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How the smallest Airship drones are performing jobs that conventional drones can’t. 

On January 25, 1925, J.H. Klein Jr., the commander of the airship USS Los Angeles, described an incredible sight he had witnessed to the Boston Globe.  He described his experience and stated it was, "A most spectacular sight. The sky at the horizon was a flood of merging orange and red light. Overhead the ceiling was blue-black, while all about was the darkness of twilight.” This incredible event occurred during the 1925 solar eclipse off the coast of New York City, and scientists and crew aboard the USS Los Angeles had a front row seat to the beauty and splendor of the occurrence.

In the early 20th century, airships were seen as the ideal air transportation for carrying freight and most notably, passengers, around the world. Garland Fulton was an early advocate of lighter-than-air vehicles (LTA) for the United States Navy. During his life he studied and collected articles on airships.

A new online interactive experience from the National Air and Space Museum explores the history of the USS Shenandoah 

One hundred years after the first U.S. Navy airship took to the skies, zeppelins and blimps are poised to make a comeback

Imagine this: It’s 1936 and you’re taking a luxurious three day flight from Germany to the United States in the Hindenburg. But instead of landing in New Jersey as expected, you dock to the top of the tallest building in the world: the Empire State Building.

Although some may presume Top Gun was the first time a major Hollywood film joined forces with U.S. naval aviation, that honor belongs to the 1931 film Dirigible.

On May 6, 1937, German airship LZ 129 Hindenburg burst into flames upon its approach to Naval Air Station Lakehurst, in New Jersey. Soon after, the airship plummeted to the ground in a crash that shocked the world. The incident marked the beginning of the end of the era of the airship. Read about one of most famous disasters in aviation history.

On the scale of thrilling aviation activities, hot air balloon rides normally rank pretty low. But how would you feel if one balloon ride was your ticket to a better life? AND what if you had to not only pilot the balloon yourself, but build it from scratch, in secret? What started with a magazine article about the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta ended with a thrilling aerial escape from East Germany in 1979. On this episode of AirSpace, we hear what it was like from someone who lived it firsthand. And we talk to a modern-day balloonist to learn just how difficult it is to create your own air-worthy balloon.

On April 2, 1942, the aircraft carrier USS Hornet was part of a secret plan to strike back at Japan. With no room for additional airplanes to land on the flight deck filled with B-25 Mitchell bombers, the US Navy turned to the Navy blimp L-8 for a special delivery.