HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

• First organized international race of lighter-than-air skyships
• First global circumnavigation by any skyship; will establish the international aviation record
• Fastest global circumnavigation by a lighter-than-air skyship
• Largest event ever seen by the greatest number of live spectators in all of history

The first non-rigid airship was built and flown in 1852 by Henri Giffard using a steam engine for propulsion.

Photograph: Mike Young; Model of Giffard Airship at the London Science Museum

Airships were the first aircraft to make controlled, powered flight, and were widely used before the 1940s for a variety of applications. In their various forms they have been used for travel, cargo transport, observation, scientific research and many other uses by many different countries around the globe.

Although their use has declined somewhat with the development of larger capacity and more reliable airplanes, there are several applications for which airships are uniquely qualified. In addition, they remain one of the lowest-impact aerial transport methods relating to the environment.