Charles Adams
05-06-2008, 01:22 PM
This article was featured in the March, 1976 issue of RC Modeler magazine.
If you have any articles on airships or model airships that you would like to share, please contact me (mailto:webmaster@airshipmodeler.com) for assistance with scanning and/or posting the material. Enjoy! :)
Among the hundreds of letters we receive each month at RCM, one of the most frequently asked questions is, "Do you have any details on an R/C dirigible?" Unfortunately, we do not have any construction plans for such a project, but this month we are pleased to present some color photographs and in-flight shots of the LZ 127 "Graf Zeppelin" built by Andreas Gasser of Zurich, Switzerland.
Photographed at a two-day flying session in Lausanne on September 6-7, 1975, this magnificent dirigible is 6.74 meters long and has a top speed of 20 kilometers per hour. The engines consist of four Maxon 2128-903 electric engines and one Milliperm Special. The gas used is 2830 liters of hydrogen under three millibars of pressure.
All radio control functions are fully proportional including forward, reverse and stop on the engines, plus proportional rudder and elevator. In addition, there is a fully controllable electromagnetic valve for hydrogen release and an electronic pump to re-start inside pressure to 3 millibars with air. In addition to these functions, Andreas has a controllable electromagnetic valve to open the on-board water ballast.
Insofar as the structure is concerned, the envelope is 0.013 millimeter thick Mylar with a weight of 350 grams. The rear structure is light balsa covered with Mylar. The engine gondolas are carved from foam. The radio gear, batteries, and other hardware are contained in a special container built in the center of the envelope.
According to Bernard Maeterlinck who photographed Andreas Gasser's Graf Zeppelin, the design and building time took a total of 400 hours! A truly magnificent project! And, before you write, no additional details are available at this time.
If you have any articles on airships or model airships that you would like to share, please contact me (mailto:webmaster@airshipmodeler.com) for assistance with scanning and/or posting the material. Enjoy! :)
Among the hundreds of letters we receive each month at RCM, one of the most frequently asked questions is, "Do you have any details on an R/C dirigible?" Unfortunately, we do not have any construction plans for such a project, but this month we are pleased to present some color photographs and in-flight shots of the LZ 127 "Graf Zeppelin" built by Andreas Gasser of Zurich, Switzerland.
Photographed at a two-day flying session in Lausanne on September 6-7, 1975, this magnificent dirigible is 6.74 meters long and has a top speed of 20 kilometers per hour. The engines consist of four Maxon 2128-903 electric engines and one Milliperm Special. The gas used is 2830 liters of hydrogen under three millibars of pressure.
All radio control functions are fully proportional including forward, reverse and stop on the engines, plus proportional rudder and elevator. In addition, there is a fully controllable electromagnetic valve for hydrogen release and an electronic pump to re-start inside pressure to 3 millibars with air. In addition to these functions, Andreas has a controllable electromagnetic valve to open the on-board water ballast.
Insofar as the structure is concerned, the envelope is 0.013 millimeter thick Mylar with a weight of 350 grams. The rear structure is light balsa covered with Mylar. The engine gondolas are carved from foam. The radio gear, batteries, and other hardware are contained in a special container built in the center of the envelope.
According to Bernard Maeterlinck who photographed Andreas Gasser's Graf Zeppelin, the design and building time took a total of 400 hours! A truly magnificent project! And, before you write, no additional details are available at this time.