R100

The Airship Guarantee Company

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Aerospace, Airship manufacturing
Founded	1925
Founder	Dennis Burney
Headquarters	Howden, Yorkshire , United Kingdom
Key people	Barnes Wallis (Head of design team), Nevil Shute Norway (Senior stress engineer), Dennis Burney (Leader)
Parent	Vickers-Armstrongs

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His Majesty's Airship R100 was a British rigid airship developed and constructed by private enterprise as part of a dual competition aimed at creating a commercial airship service along British Empire routes under the Imperial Airship Scheme. The counterpart to R100 was the R101, produced by the British Air Ministry, though both projects received government funding.

The Airship Guarantee Company, a subsidiary formed by the armaments manufacturer Vickers-Armstrongs, led by Commander Dennis Burney, undertook the construction of R100. The design team was headed by Barnes Wallis, renowned later for inventing the bouncing bomb. Among the engineers was Nevil Shute Norway, serving as senior stress engineer.

R100's maiden flight occurred in December 1929. It completed several test flights and successfully executed a return transatlantic crossing in July–August 1930. However, after the October 1930 crash of R101, the Imperial Airship Scheme was discontinued and R100 was dismantled.

Background

Main article: Imperial Airship Scheme

The British government initiated the construction of R100 as part of a programme to develop airships capable of transporting passengers and mail between Britain and various parts of the British Empire, including India, Australia, and Canada. This initiative originated from Dennistoun Burney's 1922 proposal advocating a civil airship development project subsidised by the Government and implemented by a dedicated Vickers subsidiary. Following the 1923 General Election that brought Ramsay MacDonald’s Labour government to power, the new Air Minister, Lord Thomson, introduced the Imperial Airship Scheme. This plan involved building two prototype airships: R101, designed and built under the supervision of the Air Ministry, and R100, constructed by Vickers’ subsidiary under a fixed-price contract.

Design and development

File:CP Steamship, R-100 passing the Harbour Bridge, Montreal 1930.jpg

Composite image showing R100 flying over the Jacques Cartier Bridge in Montreal, August 1930

Construction of R100 took place at the former RNAS Air Station Howden in Yorkshire, situated approximately 3 mi (4.8 km) from Howden and 25 mi (40 km) from Hull. Design efforts began in 1925 while simultaneously refurbishing the somewhat neglected site and installing a hydrogen production facility.

The Airship Guarantee Company encountered significant challenges during development. The fixed-price contract for building R100 soon became apparent as unprofitable, prompting cost-saving measures such as limiting machinery to about twelve tools for assembly. Recruiting skilled labour proved difficult due to the site's isolation; consequently, many local workers required training. The unheated airship hangar presented harsh conditions: leaking roofs allowed ice to form on girders during winter months while condensation induced corrosion on the airship’s duralumin framework, necessitating varnishing of structural components. Assembly progressed closely behind design work for three years, with design advancement dictating construction pace.

Airframe

File:R100 moored at Cardington (Our Generation, 1938).jpg

R100 stationed at Cardington, April 1930. The German Graf Zeppelin appears in the background.

Wind tunnel experiments revealed that a 16-sided cross-section generated drag comparable to that of a circular shape. Consequently, both R100 and R101 incorporated fewer longitudinal girders than earlier airships to simplify the complexity of stress analysis. Nonetheless, calculating stresses on the transverse frames demanded manual computations that required two to three months to finalize each frame’s solution. This meticulous approach to stress evaluation stemmed from updated Air Ministry standards for airship structural strength, introduced after the disastrous failure of R38 in 1921. The reduction in longitudinal girders resulted in larger unsupported fabric panels within the envelope, and flight tests later demonstrated that R100’s covering was barely sufficient. Similarly, R101’s envelope was found to be inadequate, with fabric failure potentially contributing to its fatal crash.

The airship’s framework was engineered by Barnes Wallis using only eleven standardized parts. Each of the 16 longitudinal girders consisted of three tubes made from strips of Duralumin spirally wound and riveted together. These girders connected 15 polygonal transverse frames, which maintained their shape through wire bracing linked to a central longitudinal girder extending the length of the vessel. The revised stress design criteria necessitated a novel method for distributing the lifting forces exerted by the gasbags. Wallis’s innovative solution later influenced his geodesic airframe designs for the Wellesley, Wellington, Warwick, and Windsor bombers.

The elevators were aerodynamically balanced, whereas the rudders lacked balance. Upon discovering that R101 had been equipped with servo motors at significant weight and cost penalties, R100’s designers reconsidered their own calculations but ultimately confirmed their accuracy. When flown, R100’s controls were both light and responsive; its handling qualities were favorably compared to those of R101 by Noël Atherstone, First Officer of R101. Construction of R100 took place with the ship suspended from the roof of its hangar. Each transverse frame was assembled in a horizontal position before being hoisted and hung from overhead trackways; they were then slid into place and connected by longitudinal girders. The airship remained suspended until hydrogen was introduced into the gasbags.

By mid-1929, structural assembly was nearly finished and gasbags had been inflated. After inflation, an outer layer of linen fabric coated with aluminium aircraft dope was applied and completed by early November. Lift and trim tests conducted on 11 November indicated an empty weight of 105.52 long tons (107.21 t) with a gasbag volume of 5,156,000 cu ft (146,000 m³). This provided a standard gross lift of 156.52 long tons (159.03 t), resulting in a disposable lift capacity of 51.00 long tons (51.82 t). After accounting for a service load of 18 long tons (18 t) (including crew, stores, and ballast), the remaining weight allowance for fuel and payload stood at 33.00 long tons (33.53 t).

Propulsion

Initially, the plan was to develop specialized engines for the R100 powered by a combination of hydrogen and kerosene. However, after a year of development, it became clear that these engines would not be ready in time. Consequently, the decision was made to install the Beardmore Tornado diesel engine, which was under development for the Air Ministry and intended for use in R101. Early assessments deemed the Tornado unsuitable due to its excessive weight and other complications. As a result, Wallis opted for six refurbished Rolls-Royce Condor petrol engines, despite concerns that the lower flash point of petrol posed an increased fire hazard in tropical climates. These engines were housed in three separate gondolas: each contained one engine driving a 17 ft (5.18 m) diameter tractor propeller, another powering a 15 ft (4.57 m) diameter pusher propeller, and a smaller central engine dedicated to driving a dynamo for electrical generation. The pusher-propeller engines were equipped with gearboxes to enable reverse thrust during docking operations.

Passenger and crew accommodation

The accommodation for passengers and crew was arranged across three decks within a single bay entirely enclosed by the airship's envelope. The lowest deck was allocated to crew quarters. On the second deck, there was a dining room that also served as a passenger lounge, alongside the kitchen area, 18 cabins each with four berths, and galleries on both sides allowing passengers to view outside through windows integrated into the airship’s skin. The topmost deck featured a gallery encircling the dining room and included 14 cabins designed for two occupants each.

First flights

R100 took to the skies for its inaugural flight on the morning of 16 December 1929. Departing Howden at 07:53, it proceeded at a slow pace toward York before heading to the Royal Airship Works at Cardington, Bedfordshire. During this journey, one engine was shut down due to a cracked water jacket, so the airship flew on five engines and completed mooring by 13:40. The following day saw a second flight planned with the aim of reaching London; however, shortly after leaving the mast, a strip of fabric detached from the lower fin. This issue limited the flight to a circuit around Bedfordshire lasting 6 hours and 29 minutes, primarily to assess control responsiveness. On the subsequent day, R100 was moved from the mast into No.2 shed at Cardington where modifications began on the wiring securing the outer cover—a process that continued until 11 January 1930.

On 16 January 1930, during testing, R100 achieved a speed of 81.5 mph. At higher speeds, an issue with the outer covering emerged: it exhibited excessive rippling and flapping resembling a standing wave pattern due to large unsupported fabric sections. This phenomenon was documented on film during its fourth flight on 20 January and is visible in some period photographs.

Following another brief flight on 20 January, R100 embarked on an endurance flight starting at 09:38 on 27 January from Cardington’s mast and concluding at 15:26 on 29 January after over 53 hours aloft. Afterward, it returned to the shed for cover repairs. Simultaneously, its original reconditioned Condor IIIA engines were replaced with six new Condor IIIB units, and some weight savings were achieved by reducing passenger accommodations. By late April these upgrades were complete; however, on 24 April while being moved out of the shed, a gust caused damage to the tail surfaces. Due to strong winds preventing re-entry into the shed, R100 was secured to the mast overnight. It was not until 27 April that repairs could be carried out inside the shed. These repairs took longer than anticipated, keeping R100 indoors until 21 May when it undertook a 24-hour flight designed to evaluate both engine performance and cover modifications.

The original contract called for R100 to complete a demonstration flight to India. Nonetheless, switching to petrol engines prompted revising this plan in favor of Canada as a destination since flying over tropical regions with gasoline onboard was deemed too risky. Provided no complications arose, departure for Canada was scheduled for 25 May; however, during the test flight on 21 May, unexpected aerodynamic forces caused collapse of the conical tail section. The airship was returned to its shed where this section was replaced by a hemispherical tail cap crafted by the Royal Airship Works—this alteration reduced overall length by approximately 15 feet.

Transatlantic journey to Canada

File:Airship Toronto.jpg

R100 flying over the Canadian Bank of Commerce building in Toronto, Ontario, which was then the tallest structure in the British Empire (August 1930). The airship's fabric undulations are visible.

File:R-100 Approaching mast, St. Hubert, Quebec after flight from Toronto. Aug. 1930.jpg

R-100 nearing the mooring mast at St. Hubert, Quebec following its flight from Toronto in August 1930

Just prior to the R101's flights in June 1930, engineers at Cardington proposed postponing the extended journeys of both R100 to Canada and R101 to India until 1931, citing concerns that neither airship was sufficiently developed to undertake such lengthy flights. The R100 team countered that their airship was fully capable of completing the Canadian voyage and emphasized that this trip was stipulated within their contract. On 29 July 1930, R100 set off for Canada, arriving at its mooring mast located at St-Hubert Airport near Montreal after 78 hours of flight. The airship covered the 3,300 mi (5,300 km) great circle distance at an average ground speed of 42 mph (68 km/h). While moored in Montreal for twelve days, the airship attracted more than 100,000 visitors daily, inspiring La Bolduc to compose a song satirizing public fascination with the vessel.

During its Canadian stay, R100 also completed a passenger-carrying excursion lasting 24 hours, visiting Ottawa, Toronto, and Niagara Falls. On 13 August, it departed Montreal and returned to Cardington after a 57½-hour journey. In his Slide Rule: Autobiography of an Engineer, Nevil Shute Norway later proposed that R100’s successful transatlantic trip indirectly contributed to the R101 catastrophe. Before undertaking their respective long-distance flights, engineers on the R100 team might have advised against such a demanding mission for either airship; yet following R100’s triumphant return from Canada, the R101 crew faced a dilemma: proceed with the India flight or face professional disgrace and possible job loss by admitting unreadiness. Shute Norway remarked that while R100’s engineers suspected their own ship was flawed, they were unaware—due to Cardington’s secrecy—of just how problematic R101 truly was.

Demise of British airships

The narrative detailing R100’s design and its purported advantages over R101 is recounted in Shute Norway’s Slide Rule: Autobiography of an Engineer, published in 1954. Although not without imperfections and not as decidedly superior as suggested by Shute Norway, R100 embodied the pinnacle of British conventional airship technology at that period.Template:Fix/category In contrast, R101 was hampered by numerous pioneering yet ultimately questionable innovations and burdened by heavy diesel engines. Both British airships demonstrated lower lifting efficiency compared to the smaller LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin. Following R101’s fatal crash and fire in France on 5 October 1930 during its voyage to India, the Air Ministry mandated that R100 be grounded. The airship remained housed in its Cardington hangar for over a year while three courses of action were debated: a full overhaul of R100 with continued testing aimed at eventual development of R102; static trials of R100 with retention of approximately 300 personnel to maintain program continuity; or preservation of staff alongside scrapping of the airship itself. Ultimately, in December 1931, R100 was dismantled and sold as scrap metal. Its framework was taken apart, flattened using a steamroller, segmented, and sold for under £600 (about $2,720).

Specifications (at initial flight)

File:R-100 attached to mooring mast in Bedforshire, 1930.jpg

R100 secured to Cardington mooring mast

See also

Bibliography

• Anderson, John. Airship on a Shoestring: The Story of R-100. Bedfordshire, UK: Bright Pen, 2014. ISBN 978-0-7552-0735-0.
• Gilbert, James. The World's Worst Aircraft. Walton-on-Thames, UK: Michael Joseph, Third Edition 1975. ISBN 978-0-7181-1269-1.
• Griehl, Manfred and Joachim Dressel. Zeppelin! The German Airship Story London: Arms & Armour, 1991. ISBN 1-85409-045-3.
• Hartcup, Guy. The Achievement of the Airship: A History of the Development of Rigid, Semi-rigid, and Non-rigid Airships. London: David & Charles, 1974. ISBN 978-0-85885-193-1.
• Higham, Robin. The British Rigid Airship, 1908-1931 London: Foulis, 1961.
• Masefield, P. To Ride The Storm. London: William Kimber, 1982. ISBN 0-7183-0068-8.
• Morpurgo, J.E. Barnes Wallis: A Biography. London: Longman, 1972. ISBN 0-582-10360-6.
• Mowthorpe, Ces. Battlebags: British Airships of the First World War: An Illustrated History. London: Alan Sutton Publishing, Ltd., 1995. ISBN 0-905778-13-8.
• Pratt, Michel. Airships R-100 and R-101: The Success of the R-100's trip to Canada and the Tragedy of the R-101 in France 201 pages. ISBN 978-2981695659.
• Ventry, Lord and Eugene Kolesnik. Airship Development (Jane's Pocket Book 7). Durham, UK: Macdonald Press, 1976. ISBN 0-356-04656-7.
• Ventry, Lord and Eugene Kolesnik. Airship Saga: The History of Airships Seen Through the Eyes of the Men who Designed, Built, and Flew Them. Poole, Dorset, UK: Blandford Press, 1982. ISBN 0-7137-1001-2.
• Ward, Ian and Brian Innes, eds. The World of Automobiles: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Motor Car. London: Orbis, 1974.

External links

• Document on the R100 in Canada (PDF)
• Airship Heritage Trust's page and resources about the R100