Aeronautics: End of the R-ioo

Sledgehammers clanged the knell of Britain’s airship program in the great air dock at Cardington last week. The hammers, swung by workmen of Elton. Levy & Co. Ltd., buyers of scrapmetal, fell against the frames of the airship R-100 which flew from England to Canada and back last year, and has been in her shed ever since. Following the catastrophic crash of the R-101, the R-100 fell victim to an economy program. After all the metal has been flattened by steamrollers, some of it will be made into souvenirs for sale. British lighter-than-aircraft enthusiasts mourned the R-101’s end, which, they felt, would also sound the knell of the government-operated Cardington dirigible plant and throw many a skilled technician out of work. The U.S. Navy has offered to take over a portion of British airship personnel, keep it in training.