Zeppelin LZ4

First flight : 20 June 1908

On 1 July a spectacular 12 hour cross-country flight was made during which it was flown to Zürich and then back to Lake Constance, covering 386 km and reaching an altitude of 795m.

LZ4 attempted a 24-hour endurance flight on 4 August 1908. It took of with 12 people and fuel for 31 hours flight. It flew over Konstanz, Schaffhausen, then Basel and Strassbourg.

Engines had to be stopped for refueling but with one engine the airship rose due the expansion of the hydrogen in the heat of the sun, and not enough power to give sufficient downforce. To prevent the Zeppelin to climb to high hydrogen had to be vented through relief valves. In the end so much gas had been vented that the airship only could fly by dynamic lift. It reached Mainz and started it’s return flight but when one engine failed it had to land near Echterdingen for repairs. The engine was taken out but in the afternoon strong winds tore the airship from it’s moorings and the ground crew was unable to hold it down. It hit some trees and then it caught fire and was destroyed.

The disaster took place in front of an estimated 40 to 50 thousand spectators and produced an extraordinary wave of nationalistic support for Zeppelin's work. Unsolicited donations from the public poured in: enough had been received within 24 hours to rebuild the airship, and the eventual total was over 6 million marks were donated, at last providing Zeppelin with a sound financial base for his experiments.

Length: 136 m Diameter: 12.95 m Volume: 15,008 m ³

Powerplant: 2 × Daimler piston engines, 78 kW (105 hp) each

Maximum speed: 48 km/h (30 mph) Endurance: 31 hours

Literature :

Early Aviation page 24