But, there are many problems and hurdles in the story after this. Zeppelins used to use hydrogen power. But in America, helium was used. The difference between the two gases is unsurmountable. Hydrogen gas can easily catch fire. But helium is an inert gas. It doesn’t catch fire easily. The concept is the same. Both gases are light than air. They help the airship fly in the air.
On 2nd July 1900, LZ-1 successfully completed its first flight. It stayed in the air for 20 minutes but suffered damages during the landing. Zeppelin started repairing it but due to a shortage of funds, he got his wife’s assets mortgaged to gather more money. He then completed LZ-2 in 1905 But before it could fly, a control part broke off and so it never flew. It took another year to repair it.
In 1906, he runs it through testing once again but another major flaw was revealed. Due to strong winds, the control of the airship was lost. He used the remaining parts to build LZ-3. He wanted to prove to the military that he could successfully build an aircraft. The military demanded that it needed to be durable for at least 24 hours. It would need to pass a durability test. But the airship failed.
