Editing Zeppelin (section)

===Early designs===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1972-099-15, Ferdinand Graf Zeppelin am Schreibtisch.jpg|thumb|Ferdinand von Zeppelin]]

Count [[Ferdinand von Zeppelin]]'s interest in airship development began in 1874, when he was inspired by a lecture given by [[Heinrich von Stephan]] on the subject of "World Postal Services and Air Travel" to outline the basic principle of his later craft in a diary entry dated 25 March 1874.<ref name=Doo183>Dooley 2004, p. A.183.</ref> It describes a large rigidly framed outer [[Airship#Envelope|envelope]] containing several separate gasbags.<ref>Robinson 1973 p.13</ref> He had previously encountered [[Union Army Balloon Corps|Union Army]] balloons in 1863 when he visited the United States as a military observer during the [[American Civil War]].{{sfn|de Syon|2001|p=15}}

Count Zeppelin began to seriously pursue his project after his early retirement from the army in 1890 at the age of 52. Convinced of the potential importance of aviation, he started working on various designs in 1891, and had completed detailed designs by 1893. An official committee reviewed his plans in 1894,<ref name=Doo187/> and he received a patent, granted on 31 August 1895,<ref name="de Syon 18">{{Harvnb|de Syon|2001|p=18.}}</ref> with [[Theodor Kober]] producing the technical drawings.<ref name=Doo190>Dooley 2004, p. A.190.</ref>

Zeppelin's patent described a ''{{lang|de|Lenkbares Luftfahrzeug mit mehreren hintereinander angeordneten Tragkörpern}}'' ("Steerable aircraft with several carrier bodies arranged one behind another"),<ref name=Doo190/> an airship consisting of flexibly articulated rigid sections. The front section, containing the crew and engines, was {{convert|117.35|m|ft|abbr=on}} long with a gas capacity of {{convert|9,514|m3|ft3|abbr=on}}. The middle section was {{convert|16|m|ftin|abbr=off}} long with an intended useful load of {{convert|599|kg|lb|abbr=on}} and the rear section {{convert|39.93|m|ft|abbr=on}} long with an intended load of {{convert|1,996|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref>Robinson 1973 pp.15-6</ref>

Count Zeppelin's attempts to secure government funding for his project proved unsuccessful, but a lecture given to the Union of German Engineers gained their support. Zeppelin also sought support from the industrialist [[Carl Berg (airship builder)|Carl Berg]], then engaged in construction work on the second airship design of [[David Schwarz (aviation inventor)|David Schwarz]]. Berg was under contract not to supply aluminium to any other airship manufacturer, and subsequently made a payment to Schwarz's widow as compensation for breaking this agreement.<ref name=Doo193>Dooley 2004, p. A.193.
</ref> Schwarz's design differed fundamentally from Zeppelin's, crucially lacking the use of separate gasbags inside a rigid envelope.<ref name=Doo191>Dooley 2004, p. A.191.</ref>

[[File:First Zeppelin ascent.jpg|thumb|left|The first flight of LZ 1 over Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in 1900]]

In 1898, Count Zeppelin founded the ''Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Luftschiffahrt''<ref>[http://sammlungen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/cm/periodical/zoom/3360216 "Die Ausführung des Zeppelin'schen Luftschiffes" (in German).] ''Die Welt (Vienna),'' Issue 22, 3 June 1898, p. 6. Retrieved: 11 March 2012.</ref> (Society for the Promotion of Airship Flight), contributing more than half of its 800,000&nbsp;[[Mark (money)|mark]] share-capital himself. Responsibility for the detail design was given to Kober, whose place was later taken by [[Ludwig Dürr]], and construction of the first airship began in 1899 in a floating assembly-hall or hangar in the Bay of Manzell near [[Friedrichshafen]] on [[Lake Constance]] (the ''Bodensee''). The intention behind the floating hall was to facilitate the difficult task of bringing the airship out of the hall, as it could easily be aligned with the wind. The [[Zeppelin LZ 1|LZ 1]] (LZ for ''Luftschiff Zeppelin'', or "Zeppelin Airship") was {{convert|128|m|ft|sigfig=3}} long with a hydrogen capacity of {{convert| 400000|ft3|m3|abbr=on|order=flip}}, was driven by two {{convert|15|hp|kW}} [[Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft|Daimler]] engines each driving a pair of propellers mounted either side of the envelope via [[bevel gear]]s and a driveshaft, and was controlled in pitch by moving a weight between its two [[nacelle]]s.<ref>Robinson 1971, p. 13</ref>

The first flight took place over Lake Constance on 2 July 1900.<ref name=Dooley197>[[#Dooley|Dooley 2004]], pp. A.197–A.198.</ref> Damaged during landing, it was repaired and modified and proved its potential in two subsequent flights made on 17 and 24 October 1900,<ref name=Dooley197/> bettering the 6&nbsp;[[Metre per second|m/s]] ( {{convert|21.6|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} ) velocity attained by the French airship ''La France''. Despite this performance, the [[shareholder]]s declined to invest more money, and so the company was liquidated, with Count von Zeppelin purchasing the ship and equipment. The Count wished to continue experimenting, but he eventually dismantled the ship in 1901.<ref name=Dooley197/><ref name="de Syon 25">de Syon 2001, p. 25.</ref><!-- Dooley account differs from original de Syon cited text -->

[[File:Het Duitse luchtschip LZ 4 van achteren gezien, SFA003000988.jpg|thumb|Zeppelin LZ 4 with its multiple stabilizers, 1908]]

Donations, the profits of a special [[lottery]], some public funding, a mortgage of Count von Zeppelin's wife's estate, and a 100,000&nbsp;mark contribution by Count von Zeppelin himself allowed the construction of [[Zeppelin LZ 2|LZ 2]], which made only a single flight on 17 January 1906.<ref name="de Syon 26">de Syon 2001, p. 26.</ref> After both engines failed it made a forced landing in the [[Allgäu]] mountains, where a storm subsequently damaged the anchored ship beyond repair.{{fact|date=September 2024}}

Incorporating all the usable parts of LZ&nbsp;2, its successor [[Zeppelin LZ 3|LZ 3]] became the first truly successful Zeppelin. This renewed the interest of the German military, but a condition of purchase of an airship was a 24-hour endurance trial.<ref name="de Syon 35">de Syon 2001, p. 35.</ref> This was beyond the capabilities of LZ&nbsp;3, leading Zeppelin to construct his fourth design, the [[Zeppelin LZ 4|LZ 4]], first flown on 20 June 1908. On 1 July it was flown over Switzerland to Zürich and then back to Lake Constance, covering {{convert|386|km|mi|abbr=on}} and reaching an altitude of {{convert|795|m|ft|abbr=on}}. An attempt to complete the 24-hour trial flight ended when LZ&nbsp;4 had to make a landing at [[Leinfelden-Echterdingen|Echterdingen]] near [[Stuttgart]] because of mechanical problems. During the stop, a storm tore the airship away from its moorings on the afternoon of 5 August 1908. It crashed into a tree, caught fire, and quickly burnt out. No one was seriously injured.{{fact|date=September 2024}}
[[File:LZ4 after Echterdingen disaster.jpg|thumb|Wreckage of LZ&nbsp;4]]
This accident would have finished Zeppelin's experiments, but his flights had generated huge public interest and a sense of national pride regarding his work, and spontaneous donations from the public began pouring in, eventually totalling over six million marks.<ref>de Syon 2001, p. 38.</ref> This enabled the Count to found the ''[[Luftschiffbau Zeppelin|Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH]]'' (Airship Construction Zeppelin Ltd.) and the [[Zeppelin Foundation]].{{fact|date=September 2024}}