In the 1920s, airships were generally considered to be the most promising form of intercontinental passenger transport. Fixed-wing aircraft still had very limited performance and by the end of the 1920s, only a few brave souls had crossed the Atlantic in an aircraft. At that time the three primary builders and operators of airships were Germany, Great Britain, and the United States.

Painting of the R-100 arriving at Saint-Hubert by Canadian artist Don Connolly at the MAM’s aviation art gallery

In 1924, after much debate, the British government launched the Imperial Airship Scheme to connect Great Britain with other parts of its empire, including Canada to the west, Egypt and India to the east, and South Africa to the south. Construction of two massive airships began, the R‑100, designed and built by a subsidiary of Vickers that already had significant airship experience, and the R 101, by the government’s Royal Airship Works.

The R‑100 and R 101 were designed to common operational requirements, but using somewhat different approaches. The goal was to carry 100 passengers for 57 hours at a cruising speed of 63 mph (101 km/h). Both airships departed from the traditional Zeppelin design, with a more oval, streamlined, and aerodynamic shape. The chief designer of the R‑100 was Barnes Wallis, later famous for his “bouncing bomb.” He used advanced structural design techniques and Duralumin as the primary material to minimize weight. It was a massive and imposing vehicle, 700 ft. (213 m) long, with a hydrogen gasbag capacity of over 5 million cu. ft. After its construction at Howden, Yorkshire, the R‑100 took its first flight in December 1929 and began its flight trials.

Souvenir of the R-100 visit at Saint-Hubert August 2, 1930

Meanwhile, suitable landing sites were identified and equipped at the various destinations. Requirements were complex. After detailed evaluations, the region of Saint‑Hubert, Québec, was selected as the Canadian site. This led to the Canadian government funding the construction of Saint‑Hubert Airport (YHU), a first in Canada. Facilities included a 206 ft. (63 m) tall mooring tower built by Canadian Vickers, a hydrogen manufacturing plant, a meteorological service station, and passenger handling installations.

On July 29, 1930, the R‑100 departed its operating base at Cardington, Bedfordshire, en route to Montréal carrying 37 crew and 6 passengers.

This was the first long-range international flight under the Imperial Airship Scheme. The R‑100 arrived in Saint‑Hubert in the early morning of August 1 after a voyage of almost 79 hours covering 3,364 miles (5,414 km). The flight was relatively uneventful, except for damage to the tail covering incurred when passing through a storm over L’Isle-aux-Coudres, Québec. Temporary repairs were made in flight and permanent ones by Canadian Vickers staff after arrival at YHU.

The visit of the R‑100 was a major, well-publicized event, and special transportation from Montréal was provided. Estimates of the number of visitors ranged from six hundred thousand to over one million. During its stay in Canada, the R‑100 made a domestic trip that overflew Ottawa, Toronto, and Niagara Falls, before returning to the mast at YHU. The only significant technical problem was the failure of one of its six engines. Departing on August 13, 1930, the R-100 made its return journey to Cardington arriving after 58 hours and covering a distance of 2,995 miles (4,820 km).

The voyage of the R‑100 was considered a success. Despite misgivings from many involved, this encouraged decision makers to insist that the R 101—which had been subject to more design changes and modifications than the R‑100—travel to India to attend an imperial conference. On October 4, 1903, the R 101 departed under harsh weather conditions and after just seven hours it crashed and caught fire near Beauvais in northern France, killing 48 of the 54 aboard. This ended the British airship program and the R‑100 was broken up for scrap. Germany persisted with airship passenger operations until the Hindenburg disaster in 1937. By then, the performance of heavier‑than‑air aircraft was increasing dramatically and the days of commercial airship passenger transport were over.

The Montreal Aviation Museum’s R‑100 display attracts great interest from visitors, many of whom remember family or friends talking about visiting the airship at YHU or seeing it in flight.

The exhibition dedicated to the R-100 at the MAM