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The "Hindenburg" (Deutsches Luftschiff Zeppelin #129; Registration: D-LZ 129) belonged to the longest class of flying machines and the largest airships by envelope volume. The Hindenburg class of rigid airships was built by the Zeppelin Company (Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH), and this particular zeppelin flew from March 1936 until May 6, 1937, when fire destroyed the airship at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in Manchester Township, New Jersey, after the airship's first transatlantic flight. Major Lester D. Gardner was the organizer and secretary of the American Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences. He flew aboard the "Hindenburg" from Lakehurst, NY, to Moscow on October 3-6, 1936, to inspect the Central Aviation Institute, and afterwards flew to Berlin to attend a Lillienthal Society meeting, and then to France. His findings and photographs were presented jointly that December by the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Society of Automotive Engineers

 Identifier

NASM.XXXX.1009

Creator

Zeppelin (Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH) (Germany)

Date

bulk 1936

Provenance

Lester Gardner, Gift

Extent

0.05 Cubic feet ((1 folder))

Archival Repository

National Air and Space Museum Archives

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of: one color postcard view of dining room, postmarked London, 6 September 1936, from Ed Aldin to Major Lester D. Gardner; one receipt in the amount of 6.55 Reichmarks for a radio message sent from the wireless station by Lester D. Gardner, dated 2 October 1936; one bill in the amount of 162 Reichmarks for services aboard the ship (in German); and 11 service chits for alcoholic beverages signed by Lester D. Gardner.

Rights

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests

Restrictions

No restrictions on access.

Citation

Zeppelin LZ 129 "Hindenburg" Memorabilia, Accession XXXX-1009, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Topics

Zeppelin LZ 129 Hindenburg

Airships

Aeronautics

Type

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Postcards

Receipts