Jump to content

List of Zodiac airships

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Société Zodiac company, and its predecessor company Mallet, Mélandri et de Pitray, were a manufacturer of non-rigid airships and one rigid airship in the early 1900s and during World War I. The companies were co-founded by Maurice Mallet and Henry de La Vaulx in 1896. During World War I, the company specialized in producing small airships that could be easily deflated, compacted and transported via horse carts. The company also manufactured war planes. After the war the company shifted from airships and airplanes to producing a popular line of inflatable boats for military and civil markets, and aerospace production.

Pre-World War I airships (1906-1913)

[edit]

Source: D'Orcy's Airship Manual[1]

Works

No.

Name Trials Length

(m)

Beam

(m)

Volume

(m3)

Power

(h.p.)

Speed

(km)

Notes Images
1 Comte de la Vaulx June 1906 32.5 6.4 730 14 25 Experimental craft. Named after company co-founder Count Henri de la Vaulx. Rebuilt as Zodiac II in 1908.
2 Petit-Journal April 1909 30,0 7.0 700 16 26 Advertising blimp for the La Petit-Journal. Rebuilt as Zodiac I in 1908.
3 Petit-Journal II 1909 32.3 7.2 900 45 30 Advertising blimp for the La Petit-Journal
4 Zodiac October 1909 40.8 8.5 1400 45 45 Built for French Army
5 Davis July 31, 1910 40.8 8.5 1400 30 35 Built for Stuart Davis of The Zodiac Dirigible Airship Company, New York City.[2]
6 Zodiac II 1910 40.8 8.5 1400 30 35 Built for Belgian Army
6a Zodiac III 1913 42.5 8.5 1700 50 40 Built for Belgian Army [1]
7 Duindigt May 1911 34.9 6.8 915 30 43 Built for Dutch Army
8 Tchaika November 1910 48.0 10.0 2140 60 40 Built for Russian Army
9 Korchoune December 1910 48.0 10.0 2140 60 40 Built for Russian Army
10 Le Temps March 1911 50.3 9.0 2300 110 50 Built for French Army
11 Capitaine Ferber December 1911 76.0 12.4 6000 220 56 Built for French Army
12 Commandant Coutelle April 1913 92.0 14.0 9500 400 62 Built for French Army
13 Spiess May 1913 113.0 13.5 12800 200 50 Only rigid airship built by Zodiac Society. Named after its engineer Joseph Spiess. Design was originally patented in 1873 but not built due to lack of funding. Offered to French Army, but failed its trials.
13a Spiess December 1913 140.0 13.5 16400 400 70 Rebuilt to meet French Army standards, but was again rejected as too small.
14 1913 130.0 15.0 23000 1000 80 Built for French Army
15 1913 130.0 15.0 23000 1000 80 Built for French Army
16 1913 130.0 15.0 23000 1000 80 Built for Russian Army

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ D'Orcy, Ladislas (1917). D'Orcy's airship manual; an international register of airships with a compendium of the airship's elementary mechanics. New York: The Century Co. pp. 97–103. OL 7030731M.
  2. ^ Ignasher, Jim. "The Zodiac Dirigible Airship Company – 1910". New England Aviation History. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
[edit]