S.C. Gwynne: R101 – The World’s Largest Flying Machine (1930)

Travels Through Time

After a short break at TTT, enter the world’s largest flying machine.

‘R101’ was one of the most ambitious creations of the airship era. Plans for it began about a century ago in the 1920s. The vision of engineers and politicians was that the 1930s were to mark the start of a new epoch in air travel. R101 was to lead the way. Huge airships were going to glide through the imperial skies, binding together the distant outposts of the British Empire.

In 1930 R101’s story reached its tragic climax when, seven hours into a flight from its base in Bedfordshire, it crashed to the north of Paris. Of the fifty or so on board, only a handful survived the hydrogen fireball.

R101’s story, and the history of the era that created it, are the subject of a new book by the New York Time bestselling author S.C. ‘Sam’ Gwynne. His Majesty’s Airship tells the story of ‘the life and death of the world’s largest flying machine’.

In this episode Sam takes Peter back to see R101 as the moment of disaster nears.

To be in with winning one of two hardback copies of His Majesty’s Airship, just head to the Unseen Histories Instagram page and follow/like this post.

For more, as ever, visit our website: tttpodcast.com. To read an extract and see images from His Majesty’s Airship, visit unseenhistories.com

Show notes

Scene One: 30 June 1930. Royal Airship Works, Cardington. R101 is beset with problems.

Scene Two: 4 October 1930. The departure of R101 from Cardington, Bedfordshire.

Scene Three: 5 October 1930. Near Beauvais, France. The crash, and aftermath.

Memento: R101’s Control Car

People/Social

Presenter: Peter Moore

Guest: S.C. Gwynne

Production: Maria Nolan

Podcast partner: Ace Cultural Tours

Theme music: ‘Love Token’ from the album ‘This Is Us’ By Slava and Leonard Grigoryan

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