When the R101 first took to the skies, she was the largest aircraft ever to fly. What followed was a tragic finale to a tale of human folly on a grand scale.
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In 1929, the R101 was the largest object ever to take to the air. It was meant to dazzle the world with cutting-edge technology and awesome size. Better than a plane, more luxurious than an ocean liner, the R101 would connect the furthest reaches of the British Empire, tying together far-flung dominions at a time when imperial bonds were fraying. It was, however, not to be.
The spectacular crash of the British airship R101 in 1930 changed the world of aviation forever. Most have heard of the fiery crash of the Hindenburg, a German ship that went down in New Jersey seven years later. But the story of R101 and its forty-eight victims has largely been forgotten.
His Majesty’s Airship recounts the epic narrative of the ill-fated airship and her eccentric champion, Christopher Thomson. S. C. Gwynne brings to life a lost world of aviators driven by ambition, and killed by hubris.
eBook - ePub
His Majesty's Airship
The Life and Tragic Death of the World's Largest Flying Machine
- 320 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
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Information
Subtopic
20th Century HistoryIndex
HistoryTable of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Contents
- 1. Dreams, Pipe Dreams, and Imperial Visions
- 2. Brief History of a Bad Idea
- 3. Night and Storm
- 4. Flying Death Trap
- 5. “The Feeling of Utter Loneliness”
- 6. The Idea That Would Not Die
- 7. India Seems a Very Long Way
- 8. She Floats Free
- 9. Trial by Error
- 10. France, and the Midnight Hour
- 11. The Perfectly Safe Experimental Prototype
- 12. The Violent, Unseen World
- 13. Fools Rush In
- 14. A Very Violent End
- Map: The Flight of R101, October 4–5, 1930
- 15. Solving the Mystery: What Caused the Crash?
- 16. Bloody End of a Bloody Era
- Acknowledgments
- Notes
- Bibliographical Note
- Bibliography
- Illustration Credits
- Index
- Copyright Page
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Yes, you can access His Majesty's Airship by S.C. Gwynne in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & 20th Century History. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.