Working largely in secret, aeronautical engineers in Germany are drawing up plans to rebuild the Hindenburg dirigible airship, but updating it for the 21st century by making it even larger and more luxurious, accommodating 250 passengers in a two-tier gondola. Though plans are kept under wraps, experts say the new Hindenburg II, as it is already being dubbed in the German press, will loosely resemble its ill-fated predecessor - except for the elongated two-level gondola that would stretch 70 metres along the bottom of the giant airship. The German press has already dubbed the new airship the Hindenburg II.
The new dirigible, which will be designated the HGZ 129 M in memory of the original Hindenburg (called the LZ 129), will also be as large as its infamous sister ship, which exploded on landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey, on 6 May 1937.
A team of 150 engineers, technicians and aeronautical experts has been working behind closed doors on the Hindenburg II project since 1998, according to the Berliner Zeitung newspaper. A feasibility study released in March stated that the project is viable, the Berlin newspaper said. The new ship would use a combination of helium and hydrogen, in 17 separate gas cells, to give it enough lifting power to accommodate hundreds of passengers or up to 80 tons of cargo. In contrast, the old Hindenburg could accommodate only a little over 100 persons, including a crew of about 40, and it also had limited cargo capabilities. |