Graf Zeppelin GLZ-127

The most successful zeppelin ever built, LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin flew more than a million miles on 590 flights, carrying over 34,000 passengers without a single injury.

During its nine year career, Graf Zeppelin made the first commercial passenger flight across the Atlantic, the first commercial passenger flight around the world, flew a scientific mission over the North Pole, made the first regularly scheduled transatlantic passenger crossings by air, and aroused intense public enthusiasm around the globe.

[19:15] What does she say regarding the passenger?

[26:40] Note the flight over melted buildings in Germany.

[30:30] Parking a Zeppelin.

[37:42] Russian Crossing, 150 hours of fuel for 1100 km. Arrival in Berlin.

[40:30] The dining hall in full swing, and 150 miles to Moscow.

[44:00] The decision not to fly over Moscow!

[46:34] Russian balloons.

[47:00] Russian mountains.

[51:00] 30 hours above Siberia. Fly over of Tunguska “Yakuts”.

[54:00] Russian mountain range with peaks of 6000 ft!!!

[55:00] Above cloud level.

[58:00] Japan.

[1:04:00] The storm.

[1:06:00] Repairs and touchdown.

[1:12:00] Los Angeles.

[1:18:00] New York, Liberty.

Lady Grace Drummond-Hay, an English journalist, was the only woman among sixty passengers and crew on the Graf Zeppelin when it flew around the world in 1929. Although she was not an aviator herself at first, she contributed to the glamour of aviation and general knowledge of it, by writing articles about her aerial adventures for US newspapers in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Born Grace Marguerite Lethbridge on September 12, 1895 in Liverpool, UK, she was the widow of a British diplomat, Sir Robert Hay Drummond-Hay.

As a journalist for the Hearst press organization, Drummond-Hay made her first zeppelin flight in October, 1928, when she was chosen to accompany five other reporters, including her companion and Hearst colleague Karl von Wiegand, on the first transatlantic flight of the Graf Zeppelin from Germany to America. As the only woman on the flight, Drummond-Hay received a great deal of attention in the world’s press.

In March of 1929, Lady Drummond Hay and von Wiegand were once again aboard Graf Zeppelin, for the ship’s “Orient Flight” to Palestine. Later in 1929 the Hearst organization co-sponsored Graf Zeppelin’s historic Round-the-World flight and their reporter Lady Drummond-Hay was once again a passenger. She was the only woman among the 60 male passengers and crew, which again included her companion von Wiegand. Drummond-Hay’s presence on the flight, and her reporting as the ship circled the globe, garnered tremendous attention in the press.

Lady Drummond Hay’s experience on the Graf Zeppelin’s Round-the-World flight, and her romance with fellow journalist Karl von Wiegand, is the subject of the film Farewell by Dutch filmmaker Ditteke Mensink.

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Lady Drummond-Hay was also onboard the Hindenburg’s maiden flight from Germany to the United States in May, 1936, along with aviation enthusiast Clara Adams. During the flight, Lady Drummond-Hay wrote and posted a letter to her friend Adams, looking forward to meeting again “as companions in adventure when the next Zeppelin is completed.” The letter is dated May 8, 1936; the age of the passenger zeppelin ended just a year later, with the Hindenburg disaster of May 6, 1937.

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A mission was undertaken to repair the fin and restore control to the captain. A small team of riggers set out across the top of the Zeppelin in the late night storm to reattach the canvas. It was a stupefyingly dangerous mission, and it took place 1,000s of feet above the raging North Atlantic Ocean. During the repair process the Zeppelin’s engines were turned off although this caused the airship to slowly descend. Twice during the process the engines had to be powered up to push the ship back up to a safer altitude whilst the men on top held on for their lives.

The riggers achieved their goal, against all odds. They didn’t lose a single man and the Zeppelin made it safely to the USA.

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