Semi-Rigid

The Italian built N-1, or NORGE (1925-1926) a semi-rigid airship, made a memorable flight in 1926 from Rome, Italy to Teller, Alaska, crossing the North Pole, enroute, with the Amundsen-Ellsworth-Nobile expedition. Total length of the flight was 6,820 miles, with refuelling stops in Germany, Russia, Norway and Spitzbergen. Ship was dismantled at Teller and shipped back to Italy. Capacity was 670,000 cubic feet.

In 1928 Roald Amundsen was Killed in an airplane crash in the Arctic while engage in search for Nobile. They flew Semi-rigid airships which were more poplular earlier this century. They usually comprise a rigid lower keel construction and a pressurized envelope above that. The rigid keel can be attached directly to the envelope or hung underneath it. The airships of Brazilian aeronaut Alberto Santos-Dumont were semi-rigids. One of the most famous examples of the type was Italia, the airship which General Umberto Nobile used on his attempt to reach the North Pole.

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