I went to fly in a Zeppelin

Post 00037 | May 20th 2023

This is just a quick life update post as I have just returned from holiday. Last month I noticed I had raked together quite a few days off on my holiday account and because business is a bit slow I decided to take three weeks off. Besides, May seems like the ideal time to go vacation; Days are getting long but it isn't dreadfully warm yet, so you still have energy to do stuff. While I did spend a lot of time just unwinding, I did manage to go on a couple of trips; I had a day trip to Copenhagen to see the musical Miss Saigon and a four day stay in Friedrichshafen in Southern Germany to live out a childhood dream of mine: I have always wanted to fly in an airship.

There is just something incredibly magnificent about airships. While they in essence are pretty simple - it's just a a balloon to hold some light gas and some propellers to steer it - its ridiculously big size more than makes up for it. You probably wouldn't be surprised to learn that my love for them stems from JRPGs. Airships are a staple in these games and it is always a highlight whenever you acquire one. It always opens up the world while it makes it seem that little bit smaller, much like the real world must have seemed when the first airships took flight. Of course, the are aircrafts of a bygone era. Very few tried them during their heyday and fewer still are alive to tell of their experience. I always assumed it was an extinct form of transport, something you would only experience in fiction and history books, so you can imagine my excitement when I saw that the Zeppelin company was still around, still making airships and that you were able to book scenic flights over Lake Constance, where the first Zeppelin had its maiden voyage over 100 years ago. I knew I had to go!

I decided to drive down there and make a road trip out of it. It is a rather uneventful twelve hour drive down route A7 on the Autobahn. I drive a 30 year old Honda Del Sol and while I am proud that the car took the journey in stride without any complaints, in hindsight it would have been cheaper, easier, more comfortable, and better for the environment to go by train.

Anyway, Friedrichshafen is a lovely city by the Swiss border, separated by Lake Constance. Apart from its beautiful surroundings, it is famous for being the birthplace of the Zeppelin airship. Littered with restaurants, ice cream vendors and souvenir shops, I can imagine the promenades by the harbour being visited frequently during the Summer months. I had booked four days as per the Zeppelin company's recommendation as they sometimes have to reschedule if the weather is too bad to fly. I'm glad I did, as this happened to me. I had decided to take the bus there. Two stops before the hangar they called to cancel. It seemed a bit ridiculous as I was going there in a t-shirt, but she did have a point; As soon as I got off the bus, it started pissing down. I should have brought a jacket. I was absolutely drenched when the same bus came and picked me up ten minutes later. Anyway, I was put on another flight the next day. I'm actually glad this happened. It was the first flight of the day, which means we got to see the airships getting taken out of the hangar.

Before take-off there was an half an hour safety briefing; While it mostly covered the same instructions you get on a normal airline such as safety belts and life vests, there are a few unique things that only apply to airships. Firstly you board the airship in pairs. As the Zeppelin is only anchored by its nose it moves with the wind, so if you were to queue you would run the risk of it sweeping down everyone waiting to get on. Secondly, they let the next people on while you de-board - Two people gets off, two people get on. This is done to maintain the weight of the aircraft. During this process water that is used as a ballast might also get added or discarded. It looks like the airship is weeing. Finally, as you only fly at around 300m height there is no need to pressurise the passenger area. There are plexiglass windows that can be opened, but we were advised not to stick our heads out due to the wind. This was humorously disregarded by the stewardess however, as halfway during the flight unprompted she opened the window, stuck her head out and started waving. We were flying over her daughter's school and she had promised to wave if they pass during recess. Serious mom of the year nomination right there!

A view of the cockpit. Interestingly, there is no barrier between the passengers and the flight crew. While this may seem appealing to any aspiring Don Karnages among my readership, here at TokiMemo HQ we don't condone piracy other than the odd romhack.

Another thing that's different from a normal aeroplane is the take-off. Usually you have the length of a runway to mentally prepare you to get airborne, but in the Zeppelin, it just happens, much like if you let go of a helium balloon because that's essentially what takes place. I would say there was about a 60° angle, so I can understand why we would have to remain seated during take off. However, after this we were free to walk around. At point the flight became real-life Pokémon Snap with everyone pointing a camera at anything that looked remotely interesting. The stewardess did a good job explaining the sights during the entire trip. I had picked the "Mainau" route, with Mainau being an island on the lake. It was a 60 minute flight. They offer both longer and shorter flights, but 60 minutes seems like an good time. After landing, you get a diploma and a picture book.

All in all, this was really what I hoped it would be, an experience of a lifetime. I'm really glad I went. After flying, I went back to Friedrichshafen to see the Zeppelin Museum. It has lots of exhibitions, including parts of the wreckage of the Hindenburg, which famously caught fire and crashed in 1937, effectively ending airships as a viable mode of transport. If you are ever in the area, I would say the museum is well worth a visit.