# Flying the Atlanic **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [March 26, 2003, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-the-atlanic/164182 "2003-03-26T02:06:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-the-atlanic/164182/1 "2003-03-26T02:06:49Z")
I’m almost afraid to challenge Cecil on one of his facts, but this can’t be resisted. The Hindenburg, on her last flight, was not commanded by Dr. Eckener as stated in the column, but instead by a Captain Max Pruss. Dr. Eckener wasn’t on board - in fact I’m not sure how many times he did command the Hindenburg as he, having recognized what thugs the Nazis were, had gotten seriously cross-wise with Der Fuhrer. In fact, he probably excaped legalized murder by the Nazis only because he was such a hero to the entire German nation. Several interesting things about the Hindenburg that don’t have any bearing at all on this thread, only about how closely the airship came to being the air transport system of the future. 1. THe Hindenburg, with a full load of 70 paying passengers, and with freight and her crew, could cross the Atlantic on $300 ($Three Hundred) worth of diesel oil. 2. The 37 passengers who died on that last flight were the only paying passengers ever killed on an airship. And the Germans had been flying regularly scheduled airship flights since before World War I. Killing that many now on an airliner hardly makes an inside page on a newspaper. Oh well … what might have been… ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-the-atlanic/164182/2 "2003-03-26T02:22:56Z")
It’s not Cecil who wrote the Staff Report, but **bibliophage** of the Straight Dope Science Advisory Staff. And the link to the Staff Report is [Did others fly across the Atlantic before Lindbergh?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mtransatlantic.html) ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-the-atlanic/164182/3 "2003-03-26T04:06:38Z")
Cecil is infallible. I, alas, am not. This [crew and passenger list](http://www.nlhs.com/passenger-list.htm) confirms that you are right and Eckener was not aboard. On this point, I got my information from the _Encyclopedia Americana_ > [@](#): > > In 1937, Eckener comanded the _Hindenburg_ when it burned at Lakehurst, N.J., on May 6, with heavy loss of life. Like me, the Encyclopedia Americana is apparently fallible. ---
**Author:** ![Admiraltogo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@Admiraltogo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Admiraltogo)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-the-atlanic/164182/4 "2003-03-26T04:25:22Z")
From what I have read in Graf Zeppelin & Hindenberg Dr Ecker may have only commanded the test flights of the Hindenburg (If he commanded any flights at all), although he often flew along as a “passenger.” At the time of the Hindenburg’s destruction he was not even a German Citizen (that having been yanked by the Nazis). This was the reward from the home country of one of the great pioneers of long distance flying. ---
**Author:** ![philgross](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/85f322/32.png) [@philgross](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/philgross)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-the-atlanic/164182/5 "2003-03-26T08:54:45Z")
One of the most remarkable things about Lindbergh’s flight was that his aircraft had no forward visibility at all. I’m basing this on the screenshots from Microsoft’s upcoming [Flight Simulator 2004](http://www.microsoft.com/games/flightsimulator/), which will aparently feature the Spirit of St. Louis as a flyable plane. Chuck’s view apparently looked something like [this](http://www.microsoft.com/games/flightsimulator/img/craft/cockpit_spirit.jpg). Not the way I’d like to fly the Atlantic. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-the-atlanic/164182/6 "2003-03-26T08:55:49Z")
> [@](#): > > On this point, I got my information from the _Encyclopedia Americana_ Like me, the Encyclopedia Americana is apparently fallible. \*\* I’d also question their quote “with heavy loss of life”. About 2/3rds of the people on board the airship actually survived. That’s probably better than the chances on any modern airplane that starts on fire while landing. I suppose whether you call that “heavy loss of life” depends on whether you are in the 2/3rds that survived, or the 1/3 that didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![aeropl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f05b48/32.png) [@aeropl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aeropl)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-the-atlanic/164182/7 "2003-03-27T17:46:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by philgross \* > \*\*One of the most remarkable things about Lindbergh’s flight was that his aircraft had no forward visibility at all. He did had forward visibility through the periscope, albeit not much. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-the-atlanic/164182/8 "2003-04-02T06:19:52Z")
> [@](#): > > Flying the Atlanic I’d rather fly the Alannah (Myles). Or maybe the Alanis (Morrissette). But I think my favorite would be to fly the Avril (Lavigne). What’s with those damn Canadians, anyway? 😉