Karl Arnstein's life was defined by the world wars which shattered
Europe. But for these cataclysmic events, his life's work might have
been far different. From Zeppelin in Germany to Goodyear in Akron, Ohio,
Arnstein participated in the design and development of more airships
than any other engineer. He could have been a philosopher or
mathematician, but a desire to be practical attracted Arnstein to civil
engineering. This knowledge spared him from the horrors of trench
warfare, and a favorable impression he made on airship pioneer Count
Zeppelin unexpectedly took him from the front to an aircraft factory in
Friedrichshafen, Germany. Here Arnstein adapted his analysis of
utilitarian structures fixed firmly to the ground to examination of
flying structures, the Zeppelins. And it is not just for his
contributions to Zeppelin design that Arnstein should be remembered. His
story is in many ways the story of airship building in the early decades
of the twentieth century. And his legacy endures in the Goodyear blimps
which are the tire company's corporate icons and symbols of Akron's
important airship heritage. Appendices include a listing of Karl
Arnstein's patents, a list of selected writings by Karl Arnstein, and
statistics on LuftschiffBau-Zeppelin airships and U.S. Navy rigid
airships.