The Hindenberg did NOT have an exterior covering of thermite. That's a myth perpetuated by those wishing to decrease the danger of filling a dirigible or LTA airship with hydrogen. These same people want hydrogen to be the next "clean fuel", not electric vehicles.
Yes, the Hindenberg had an OUTER coating that used powdered Aluminum as a heat-repellent ingredient. It also used an INNER coating that contained Iron Oxide, to protect from the effects of UV radiation. That is not thermite! The compounds were physically separated!
As an analogy, butyl rubber [polyisobutylene] is used in both C-4 plastic explosives and basketballs but that doesn¡¯t make your basketball a bomb!
The following is a partial list of hydrogen-inflated airships that were destroyed by fire from accidental causes (the list does not include ships shot down in combat operations) : ALL WERE LOST DUE TO IGNITION OF HYDROGEN!
LZ-4 (August 5, 1908);
LZ-6 (September 14, 1910);
LZ-12/Z-III (June 17, 1912);
LZ-10 Schwaben (June 28, 1912);
Akron (July 2, 1912);
LZ-18/L-2 (October 17, 1913);
LZ-30/Z-XI (May 20, 1915);
LZ-40/L-10 (September 3, 1915);
SL-6 (November 10, 1915);
LZ-52/L-18 (November 17, 1915);
LZ-31/L-6 and LZ-36/L-9 (September 16, 1916);
LZ-53/L-17 and LZ-69/L-24 (December 28, 1916);
SL-9 (March 30, 1917);
LZ-102/L-57 (October 7, 1917);
LZ-87/LZ-117, LZ-94/L-46, LZ-97/L-51, and LZ-105/L-58 (January 5, 1918);
LZ-104/L-59 (April 7, 1918);
Wingfoot Air Express (July 21, 1919);
R-38/ZR-II (August 23, 1921);
Roma (February 21, 1922);
Dixmude (December 21, 1923);
R101 (October 5, 1930);
LZ-129 Hindenburg (May 6, 1937);
I hope there is clearer thinking on this "outside issue"!
Best Regards,
Michael
