R101 Collection

Airship R101 G-FaW moored outside the hangars
Airship R101, G-FaW, moored outside the hangars at Cardington while onlookers view from the road and the top deck of a bus

Interior of the R101 airship
Amenities of the giant British airship R101, showing the smoking room, a typical two-berth cabin, and passengers looking down on the lights of a city from the starboard promenade deck

Airship R101 at Cardington

R101 airship on mooring mast
The R101 airship attached to a mooring mast, Cardington RAF Base. Date: circa 1930

Airship R101 G-FaW moored alongside the hangars
Airship R101, G-FaW, moored alongside the hangars at Cardington

The R101 before Flight
THE R.101 : hundreds of men are required to manoeuvre the cumbersome airship on the ground, preparatory to its disastrous first (and last) flight

The final flight of R 101, she crashed the next day

R101 at Cardington - 1
The R.101 at its mooring mast at Cardington

AIRSHIP / R101 CRASH / 1930
The skeleton of the R.101 sits in a field near Beauvais, France, after the crash during its first and last flight. Date: 5 October 1930

Airship R101 leaving the mooring mast at Cardington on the day of its departure to India. 4 October 1930. Date: 1930

Airship R101 at its mooring mast at Cardington

A flying hotel: passenger quarters in airship R101
A flying " hotel" : the remarkable passenger quarters in Britains new giant airship, R101. The worlds largest airship

Royal Airship Works R-101
R-101 Airship Parked Tethered to a Docking Tower by Airport Buildings and Cars at Cardington, Bedfordshire Date: 1929

Power and control in R101
The first diesel-engined airship: power and control in R101. Illustrations of some of the features of R101: a power car, the chart room, and mooring arrangements

R101 engine car on a testbed

R101 at Cardington - 2
The huge R.101 at its mooring mast at Cardington

Lord Thomson of Cardington (HM Secretary of State for Air) seen here at the Royal Airship Works, Cardington about to board the R101 airship for the Imperial Conference in India. 4th October 1930

Airship Bournemouth. Maiden flight at RAF Cardington
Airship Bournemouth. Maiden flight at RAF Balloon Centre, Cardington. Built for Festival of Britian, for the Airship Club under the direction of Lord Vantry - being the first built in Britain since

R101 as the air ministers office, 1929
R101 as the air ministers office: the second flight of Britains giant airship. Meteorological offices at Cardington; air minister Lord Thomson about to ascend the mooring mast of the R101 by

Poised in the Vast Hall of Her Birthplace, Ready To Take Wing, c1935. R 101 airship in her hanger. Royal Airship Works, Cardington, Bedfordshire. From Our Wonderful World, Volume IV, edited by J.A

Intricacies of Framework and Cylinder: R101 in the Making, c1935. From Our Wonderful World, Volume IV, edited by J.A. Hammerton. [The Amalgamated Press, Ltd. London]

Floating at the Mast Head, A Mighty Envelope of Invisible Power, c1935. R 101 airship at its mooring. Royal Airship Works, Cardington, Bedfordshire

The internal structure of the airship R101, c1929 (c1937). The R101 was one of a pair of British rigid airships completed in 1929 as part of a government programme to develop civil airships capable

British rigid airship R101 riding at her mooring mast at Cardington, Bedfordshire, c1929 (c1937). The R101 was one of a pair of British rigid airships completed in 1929 as part of a government

The R101, 1930, (1938). The R101 was one of a pair of British rigid airships completed in 1929 as part of a British government programme to develop civil airships capable of service on long distance

The R101 passing over the House of Commons, 14th October 1929 (1936)
The 101 passing over the House of Commons, 14th October 1929 (1936). The R101 crashed on October 5 1930, in Beauvais, France, killing 48 people

Inside the control car of the R101

Hamleys Christmas presents advertisement, 1929
Full page advertisement for Hamleys toy shop featuring a number of ideas for Christmas 1929 including a bunny nightie and hot water bottle case

R101 from Common Room window Date: 1927

R101 engine car with thrust bearing wire to airscrew hub

Beardmore Tornado engine mounted in the lower half of and engine car of the R101

The R101 airship during construction showing the structure and a partially inflated gasbag

Airship R101 at its mooring mast. Colour tinted photo

Sqn Ldr Bone and French air officials examine R101 wreckage
Sqn Ldr Bone and French air officials examine the wreckage of the R101. 6 October 1930. Date: 1930

The wreckage of the R101

Airship R101 at alongside its mooring mast at Cardington

R101 at the mooring mast
The R101 at the mooring mast where she is being prepared for her flight to India; she has been lengthened by 50ft and fitted with two new engines

R101 at Cardington - 3
The 223-metre long R.101 on the ground at Cardington : a great many men are required to hold it down to earth. Date: 1929

R101 CRASH - 1
THE R.101 : badly designed, inadequately tested and overloaded, the airship crashes near Beauvais, France, on its way to India

R100 Mooring Tower
THE R.100 : mooring tower erected at Howden, Yorkshire, for R.100s projected transatlantic service, which alas never came into being due to the R.101 crash

R101 CRASH - 2
THE R.101 : badly designed, inadequately tested and overloaded, the airship crashes near Beauvais, France, on its way to India

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"R101: A Majestic Airship That Soared and Tragically Fell" The colossal airship R101, with its registration code G-FaW, gracefully moored outside the hangars. Step inside the magnificent interior of the R101 airship, a marvel of engineering and luxury. Proudly holding up the mighty R101, a symbol of human ingenuity and ambition reaching for the skies. Witness the awe-inspiring sight of the R101 airship towering on its mooring mast, ready to embark on daring adventures. Captured in a stunning moment, Airship R101 G-FaW majestically moored alongside the hangars at Cardington. Behold the grandeur before her fateful flight – an iconic image that would forever be etched in history. Standing tall at Cardington, Bedford, witness this engineering masterpiece – Royal Airship Works' very own R-101. The final flight of R 101 - an ill-fated journey that ended tragically just one day later; a somber reminder of humanity's fallibility amidst great aspirations. Marvel at this captivating shot capturing every detail as R101 rests peacefully at Cardington - a testament to human innovation and perseverance. Explore every inch of Airship R101's impressive presence as it graces Cardington with its majestic silhouette against clear blue skies.