avia.wikisort.org - Airship

The Goodyear RS-1 was the first American semi-rigid airship which was designed by Goodyear chief aeronautical engineer and inventor, Herman Theodore Kraft with the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for the United States Army Air Service in the late 1920s. Goodyear built only one airship of this type.

RS-1
The Goodyear RS-1 semi-rigid airship
Role	Semi-rigid Airship Type of aircraft
Manufacturer	Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
First flight	8 January 1926
Retired	1930
Status	scrapped
Primary user	United States Army Air Service
Number built	1

Design and development

The main components of the RS-1 were assembled at the Goodyear hangar at Wingfoot Lake in Suffield, Ohio in 1924. The airship was designed by Goodyear engineer and inventor, Herman Theodore Kraft. Components for the dirigible were shipped to Scott Field, Illinois for assembly.[1] The first flight was delayed due to an error made during erection and eventually took place on 8 January 1926, lasting just over an hour with a crew of eight men. The dirigible was 282 feet (85.9 m) long and had a gas volume of 720,000 cu ft (20,388,130 l) and was powered by four Liberty engines.[1] A 35 ft (10.7 m) enclosed control car was suspended from the keel at the nose. The control car included sleeping accommodations and a radio compartment. Equipment included a bombing cockpit and the ability to carry 3,500 lb (1,588 kg) of bombs, as well as mounts for machine guns on each side at the forward end of the car.[1]

Operators

 United States

• United States Army Air Service

Specifications

Data from [1]Flight 25 March 1926

General characteristics

• Length: 282 ft 0 in (85.95 m)
• Diameter: 70 ft 6 in (21.49 m)
• Volume: 720,000 cu ft (20,000 m³)
• Powerplant: 4 × Liberty L-12 , 400 hp (300 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 75 mph (121 km/h, 65 kn)
• Cruise speed: 45 mph (72 km/h, 39 kn)

See also

• Roma (airship)
• United States Army airships
• Zeppelin NT, a trio of which are American-based (2010s)

References

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