Flying links the world. Exhibition in Friedrichshafen
In 1919, both an airplane and an airship succeeded in crossing the Atlantic non-stop at almost the same time. The outcome of this head-to-head competition between the two flying machines and the consequences that ensued for our mobility are well known. The airplane won the day, and became the future. Following this, civil aviation developed at break-neck speed. The airplane became a means of transporting everyone to almost anywhere in the world, at high speed and in comfort. However, the history of the crossing of the Atlantic by air is not only a story of making transport faster – it is also a story of connecting people and places, a story of communication and cultural and economic exchange. It enabled areas of political influence and markets for goods and services to be opened up, and defended. The exhibition “Vernetzung der Welt. Pionierfahrten und Luftverkehr über den Atlantik” (Connecting the world, pioneering flights and air traffic across the Atlantic) (open until 3 May 2020) at the Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen illustrates the further development of transatlantic travel as we know it today. But, as flying is extravagant in terms of energy and constitutes an increasing burden on the environment, the exhibition also puts the achievements of logistics up for discussion.
