Subscribe to our newsletter. Ask an Expert Airships Dirigibles, Airships, Zeppelins and Blimps General history and definition of terms. Airships FAQ Frequently asked questions. The Airship Heritage Trust Britain's excellent airship museum. The Zeppelin History and Photo Website Featuring the Hindenburg, Graf Zeppelin, etc.
Balloons come in several designs.
The typical round bag is used in sport and weather balloons. Dirigible designs are long and sausage shaped. Dirigibles are divided into airships with rigid frames, called zeppelins, and ones with no frame, called blimps. In June 1783 the Montgolfier Brothers made the first public demonstration of a model hot-air balloon and in September they flew a balloon carrying a sheep, a duck and a cockerel. The Baldwin Dirigible During the summer of 1908, the Army tested the Baldwin dirigible.