LZ 4

LZ 4 was a German experimental rigid airship built under the direction of Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, a larger development of LZ 3 with 17 gas bags and a central crew cabin. It first flew on 20 June 1908, and on 1 July it made a spectacular 12-hour flight over Switzerland as far as Zurich and back to Lake Constance, covering 386 kilometres. It was then prepared for the 24-hour endurance trial that the German government required before it would buy an airship. Engine troubles forced a landing at Echterdingen during that attempt, where a gust of wind tore it from its moorings and it caught fire in front of tens of thousands of spectators. The disaster produced a wave of nationalist support, and public donations of over six million marks gave Zeppelin the financial base for all his later airships.