On October 7, 1902, Arthur had just attended the entrance ceremony of the third class of freshmen at the Australian National University, and turned around to meet two talented people from Germany, Theodor Kerber and Ludwig Dürr, at his estate.

The fame of these two talents in history is not so significant, and even the fame is not so great now.

But the first zeppelin they helped design was already a success, even winning the Victorian Prize for Science and Technology in 1901.

When it comes to Zeppelin, a famous name has to be mentioned, and that is the real maker of Zeppelin, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin.

Count Zeppelin, who had a brilliant resume as a lieutenant general in the German Army, but it was his invention of the Zeppelin that really made him famous.

Historically, Zeppelin was a pioneer in German aviation and the inventor of the large, practical rigid airship in Germany.

In the days before airplanes, airships were the only way to get people to the sky.

The victorious Zeppelins were Zeppelin and Theodor Kerber and Ludwig Dürr.

The first LZ-1 zeppelin developed by the three of them is about 128 meters long, 11.7 meters in diameter, and has a total volume of about 11,300 cubic meters of hydrogen bags.

The airship is equipped with two external pods, each equipped with a 16-horsepower engine.

In the first test flight test two years ago, the airship achieved good results, not only being able to carry at least six tons of cargo, but also being able to float dozens of kilometers at a speed of more than 35 kilometers per hour.

Of course, that's not what won Zeppelin the Victorian Technology Prize. Airships, as the only means for human beings to go to the sky before the birth of airplanes, still have a lot of development prospects for at least two or three decades.

This period would also be the peak of airship development, until the famous Hindenburg air disaster.

Arthur understood the limitations and shortcomings of airships, so it was natural that he would not make airships a major target for Australia's development.

But this does not deny that airships did play a good role during this time. And it is also a good idea to attract the attention of the countries of the world to airships, and Australia to quietly develop airplanes.

At least before the large-scale air crash, people still had a good impression and curiosity about this kind of big thing that can fly into the sky.

However, as a retired lieutenant general and earl of the German army, Zeppelin naturally could not come to Australia to serve as a scientific researcher.

But his two right-hand men, Theodor Kerber and Ludwig Dürr, who were involved in the design of the first zeppelin, were happy to come to Australia.

Not to mention anything else, Australia's offer to set up an independent research laboratory and research funding of at least 10,000 pounds a year is enough to make the two of them excited.

Although the true founders of the Zeppelin were not invited, Theodor Kerber and Ludwig Dühl were also outstanding talents in the field of German aviation, and they had made significant contributions and research in the field of aviation before designing the Zeppelin.

At the estate, Arthur formally met with Theodor Kerber and Ludwig Dürr.

Although it has been nearly a year since Count Zeppelin won the Victorian Technology Award, David Martins Simao, the head of European affairs of the royal family, has already extended an olive branch to the two.

But it took more than half a year for the two of them to think and solve the problems of their current jobs, and when the two actually arrived in Australia, even the new year's Victoria Award would be awarded.

"Dr. Theodor Kerber, Dr. Ludwig Dürr, welcome to Australia!" Arthur smiled and welcomed the two.

"Thank you, Your Highness, it is also an honour for us to be able to work in Australia." The two responded.

"I also know a little bit about the LZ-1 airship that you participated in the design, and you have indeed achieved a lot of results in terms of hard large airships. Although Mr. Zeppelin could not come, I believe that thanks to the efforts of the two experts, it will still be possible to reproduce and even design a more advanced and huge airship. Arthur spoke, and said his purpose directly.

"That should be fine, Your Highness. Reproducing an LZ-1 airship is not a difficult thing to do. However, if there is some improvement in its performance, I am afraid it will take much longer. Theodor Kerber expressed his concerns: "Although we and Mr. Zeppelin have been working on the improvement and redesign of the airship for some time, the progress is not fast, and there are still some problems to be solved in terms of the type of engine and the design of the motorboat. ”

"Time is not an issue, and neither is funding. I will give you enough research funds, and the improvement and research of the airship is also one of the most important tasks for you at the moment. Of course, I will also bring in more experts from Europe to help you complete this ambitious design. Arthur said with a smile.

Even the famous Zeppelin in history went through more than a decade of research and was not officially put into commercial use until the second decade of the 20th century.

"One of them? Your Highness, do you have any other plans? Ludwig Durr keenly grasped the other information in Arthur's words and asked with a little confusion.

Although they are currently outstanding talents in the aviation field, it is the airship industry that has made a difference in the aviation field at present.

From the birth of the balloon, the idea of piloting and propelling the balloon led to the birth of the airship. And now more than 100 years have passed since the birth of the first airship, and the airship has also developed well.

From the first human-powered airship to the current soft airship and hard airship, all kinds of airships have been able to carry people and goods, and carry out a short voyage in the air.

From the turtle speed of the airship at the beginning, to the speed of 9.4 kilometers per hour, and even the current speed of more than 25 kilometers per hour.

The speed of the LZ-1 rigid airship is already comparable to that of current warships, but the airship does not need to detour in the air, no matter what terrain it is, the airship is suitable for sailing.

As long as the problems of endurance and safety are solved, so that the single range of the airship can exceed 300 or even 500 kilometers, then the airship can be regarded as officially functioning.

Of course, if you want to achieve a great round-the-world flight like the historic "Graf Zeppelin", it is still very difficult to achieve according to the current technology.

But if it is only a short-distance transportation of materials and the establishment of air transportation routes, it is still possible in a short time.

First update, I wish you all a Happy New Year!

(End of chapter)