British Airship R.100 - Currell.net

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In the mid-1920s the British government developed the Imperial Airship Scheme to connect the far-flung British Empire by air. The plan began with the contracting of two huge dirigibles, R100 and R101. The R.100 was designed and constructed by a private subsidiary of Vickers, while R101 was built by a competing government agency. The R.100, when completed in 1930, was the size of an ocean liner and could carry 100 passengers in comfort at a speed of 81 miles per hour. In 1930 she made her first transatlantic flight to Canada, and in spite of minor problems the new airship was considered a success. However, the crash of R.101 with heavy loss of life later that year spelled the end of the Imperial Airship Scheme, and though she had proved to be a good design, R.100 was scrapped in 1931.

In the mid-1920s the British government developed the Imperial Airship Scheme to connect the far-flung British Empire by air. The plan began with the contracting of two huge dirigibles, R100 and R101. The R.100 was designed and constructed by a private subsidiary of Vickers, while R101 was built by a competing government agency. The R.100, when completed in 1930, was the size of an ocean liner and could carry 100 passengers in comfort at a speed of 81 miles per hour. In 1930 she made her first transatlantic flight to Canada, and in spite of minor problems the new airship was considered a success. However, the crash of R.101 with heavy loss of life later that year spelled the end of the Imperial Airship Scheme, and though she had proved to be a good design, R.100 was scrapped in 1931.

Information on the R.100 from other sites:

The R.100 in Canada - From the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, this document tells the story of R.100 and her successful transatlantic flight. Many photos are included. (Mo longer displayed at the museum site, but I've linked to a saved copy at archive.org).

Airshipsonline: The Imperial Airship Service - A wealth of information about the R100, R101 and the British airship programme.

Information on the R.100 from other sites:

The R.100 in Canada - From the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, this document tells the story of R.100 and her successful transatlantic flight. Many photos are included. (Mo longer displayed at the museum site, but I've linked to a saved copy at archive.org).

Airshipsonline: The Imperial Airship Service - A wealth of information about the R100, R101 and the British airship programme.

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British Airship R.100

Illustration of R.100

Photo of R.100 model

Skill Level 3/5
Previous experience recommended.

This model builds into an accurate 1:700 scale replica of the R.100 as she appeared on her transatlantic voyage. The completed model is about 12 inches (30cm) long.

You will need a colour printer capable of handling card or cover stock to print the parts sheets. 67 lb cover stock (approx 8.5 thousandths of an inch or 0.2 mm thick) is recommended.

See photos of the finished model.

Brief history and related links.

The model files

r100inst.pdf - 121 KiB - This document contains the instructions only (3 pages).

r100prts.pdf - 2.36 MiB - This document contains the parts for the R-100 model (4 pages).

r100prts_outline.pdf - 64 KiB - This is a special version of the parts layout with no background colour, and is intended for printing onto metallic card stock (4 pages).

The parts and instructions are in Adobe PDF format. Your web browser may allow you to read and print these files, otherwise you'll need a PDF reader such as Adobe's Acrobat Reader or Foxit Reader.

Last updated on 5 February 2021
Copyright 2002-2021 by Ralph Currell.