H M Airship R101

The Building of R100 and R101

In the 1920s, the answer to long-distance air travel was seen to be the rigid airship rather than the aeroplane as, at that time, the latter could only carry a few passengers over relatively short distances in daylight.

In 1924, the British Government launched the Imperial Airship Scheme and commissioned two prototype airships to carry out trial flights to Canada and India as the precursor to the establishment of regular airship services across the British Empire.

The R100 was built by a subsidiary of Vickers Ltd at Howden, in Yorkshire, and was designed by Dr (later Sir) Barnes Wallis.  The R101 was designed and built at the state-owned Royal Airship Works at Cardington, Bedfordshire. The R100 first flew on 16th December 1929 when it transferred to Cardington. The R101 had flown two months earlier on 14th October 1929.

Passenger accommodation was provided inside the hull of the R101 with two-berth cabins, a lounge, dining room, smoking room and promenade decks.  However, neither airship could achieve the original requirement to carry 100 passengers and this was soon reduced to 50.  Both airships were inflated with hydrogen, as helium was not then available in Britain.

Picture: Parliamentary Archives, HL/PO/RO/1/181