Z is for Zeppelin

In many ways, the Zeppelin is the ultimate example of pulp era technology.  Not only where they big, the Hindenburg was roughly 11 feet longer than the battleship Bismarck, but they had to be big in order to get off the ground. Bigger wasn’t just better, it was necessary.

Add in the tragedy of Lakehurst New Jersey where the Hindenburg died before newsreel cameras. It wasn’t just a tragedy, it was one of the first to unfold before everyone’s eyes. Anyone who has even a passing interest in Zeppelins has seen that flame rise up the hull, but imagine the impact it had on people who had never seen a disaster before.

However it wasn’t just the Hindenburg loss that killed the Zeppelins, it was that no one could really make them work. The Hindenburg could have been saved by helium or a different kind of dope.

Akron, Macon, and Shenandoah all failed in flight. They weren’t strong enough; they didn’t have enough engine power. Had the first two survived, the United States would have entered the War with two flying aircraft carriers.

Think about it, there’s nothing more pulp than eight hundred feet of airship dropping fighters.

The sad thing is that we could make them work now: we have flame-retardant materials for the skin, stronger metals for the structure, and more powerful engines. Unfortunately, the only thing other aircraft can’t do better is capture the imagination.

 

Everything Was Bigger Between the Wars

Zeppelins weren’t the only example of huge flying machines. Norman Bel Geddes’ Airliner No.4 is a perfect example of pulp technology. With a 528 foot wingspan, this giant flying wing was designed to carry passengers across the country in the lap of luxury. Although it was never built, all the evidence indicates that this twenty-engine behemoth would have actually flown.

Even though the design was heavier than air, the design had so much empty space that for all practical purposes the interior was air.

It didn’t just carry passengers; its nine decks provided room for over 150 crew, many of whom would have been equally at home in a spa or private gym. Unfortunately, no one ever came up with the money to build it.

That’s the beauty of pulp technology: Nobody could say they were afraid to think big.

Naturally, one was built in Doc’s world; but that’s a story for another day.