Sir Barnes Wallis' R.100 Airship

Up, up, up and away: Sir Barnes Wallis' use of geodetic design in flight, the R.100

Exclusive footage of the R.100 airship in flight taken whilst crossing over Plymouth in January 27th 1930. Sir Barnes Wallis an employee of Vickers, later to be the British Aircraft Corporation designed the R.100 from eleven components. Ideas taken from his previous airships, the use of a rigid geodetic duralumin frame and gasbags produced the iconic streamlined shape.

Sir Barnes Wallis, inventor, engineer and scientist, having designed the rigid frame airships of the 'Great Airship' era of the 1920s and 1930s is also famous for inventing the bouncing bomb which was used by the Royal Air Force during World War II in operation Chastise ' Dambusters' to destory the German dams of Mohne, Edersee and Sorpe.