"Zeppelin Happy"

XLVI

After crossing over the American heartland southwest to northeast, the Graf Zeppelin paid a literal flying visit to Chicago. Denizens of the City of The Big Shoulders turned out to see the airship pass overhead.

The Graf Zeppelin over Chicago

After making a circuit of Chicago, the Graf Zeppelin flew off for Lakehurst, but not before detouring to New York City. The Graf Zeppelin's New York reception in 1929 outshone her 1928 arrival by a magnitude, and Dr. Eckener received another New York City ticker tape parade --- most people never get one; Eckener had two.

Dr. Eckener’s second New York tickertape parade, 1929

The distance from Los Angeles to Lakehurst was 2,996 miles, flown in 51 hours and 57 minutes.

The total distance flown, Lakehurst to Lakehurst ("The American Voyage") was 20,375 miles. The elapsed flying time was 284 hours and 13 minutes, or just a shade over 12 days. Dr. Eckener had beaten his own prediction for the circumnavigation by nearly 48 hours.

A steward making up one of the passenger berths on the Graf Zeppelin

The total distance flown, Frederichshafen to Frederichshafen ("The German Voyage") was 21,251 miles. The elapsed flying time was 290 hours and 11 minutes, or about 12-and-a-half-days. The Americans celebrated their "win" vociferously. 
 

The Auxiliary Control Room aboard the U.S.S. Macon, an innovation copied on the Hindenburg

But Dr. Eckener celebrated other things. He had proven than an airship could be rugged enough to go around the world, and he had proven it could do so far faster than any seagoing vessel. More importantly, he had made the world "Zeppelin happy." And most importantly, Goodyear had agreed to help him build the next generations of passenger zeppelins. Though no money changed hands during his brief meeting with Goodyear's executives, he knew that they were already designing the largest helium airships in the world, the U.S.S Akron and U.S.S. Macon. And they had assured him that the vessels of Goodyear-Zeppelin Inc., their new manufacturing subsidiary, would be helium vessels. For the first time, DELAG would be able to boast that their passengers need not fear fiery mishaps.

A gas cell fitted into the bow of an airship

DELAG already had a larger running mate for the Graf Zeppelin on the boards, LZ-128, planned to be the largest of the Los Angeles-class zeppelins.

 

Commemorative coins struck in honor of the Weltpflug

But Eckener also directed his design team to immediately begin drawing up blueprints for the much more massive helium-filled LZ-129 and LZ-130. They were planned to be the first of the ultimate airships.