A Garage-Sized Replica of the 1935 USS Macon

When Jack Clemens, a retired computer engineer, attempted to build a replica of the USS Macon for the first time, his cat jumped over the airship’s prototype and broke the hull. Similar thing happened in 2008, when he successfully created his second version but it was damaged during a test flight.

After series of attempts, Jack Clemens finally completed his third version of the USS Macon, a helium-filled naval airship, last April. He revamped all the Airship’s details – from the airbags up to the propellers. His original plan was to return a model of the said airship to its home as a sign of tribute. Thus, he asked some help from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Read the rest of the article »