Ground-Handling Large Airships: A Cinderella Profession

Before aircraft fly, someone must make them ready. Airships are no exception. But the word 'airship' carries a lot of historical baggage and encompasses a wide range of complex flying machines that includes the largest objects ever to have flown. Moreover, the airship groundcrew personnel who provisioned, weighed-off and launched all these airships, prior to their every flight, were also expected to clean, maintain and test a bewildering array of 'ground handling' equipment. This ranged fro...