... had made more technical advancements than aeroplanes, between 1910 and 1914 five German airships had carried 42,000 passengers in 2,000 flights; this role however was reversed at the end of the war when the 'heavier than air' machine had many more uses.i Of the airships built in the early part of the 20th century the American and the German designs were seen to be the best; but there were many disasters and crashes that were to create such apprehension that two committees were formed to study and analyse the statistics of airships. The Aeronautical Research committee appointed each body; the first was the "Airship stressing panel" their main objective, obvious from the title, was to measure and calculate the stresses and strains that an airship would and could undergo in adverse weather conditions. The second panel was also aptly named "The Airworthiness of Airships panel".ii These teams investigated previous crashes ...

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