Zeppelin NT
Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik · Germany · first flew 1997 · transport aircraft
The modern Zeppelin — a semi-rigid helium airship from the company that started it all, now flying sightseers over Lake Constance and wearing Goodyear colours in America.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 3 × piston, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 75.1 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Cruciform |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- A 75-metre airship — nothing else in the sky is this slow or this big
- Three swivelling engines let it hover like a lazy helicopter
- Gondola tucked under the nose; huge fins at the tail
Unmistakable: a huge white cigar drifting at walking-to-motorway pace, engines audible as a distant hum, with a small cabin under the bow and big cruciform fins. If you can watch it for a minute and it barely moves, it is the Zeppelin.
Specifications
- The Zeppelin NT has a length of 75.1 m (246 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 19.7 m (65 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 125 km/h (78 mph).
- Typical crew: 2 crew + up to 14 passengers.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Zeppelin returned to airship building eight decades after the Hindenburg era ended, flying the Neue Technologie prototype at Friedrichshafen in 1997. An internal carbon-and-aluminium frame, vectoring engines and fly-by-wire made it the most capable airship since the 1930s.
Variants
NT07 baseline; Goodyear operates three as its current US blimp fleet, retiring its old GZ-20s.
Where you'll see it
Sightseeing from Friedrichshafen over Lake Constance, research and survey charters, and Goodyear’s stadium flyovers across the United States.
Related aircraft
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