Amid much fanfare, the Graf Zeppelin arrived in Los Angeles’ Mine Field (now L.A. International Airport) in August 1929 as part of a Hearst-sponsored round-world journey. You can see how big it was when compared to the Goodyear blimp.
My Dad took the family out to see it take off from Mines Field (Now LAX) in the middle of the night. I was 12 years old and was so thrilled to see this silver colored, monstrous cigar shaped, dirigible rise forward and slightly up, all surrounded by powerful searchlights.
The reporters in the next mornings newspapers had a field day, as they claimed that the Graf Zeppelin had to hurdle over some high tension lines. They claimed that the night dew added more weight than expected, so the crew had to run inside the length of the dirigible to avoid hitting the high tension wires!
My Dad took the family out to see it take off from Mines Field (Now LAX) in the middle of the night. I was 12 years old and was so thrilled to see this silver colored, monstrous cigar shaped, dirigible rise forward and slightly up, all surrounded by powerful searchlights.
The reporters in the next mornings newspapers had a field day, as they claimed that the Graf Zeppelin had to hurdle over some high tension lines. They claimed that the night dew added more weight than expected, so the crew had to run inside the length of the dirigible to avoid hitting the high tension wires!
Wow Dave, you actually got to see that event for yourself??? I’m impressed…and rather jealous. Thanks for stopping by and sharing that story!