When the British airship R.34 crossed the Atlantic in 1919, she and her crew became instant celebrities. Taking off from Britain on July 2, the crew battled winds, storms, freezing conditions, and a rapidly dwindling fuel supply before arriving 108 flying hours later. Hovering over a field in Mineola, NY, the airship discharged its first cargo – Major John Pritchard – who parachuted down to organize the landing party below. This was necessary because no one in the United States had any experience in handling such a craft. As the photos illustrate, obviously, Pritchard was successful. He also became the first man to arrive in America by air.
The first photo shows R.34 resting after its journey. Hundreds of hydrogen cylinders are scattered and stacked all around to provide gas for the trip home. Why the whole place wasn’t blown to Kingdom-come is probably a miracle.
Photo #2 is interesting because the men of the 278th Aero Squadron decided to use the R.34 as a backdrop for their group photo. At this time, the 278th was being disbanded at Mineola, and the arrival of R.34 was obviously inspiring. This is the only explanation because the 278th certainly had nothing to do whatsoever with airships (other than trying to shoot them down, should the opportunity present itself.).
The last photo exemplifies how the R.34 compared to the Woolworth Building in New York City. The tallest building in the world at that time, Woolworth’s was always a handy prop for comparison (ocean liners, airships, etc.).
The Jive Bomber 