This film is part of Free
Airship No. 9
The maiden flight of Britain's first successful rigid airship – just don’t call it a zeppelin…
Overview
This film captures the historic first flight of His Majesty’s Airship No. 9, the first British rigid airship to be flown successfully. HMA No.1, "The Mayfly", had been built in 1911 but broke up in high winds before it could be flown. Housed in a purpose-built shed on Walney Island off the coast of Cumbria, this big flying pencil had been planned since 1913 but wasn't launched until the end of November 1916.
After being flown to Yorkshire and then later Norfolk, HMA No. 9 was mainly used for testing, and was scrapped at the end of 1918 to make room for newer designs. In a striking example of innovative recycling, surviving photos show that the ship’s nose cone was later used as a marquee for an air base sports day - waste not, want not!
Related
Shower Baths in the Trenches Shower Baths in the Trenches
Non-Fiction 1916 1 mins Silent
A humble scrub is all it takes to get these French troops in a lather.
The Scarecrow The Scarecrow
Comedy 1916 12 mins Silent
A tramp steals the clothes from a scarecrow, but when he realises two couples are using its pockets to pass messages, he sees an opportunity.
Tubby's Typewriter Tubby's Typewriter
Comedy 1916 11 mins Silent
Newlywed Tubby fancies another man's typewriter and ends up in hot water with his new wife
Preston North End Football Club at Deepdale Preston North End Football Club at Deepdale
1916 8 mins Silent
Preston North End play Liverpool (probably) in a regional football competition during WWI.
Industrial Sidelights Industrial Sidelights
Interest film 1916 7 mins Silent
Goat farming, salmon farming and copper mining all feature in this enlightening oddity.
The Man with the Glass Eye The Man with the Glass Eye
Drama 1916 26 mins Silent
There's shades of Moriarty to the mastervillain in this wartime potboiler.
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.
New Perspectives: Oldboy New Perspectives: Oldboy
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Discover why Dan George of Northumbria University believes everyone should experience Oldboy at least once.
New Perspectives: Wings of Desire New Perspectives: Wings of Desire
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Trixie Parkin-Christie of Northumbria University offers fresh insight into why Wings of Desire remains essential viewing.