Goodyear RS-1


The Goodyear RS-1 was the first American semi-rigid airship which was designed by Goodyear chief aeronautical engineer and inventor, Herman Theodore Kraft with the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for the United States Army Air Service in the late 1920s.

Design and development

The main components of the RS-1 were built at the Goodyear factory at Akron, Ohio in 1924. It was designed by Goodyear engineer and inventor, Herman Theodore Kraft. The parts were shipped to Scott Field, Illinois for assembly. The first flight was delayed due to a mistake made during erection and eventually took place on 8 January 1926, lasting just over an hour with a crew of eight men. The airship had a gas volume of and was powered by four Liberty engines. A enclosed control car is suspended from the keel at the nose. Equipment included a bombing cockpit and the ability to carry of bombs, as well as mounts for machine guns on each side at the forward end of the car.

Operators