da Schio Italia
![]() Designed and built by Count Almerico da Schio, the 1905 airship “Italia” was the first Italian dirigible.
The "Italia" had an envelope without a rigid internal structure, a little less than 38 meters long, and containing 1208 cubic meters of hydrogen. It featured many technological innovations patented by A. da Schio, such as an elastic rubber band to allow for additional volume of the envelope rendering it deformable at different altitudes and temperatures. The "aeropiani" (also called rudders) situated at the bow and stern of the gondola, consisting of curved profile surfaces variable in inclination to the line of flight, allowing more stability and governance to the airship.
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