Rise of Australia

Chapter 162 Airship Test

March 1903, 3, Industrial New South Wales.

After more than five months, Theodor Kerber and Ludwig Dürr finally succeeded in imitating the Lz-1 rigid airship manufactured by Count Zeppelin, and made some more obvious shortcomings. improved.

Because both Theodor Kerber and Ludwig Durr were Earl Zeppelin's right-hand men when they built the airship, this also allowed the imitation airship to almost perfectly inherit all the advantages of the Zeppelin lz-1 airship.

And because of Australia's deep pockets, the two also improved some problems that Earl Zeppelin knew about but could not improve due to insufficient funds when imitating the airship. This is how this imitation airship was born, AU- 1.

As soon as the airship was born, Arthur came to the aeronautical laboratory on the outskirts of Sydney. He not only observed the pioneer who explored the era of rigid airships, but also released information to the outside world. The purpose of the Australian aeronautical laboratory is to Develop airships.

Because it is a complete imitation of lz-1 rigid airship, AU-1 is basically not much different from lz-1 in terms of appearance and performance.

The AU-1 airship is 120 meters long and has a diameter of [-] meters. The total volume of hydrogen energy is about [-] cubic meters.

What's even more frightening is that the load capacity of this airship has reached nearly ten tons. This figure is comparable to that of no other means of transportation except trains and transport ships carrying multiple carriages.

But whether it is a train or a transport ship, there are many huge limitations.The train must run on the rails, and the railway station and other facilities must be built, which costs a lot and takes a lot of time.

Although the transport ship only needs to sail in the ocean, it can only do port-to-port transport.

And because of insufficient power, sea transportation is the longest and most inconvenient.

If the AU-1 airship can be put into commercial use after some improvements, it will be a powerful tool for transporting materials in the sky.

At least in a short period of time, he can provide a lot of impetus for the development of Australia, and can also attract the attention of other countries in the world to airships instead of developing aircraft.

For Arthur, the research and development of airships is certainly important, but it is far less important than airplanes in determining the prosperity of a country.

The greater role of the airship is another mode of transportation for materials and a faster and more convenient mode of transportation before the aircraft was born.

If there are no accidents, the airship is destined to be eliminated by the aircraft, which is why Arthur specifically ordered Theodor Kerber and Ludwig Durr to focus on the development of the aircraft.

The test of the airship requires a very open environment, so Theodor Kerber and Ludwig Durr deliberately selected an empty field next to the aviation laboratory for this experiment.

Airships do not need flat and long take-off runways like airplanes.The fundamental reason for needing an open field is simply to prevent accidents.

Arthur originally wanted to personally experience the airship technology of this era, but under the joint persuasion of Theodor Kerber and Ludwig Durr, he gave up.

In fact, what they said is also true. Although Earl Zeppelin achieved great success in the test last time, who can guarantee that Earl Zeppelin's third test flight will not fail?

After all, going to the sky is still an adventure full of thrills for the current human beings, and if you are not careful, you may lose your bones.

Neither Arthur's guards nor Theodor Kerber and Ludwig Durr dared to let Arthur board the airship. Once an accident occurred, this was a responsibility that no one dared to take.

Arthur quickly dispelled this idea, and even broke out in a cold sweat from his shock.

Even the airships and aircraft that will be perfected in the future will have accidents, let alone the airships and aircraft that are still in the research and development stage.

Once Arthur has any accidents after boarding the airship, wouldn't he become the most unlucky traveler?
As a result, the entire experiment process became Arthur watching from a distance with a telescope, and Theodor Kerber and Ludwig Durr personally drove the airship to conduct experiments.

The destination of this test flight was the coast of Sydney, which was about forty kilometers away.

The AU-1 airship will carry more than a ton from near the aeronautical laboratory to its destination, and then return with steel and wood and other materials needed by the aeronautical laboratory.

This experiment will carry at least one ton of materials back and forth, which greatly increases the danger of this experiment. In the event of an accident, all materials and people may be wiped out.

This flight test is a little shorter than the previous Earl Zeppelin's lz-1 airship test, but the actual gap is not too big.

After some preparations, the two professors Theodor Kerber and Ludwig Dürr breathed a sigh of relief and boarded the parked airships one after another.

Accompanied by several assistants from the aviation laboratory, they will help Theodor Kerber and Ludwig Durr operate the airship better.

After obtaining Arthur's permission, AU-1 gradually took off, and after the sky gradually stabilized, it turned around and flew towards the coast.

Although it is only the initial version of the rigid airship, the speed of lz-1 still reaches more than [-] kilometers per hour.

As an improved version three years later, the AU-1 sails at a slightly faster speed than the lz-1, and can basically maintain a speed of more than 35 kilometers per hour.

Although this speed is as slow as a tortoise compared to later generations of airplanes, at the beginning of the twentieth century when trains only had a speed of [-] to [-] kilometers per hour, the speed of such an airship was already very fast.

Because the destination is more than [-] kilometers away from the aviation laboratory, plus the time required for loading and unloading materials, it will take at least five or six hours.

It was noon when the airship left the aviation laboratory, and it was already afternoon when it slowly returned.

Compared with the normal navigation of an airship, takeoff and landing are actually the most dangerous.

Especially in landing, a slight mistake may cause a major accident, even for a rigid airship whose safety has been greatly improved.

Theodor Kerber and Ludwig Durr operated very cautiously, and the entire landing process lasted for half an hour.

As the sound of the airship touching the ground came, Theodor Kerber and Ludwig Durr finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your Highness, the first flight test of the AU-1 rigid airship was a complete success! The supplies we carried were one ton and 7 tons respectively, the voyage distance was about [-] kilometers, and the total voyage time took six hours and seven minutes." As soon as they got off the airship, Theodor Kerber and Ludwig Durr couldn't wait to talk to Arthur.

"The actual flight time for the airship is only a little over two hours. Our airship can keep sailing at a constant speed of about 35 kilometers, and it is also very stable in the sky without major turbulence." Teodor Kerber said with a smile.

"Check to see if there is any damage to the exterior and interior of the airship, and at the same time record the complete data of this experiment." Arthur ordered.

As far as the current experiment is concerned, the test of the AU-1 airship is still successful.Although they have the successful experience of Count Zeppelin three years ago, Theodor Kerber and Ludwig Dürr also definitely contributed.

"Clean up after finishing all these tasks. I will hold a small celebration banquet for you in the evening. At the same time, tell all the personnel of the Aeronautical Research Institute that I am very satisfied with the test results of the airship, and everyone will receive a [-] pound reward." Rewards. Especially you, Professor Theodor Kerber and Professor Ludwig Durr. You have contributed a lot to the imitation of the airship, and each of you will receive a reward of [-] pounds from the royal family." Arthur said with a smile.

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(End of this chapter)