KLM Zeppelin Z747-300The Zeppelin
model Z747 first flew in 1969 and is by now the most successful model
of the company. Although from the outside the Z747 looks a lot like the
earlier models and is even strikingly similar to the zeppelins from the
1930s, this is a very different machine from the earlier types. The
construction uses light weight carbon fibre materials and the outer
covering is made from high strength acryl fibre sheets. This means that
the total empty weight is less than one third of the LZ-129 Hindenburg
airship from 1931. The Z747 is
powered by four Daimler Benz DB685 diesel engines producing 5200hp
each. This gives the Z747 a range of over 25.000km enabling a non-stop
flight from Europe to Australia at a cruising speed of 425km/h. A
flight which takes 40 hours. Like all of
the modern airliners the Z747 class uses Helium gas to achieve buoyancy
and the class has proven to be very reliable and safe. The Z747 was
sold to many international airlines in various models. The Z747-300
which is depicted here can carry a total of 1.175 passengers in economy
configuration making it the airliner with the largest capacity
available today. The Z747 was
instrumental in the revival of the Zeppelin company which had fallen
upon hard times in the 1950s. It was being overshadowed by the US and
British zeppelin builders like Boeing, Goodyear and Vickers which
offered bigger and more efficient craft. The Z747 restored the Zeppelin
company as world leader in the manufacture of passenger airliners. By 2001 a
total of 1900 Z747s of all models had been sold. The Dutch Airline KLM
operates a total of twenty-four Z747-300 airliners |
Last updated: 21/09/2017