Modern British Airship Practice: The Design and Construction of R 101 and of her Power Plant described in Detail

Abstract

THE general shape of the hull is one of lower fineness ratio (5.5) than has been employed in previous rigid airships and it has no parallel portion. It approximates closely to a shape (known as U 721) evolved by the National Physical Laboratory during the war and found to have a remarkably low drag coefficient—little more than 2 per cent. of the resistance of a circular plate of the same diameter as the maximum diameter of the form. The drag coefficient of the bare hull of R 33 (which is typical of the best of the older shapes) in the wind tunnel is 0.0115, that of R 101 is 0.00725 with polygonal cross‐section of 30 sides.

Citation

(1929), "Modern British Airship Practice: The Design and Construction of R 101 and of her Power Plant described in Detail", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 1 No. 9, pp. 305-312. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb029202