(1) One of helium's better-known, but less commercially important, applications is in lighter-than-air craft, such as dirigibles , and in weather and research balloons.(2) The first of the great long-distance passenger dirigibles , the Graf Zeppelin, went into service in 1928.(3) I'd always been fascinated by those giant silver dirigibles , having seen the Graf Zeppelin cruising over Los Angeles and once getting a ride in the little old Goodyear ‘Volunteer’ blimp NCBA in 1936.(4) Zeppelin starting building the new dirigibles , which are about one-third the length of the Hindenburg, in 1996, but the sale to the Nippon Airship Corporation was its first commercial deal.(5) Eight teams piloted their dirigibles (a task significantly more difficult than it may seem), while a crowd of spectators cheered them on.(6) Later, Lewis guns loaded with incendiary bullets and mounted on the famous Sopwith Camel biplanes, helped bring down hydrogen-filled German Zeppelin dirigibles that had been terrorizing English cities.(7) I only saw one show at G2 Gallery, of oil and acrylic paintings by Jack Balas in which flying machines such as dirigibles were juxtaposed with clock faces on which the numbers had been replaced by letters.(8) It contained some illustrations of what a city in the year 2000 would look like - giant skyscrapers separated by 20 lane highways, dozens of dirigibles and hundreds of airplanes flying between the buildings.(9) Now the duo, who also organise workshops at schools explaining the science behind their venture, is perfecting the design of larger dirigibles which could also be used by surveyors and architects on the outside of buildings.(10) ‘The beautiful birds of the air’ that thrilled the crowds each day were dirigibles flown by Ray Knabenshue and Lincoln Beachey.(11) Although it is fairly common, in late spring, in Berkshire, to see dirigibles swooshing gently across the early evening sky, it still remains a moment to lift the soul.(12) In 1908 the English novelist H. G. Wells could imagine an armada of German dirigibles crossing the Atlantic to devastate New York City.(13) Santos Dumont is truly a hero in his own right for his work first with dirigibles , then his development and seemingly first-ever successful flight in an airplane.(14) My neighbors and my community have lobbied our elected officials, written countless letters to the editor, and done everything short of flying dirigibles over our houses to divert the planes and what have we gotten in return?(15) It chronicled the efforts of a group of visionaries - or cranks, take your pick - to bring back lighter than air flight, i.e., dirigibles .(16) Their society is technologically advanced, and vast dirigibles called aëro: cruisers carry diplomatic missions to other citadels; yet a core of unscientific superstition still persists.
