--- product_id: 16830636 title: "Airship on a Shoestring the Story of R 100" price: "VT12211" currency: VUV in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/16830636-airship-on-a-shoestring-the-story-of-r-100 store_origin: VU region: Vanuatu --- # Airship on a Shoestring the Story of R 100 **Price:** VT12211 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Airship on a Shoestring the Story of R 100 - **How much does it cost?** VT12211 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/16830636-airship-on-a-shoestring-the-story-of-r-100) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description After the First World War, airships were seen as the only viable means of long range air transport for passengers and freight. In Britain, this gave rise to the Imperial Airship Scheme of 1924 to link the outposts of the Empire by an airship service. Conceived as part of this scheme, the R.100 airship, built by private enterprise, successfully flew to Canada and back in 1930. This is the story of R.100, Britain's most successful passenger airship. It is a tale of schemes and politics, over-optimism and rivalry. It tells the full story of its design and construction under difficult conditions, the setbacks and delays, personal antagonism and financial constraint. Two years late and massively over budget, R.100 flew and flew well, achieving her designer's ambition and fulfilling the contract specification. Her Canadian flight in 1930 was the culminating success, but her ultimate fate was dictated by the tragedy that befell her Government-built sister ship, R.101, and economic expediency at a time of national economic depression. Review: a good basic history of a little known story - Unless you're into airships, you've likely never heard of the R-100. It was a British Zeppelin built in the 1920s. The R-100 was built by private industry, its rival, the R-101, was built by the government. Both airships construction was funded by the government. the R-101 crashed on its first flight to India, killing 48 of the 52 onboard, including Lord Thompson the British Air Minister. Its story is much better known. If you're interested in the story behind the R-100, this book delivers. If you're the kind of person who wants the engineering side of the story, that is here, as Anderson covers the problems that had to be overcome to get the R-100 airborne. if you're interested in the people behind the machine, Anderson gives you that as well. There's quite a cast of characters here, including Nevil Shute Norway, later to become famous as the author of On The Beach. Shute was deeply involved in the building of the R-100, initially as the chief stress engineer. Like any good history, Anderson gives a taste of the background of his story. This is not a flashy book, but it is solid, and if you are interested in airships you ought to add it to your library. Even if your interest in history is more general, this is worth reading. Review: Bygone era - This is a very interesting book about a bygone era, the era of the big dirigibles. The book contains a lot of details about not only the R-100 but its sister ship, the R-101, which was unfortunately destroyed with the death of almost everyone on board. A fascinating read from an historical and an engineering perspective. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #6,779,181 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #3,100 in Aviation History (Books) #8,765 in Military Aviation History (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 78 Reviews | ## Images ![Airship on a Shoestring the Story of R 100 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61xyI8y5kcL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ a good basic history of a little known story *by W***E on March 6, 2017* Unless you're into airships, you've likely never heard of the R-100. It was a British Zeppelin built in the 1920s. The R-100 was built by private industry, its rival, the R-101, was built by the government. Both airships construction was funded by the government. the R-101 crashed on its first flight to India, killing 48 of the 52 onboard, including Lord Thompson the British Air Minister. Its story is much better known. If you're interested in the story behind the R-100, this book delivers. If you're the kind of person who wants the engineering side of the story, that is here, as Anderson covers the problems that had to be overcome to get the R-100 airborne. if you're interested in the people behind the machine, Anderson gives you that as well. There's quite a cast of characters here, including Nevil Shute Norway, later to become famous as the author of On The Beach. Shute was deeply involved in the building of the R-100, initially as the chief stress engineer. Like any good history, Anderson gives a taste of the background of his story. This is not a flashy book, but it is solid, and if you are interested in airships you ought to add it to your library. Even if your interest in history is more general, this is worth reading. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Bygone era *by N***D on May 7, 2025* This is a very interesting book about a bygone era, the era of the big dirigibles. The book contains a lot of details about not only the R-100 but its sister ship, the R-101, which was unfortunately destroyed with the death of almost everyone on board. A fascinating read from an historical and an engineering perspective. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fascinating Story of the R100 *by P***B on April 5, 2014* In this book John Anderson presents many technical details of the R100 never before widely published. It includes many pictures and diagrams which are very interesting. When you look at a picture of the nearly completed rigid frame and then look at a close-up of one of the numerous joints in the structure, you get some feel for the magnitude of the whole undertaking. The diagrams of the passenger and crew quarters clearly show the limited, Spartan accomodations which required a 700 foot airship to get them off the ground. The section based on Nevil Shute Norway's log of the flight to Montreal is most enlightening. While includiong a good introduction to the British hopes for airships in the 1920s, the book probably is of more interest to those with some familiarity who want a more detailed trestment of the R100. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vu/products/16830636-airship-on-a-shoestring-the-story-of-r-100](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/16830636-airship-on-a-shoestring-the-story-of-r-100) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu* *Store origin: VU* *Last updated: 2026-05-18*