Re: Blimp Bombing

----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian Burger" <yh728@victoria.tc.ca>
> Hindenburg was over 800ft long; modern plans, using composites instead
of
> metals, have postulated quite buildable 1000ft long airships! More
trivia:
> Everyone 'knows' that airships are dangerous - but the 13 passengers
> killed when the Hindenburg went up were the *only* paying passengers
every
> killed in an airship accident...

The Hindenburg fire was quite spectacular. However, it is now generally
acknowledged that the main reason for its quick spread was not the
hydrogen
filling, but the inflammable aluminum doping which had been used to
paint
the ship's skin.

While hydrogen-oxygen mixes are quite explosive, hydrogen gas as such is
so
light that any leakeing gas will drift upward, taking any flames with
it. So
a hydrogen fire tends to be a limited threat to its surroundings.

Greetings