Financing the First Zeppelin Company
Zeppelin “LZ-5” On an Excursion With Members of the German Parliament Aboard. Autumn 1908.
Zeppelin “LZ-6” and “Deutschland” in the First Double Shed at Friedrichshafen.
Zeppelin, in spite of many difficulties, succeeded in enlisting the necessary private capital and in 1898 organized a stock company (Aktiengesellschaft zur Foerderung der Motorluftschiffahrt) to promote motor airship flights. It had a paid in capital of one million marks ($238,000).
With his characteristic sound judgment and thoroughness of purpose, Count Zeppelin chose the Lake Constance (Bodensee) country for his initial efforts. He had known the lake and local weather conditions from boyhood and was convinced that the smooth ample surface of this beautiful lake offered the best facilities for the handling, starting and landing of these extremely large craft, though it was not long before enough had been learned to alight with them on land.
Now the giant Zeppelins can land at will with perfect safety on either land or water.
Today Lake Constance is recognized as the best place in the world for the training of airship personnel.
The eyes of the entire aeronautical world were focused on the floating airship shed ([Plate 1]), which Count Zeppelin built and anchored in a bay close to his workshops at Manzell, near Friedrichshafen. During the months that he was making the parts in the shop and assembling his ship in the shed, there was much speculation as to its appearance. It was generally thought by others who had experimented with aircraft that Zeppelin had some very laudable ideas, but as a rule persons were skeptical concerning his ability to produce a practical machine. Interest increased and when he announced that he would fly on July 2nd, 1900, all those interested in aeronautics, who could make the trip, came to Friedrichshafen and for several days before the flight delivered professional opinions predicting failure.