September 16, 2014 (Tuesday)
On this date in 1931 a dirigible docked atop the new Empire State Building for three minutes. That was the only time that ever happened. But promises had been made that dirigibles would make regular stops at that location, and passengers would disembark on a gangplank a quarter mile above the streets of New York. For a number of reasons, that promise went unfulfilled and faded into the world of dreams long since past. It turns out that docking a giant blimp to a building over 1,000 feet tall is nearly impossible; the winds at that height are too strong.
Pictures showing a dirigible docked at that location proved to be creative photography used to publicize and promote the giant skyscraper’s construction.
The plan was that a dirigible would anchor itself to the mooring mast and then let passengers disembark down a gangplank onto the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building. The dirigible would be anchored at this location for three to four hours which would also allow it to be serviced. As stated above, it turned out to be just a dream.
It all looked very real in the movie Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow in which a giant dirigible docks at the Empire State Building. The gangplank lowers and people come out of the ship and down a stairway to the building. Alas, it’s only a movie.
It was one that I liked, regardless of what the critics say. I ask them, “Where’s your imagination?”