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R101 at Cardington EPW029993
R101 at Cardington, Bedfordshire, 1929. Built 1926-30 at the Royal Airship Works at Cardington, the final test flight was 1st October 1930. Three days later the R101 departed for Karachi but crashed into a hillside near Beauvais, north of Paris, killing 48 of its 54 passengers. Aerofilms Collection (see Links). Historic England is the public body that champions and protects England's historic places. © Historic England
Media ID 682154
Filename: afl03_aeofilms_29993.jpg
Size: 4960 x 3807 (6.4MB)
Date: 14th October 1929
Source: Historic England
Credit: Historic England Archive Aerofilms C
Source: English Heritage Images
Aerostat Air Craft People Transport Air Ship
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> Historic Images > Historic Images 1920s to 1940s
> Transport > Airports and airfields
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This photograph, EPW029993 from the Historic England Archive Aerofilms collection, presents the R101 airship at its home base in Cardington, Bedfordshire, during the late 1920s. The R101, a magnificent creation of the Royal Airship Works, was constructed between 1926 and 1930. It represented the pinnacle of airship technology at the time, with a length of 228 meters and a volume of 75,000 cubic meters. The scene in this image is bustling with activity. Workers and technicians are visible around the airship, attending to various tasks. A car is parked nearby, perhaps belonging to one of the engineers or supervisors. In the background, the expansive sheds of the Royal Airship Works can be seen, a testament to the scale of the operation. The R101 was intended for research and exploration, and its maiden voyage was planned for India, with Karachi as its destination. The airship's final test flight took place on the 1st of October 1930. However, just three days later, on the 7th of October, tragedy struck. The R101 departed from Moorgate, London, bound for its destination, but it never reached its goal. The airship crashed into a hillside near Beauvais, north of Paris, killing 48 of its 54 passengers and crew members. This unfortunate incident marked the end of the R101's journey and brought an abrupt halt to the era of rigid airships in the United Kingdom.
