La France (airship)
The La France was a French Army non-rigid airship launched by Charles Renard and Arthur Constantin Krebs on August 9, 1884. Collaborating with Charles Renard, Arthur Constantin Krebs piloted the first fully controlled free-flight with the La France. The 170-foot (52 m) long, 66,000-cubic-foot (1,900 m3) airship, electric-powered with a 435 kg (959 lb) zinc-chlorine flow battery[1] completed a flight that covered 8 km (5.0 mi) in 23 minutes. It was the first full round trip flight[2] with a landing on the starting point. On its seven flights in 1884 and 1885[3] the La France dirigible returned five times to its starting point.
Hangar
The La France was constructed in Hangar "Y" at Chalais-Meudon near Paris in 1879. Hangar "Y" is one of the few remaining airship hangars in Europe.
See also
References
- ^ Winter, Lumen & Degner, Glenn, Minute Epics of Flight, New York, Grosset & Dunlap, 1933, pgs. 49–50
- ^ "Le Ballon dirigeable LA FRANCE de Renard et Krebs – 1884". Retrieved 7 October 2014.
- ^ "Ballon dirigeable LA FRANCE : Plans, croquis et photos". Retrieved 7 October 2014.
External links
- "LE BALLON DIRIGEABLE "LA FRANCE" / Plans, croquis et photos / N° 1 – Plans du dirigeable (élévation longitudinale et dessous)". Archived from the original on May 28, 2007.
- "LE BALLON DIRIGEABLE "LA FRANCE" / Plans, croquis et photos / N° 10 – Moteur du dirigeable (face avant)". Archived from the original on 2007-08-09.