“Popular Science,” July, 1932. Cover art by Edgar F. Wittmack for the “Amazing Magnetic Air Line.”
“All-Metal ‘blimps’ sustained by hydrogen or helium and propelled by giant magnets along a predetermined route are suggested by a group of German inventors, who are studying the feasibility of such a plan for a line across the European Alps. Their idea is based upon a simple experiment which anyone may perform for himself. When an iron nail is placed in a tube just behind a solenoid, or coil of wire, and the circuit closed for a fraction of a second with a key, the nail is shot through the coil by the power of magnetism.
“In the proposed high-speed line, the motorless blimps would be similarly propelled by the magnetic force of monster solenoids acting on their iron framework. To turn on and shut off the power of each solenoid at the proper instant, photo-electric cells would be set up at regular intervals to detect the passage of the car and actuate the magnets automatically. . .” [Excerpt from the accompanying magazine article]
The concept of the Amazing Magnetic Air Line—motorless blimps propelled by magnetic forces—remained purely theoretical and never advanced beyond the idea stage. While the principle of electromagnetic propulsion has been successfully applied to systems like maglev trains, there is no record of this specific airship concept being developed or tested.
Airships have evolved in various ways over the years, but none have incorporated large-scale electromagnetic propulsion. Instead, modern blimps and airships rely on conventional engines for movement. The idea of using solenoids and photo-electric cells to propel airships was certainly imaginative, but practical challenges—such as energy efficiency, infrastructure costs, and the feasibility of maintaining precise control—likely prevented further exploration.
[Sources: AerospaceAmerica.aiaa.org, HistoryOasis.com, and BackThenHistory.com]
“Popular Science,” July, 1932. Cover art by Edgar F. Wittmack for the “Amazing Magnetic Air Line.”
“All-Metal ‘blimps’ sustained by hydrogen or helium and propelled by giant magnets along a predetermined route are suggested by a group of German inventors, who are studying the feasibility of such a plan for a line across the European Alps. Their idea is based upon a simple experiment which anyone may perform for himself. When an iron nail is placed in a tube just behind a solenoid, or coil of wire, and the circuit closed for a fraction of a second with a key, the nail is shot through the coil by the power of magnetism.
“In the proposed high-speed line, the motorless blimps would be similarly propelled by the magnetic force of monster solenoids acting on their iron framework. To turn on and shut off the power of each solenoid at the proper instant, photo-electric cells would be set up at regular intervals to detect the passage of the car and actuate the magnets automatically. . .” [Excerpt from the accompanying magazine article]
The concept of the Amazing Magnetic Air Line—motorless blimps propelled by magnetic forces—remained purely theoretical and never advanced beyond the idea stage. While the principle of electromagnetic propulsion has been successfully applied to systems like maglev trains, there is no record of this specific airship concept being developed or tested.
Airships have evolved in various ways over the years, but none have incorporated large-scale electromagnetic propulsion. Instead, modern blimps and airships rely on conventional engines for movement. The idea of using solenoids and photo-electric cells to propel airships was certainly imaginative, but practical challenges—such as energy efficiency, infrastructure costs, and the feasibility of maintaining precise control—likely prevented further exploration.
[Sources: AerospaceAmerica.aiaa.org, HistoryOasis.com, and BackThenHistory.com]