood
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Location: moorlinch

Post by will greenwood »

possibly bell green area, near the river (winsfored rd?)
marymck
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Location: Upper Kirkdale

Post by marymck »

Not sure where it is.

I know the great S.F. Cody landed his airship the Nulli Secundus at the Crystal Palace in (I think) 1907. He had flown from Farnborough to London and after circling around St Paul's tried to make the return run to Farnborough but was forced down at Crystal Palace because of strong winds.

I don't think that's the Nulli Secundus though as she had a gondola which I can't see in the first photograph. Might be there though, it's not very clear.

Nulli Secundus was certainly a long airship.

Incidentally Cody was also responsible for the bizarrely named Nulli Secundus Two!

I'll hunt out my books and see if I can find a photo & check my dates.
marymck
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Post by marymck »

Nope - sorry for being misleading it's not the Nulli Secundus. She had stripes!

Nulli Secundus' envelope was approx. 122 ft long, brown with 4 silk bands each 4 feet wide. The gondola was about 35 feet long.

The Farnborough-London flight took place on 5 Oct 1907. The Crystal Palace landing followed an aborted attempt to land on Clapham Common, where crowds were too unruly.

Though no one was hurt in the Crystal Palace landing, the winds then damaged the airship so greatly Cody had to slash the envelope in an attempt to save her.

Some of the ship was salvaged and became the Nulli Secundus II.

But none of this answers your question ... so sorry for rambling.
will greenwood
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Post by will greenwood »

You know...I reckon thsi is a German airship...possibly even a Zeppelin!
I've been looking at other airships, and its not a common english design.
so..if its over here,,its either in anger, or its before the war....(but this type of Zeppelin was used for bombing, certainly)
check here;
Image
http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgur ... l%26sa%3DN[/url]
marymck
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Location: Upper Kirkdale

Post by marymck »

The R33 was based in Croydon for a while in the early 1920s. Same sort of shape - influenced by a captured Zeppelin.

Sorry I don't know how to post pictures.
will greenwood
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Joined: 14 Jan 2008 23:45
Location: moorlinch

Post by will greenwood »

you're right...
it could easily be that.
(this is an amazing picture)
Image

"Airship R33 - Launched at Selby on the 6th March 1919 , she measured 643ft (193 m) long and 79ft (24m) diameter and was capable of an airspeed 62 mph ( 104 km/h). Her design was based on the German L33 airship which was forced down by a British nightfighter during a raid on London on 23rd/24th Sept 1916 . As German Airship design was considered well in advance of ours a very detailed study of her was made and the R33 was designed around what they found ."

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgur ... l%26sa%3DN[/url]
FergussonFamily
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Location: Anerley

Post by FergussonFamily »

Balloon Flights from the Crystal Palace were a popular pastime. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote about taking one himself.
londheart
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Location: Beckenham

Airships

Post by londheart »

Airships seem to be the one Nazi technological development not fully reclaimed and developed by the victors of WWII. Seems a bit shortsighted to allow the (one-time propaganda) 'blimp' jibe to undermine over sixty years of potential development.
Also, airships would give the airport development protesters a relatively 'green' alternative to proffer.
The older I get, the more aware I become of the continuing damage done to us all by global warfare and its aftermath. :(
will greenwood
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Post by will greenwood »

Airships seem to be the one Nazi technological development not fully reclaimed and developed by the victors of WWII
sorry, but Airships were already a thing of the past by the beginning of WW2, after the Hindenberg and the R101 disasters, and they were certainly not Nazi technology, most likely the French can claim the first airships, or dirigibles, designed by Charles Renard...

now the anti gravity flying disc...now thats another matter.
FergussonFamily
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Post by FergussonFamily »

I think much safer designs of airships would be possible today with greater lifts using modern materials - carbon-fibre, titanium steel alloys, man-made fabrics - and Helium/ Warm Air gas bags. The main problem is that they are much too slow for modern passengers.

Much stranger is why we never saw the 'Flash Gordon'/ 'Dan Dare' kind of rocket-ships popular in science fiction of the 30's, 40's and 50's. Only now are there even plans for Hotol and the kind of vehicle that could take you from London to Sydney in a hour.
londheart
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Location: Beckenham

Post by londheart »

I think 'flying discs' and 'rocket ships' merit threads of their own. You're right, Will, to state that airships were not really Nazi technology - they just branded it to appear so, and gave their people little or no choice in the matter. There seems to be some unknowing on this list e.g., about the fact that the Nazis were using inflammable hydrogen not because their technology was backward, but because they took risks with human lives in response to a political embargo on the sale of helium to said mindblowingly evil regime. People forget all that, and blame the whole airship concept for its peculiarly unfortunate history & associations.
And airships are not 'too slow for modern passengers' unless you're in the type of job where your physical speed is more important than your mental speed. Arguably an ideal place for prestigious board meetings, indeed.
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