I keep looking at this pic GB. Not for the Sloper, nice though she be, but for the R100. Very evocative indeed.
Don't know if you ever read the author/engineer/aviator Neville Shute (Norway)'s autobio called Slide Rule?
But it has the full story of the competing builds of R100 and R101 from the point of view of one who was there and worked on R100, flew in it, and knew it like the back of his hand. Built by private enterprise up in Lincolnshire somewhere, it was actually quite a success (relatively). R101, built at Cardington in Bedfordshire where the big shed is still (I think) was- despite having shovelsful of money and govt / air ministry backing - bedevilled with problems from day one. R100 on the other hand was designed and built with a very different mindset. Better engines, with reverse (unlike R101 which had to carry one or two extra just for mooring purposes when reverse was needed). Lighter with greater payload, better 'skinned' and altogether superior. Airworthy even!
Of course, big airships were a blind alley in the end, regardless of the catastrophes to 101, Hindenburg etc - but a great chapter in transport history nonetheless.
Neville Shute went on to found the Airspeed company, which built hundreds of Oxfords for the RAF etc. Not only a great teller of yarns in my view, but a remarkably able and clever engineer too.
