Bayer is celebrating its 150th anniversary both on the ground and in the sky, with a stately airship. “direct global” paid a visit to the shop where this impressive advertising medium currently is being built. 

Floating lightly in the sky requires solid workmanship on the ground, first. As Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin, the inventor of the zeppelin, once did, Ralf Kremer and Johannes Pröfrock gave structure to the new airship over the last few weeks. However, unlike with the classic zeppelin where an internal framework provides a rigid structure, they only built a frame for the gondola. They assembled the gondola frame for the anniversary airship from 123 tubes of aviation steel. The airship itself gets its shape solely from the internal pressure of the lift gas.Ralf Kremer and Johannes Pröfrock have assembled no less than 123 tubes made of aircraft steel in recent weeks to construct the frame of the gondola for the anniversary airship. 

“Things start getting complicated in spots where several tubes meet. The end of a tube in this case must have up to five fitted elbows,” Kremer explains. With precision work of this kind, the cutting machine is occasionally inadequate, and the experienced carpenter and airship pilot is forced to grab a file. 

All the tubes are now temporarily connected. “A nice example of statics,” Kremer says, rapping on the gondola’s frame. Over the next few weeks, it will be turned into an elegant airship for Bayer. With it, Bayer will be visible in the sky worldwide at its major locations – over the Sydney Opera House, over the Corcovado in Rio and possibly even over the Statue of Liberty in New York City.

But right now, the gondola frame is still lying on the floor upside down, and a layperson can only guess where the front and back are, or where the benches and two-cycle engine will be installed when it is finished. Kremer and his coworkers are now wrapping numerous straps around the steel tubes to mount various pieces of equipment. After that, the gondola frame will be taken away for welding. “Special welding methods exist that are approved for the special safety requirements in aviation," explains Wolfgang Hassa, Head of Technical Sales and Production at Gefa-Flug.

The schedule for the zeppelin in Bayer blue and green is tight: The test flight was supposed to take place in January. On February 28th, the imposing advertising platform emblazoned with the Bayer cross and the slogan “Science For A Better Life” was to be unveiled at the Spring Financial News Conference in Leverkusen. In March, the airship will be packed up and flown to Sydney, where it will make its first appearance.

“Studies have determined that balloons and airships have a high degree of popularity,” Hassa reports. Precisely that is the mission of the Bayer airship in the company’s anniversary year: To draw attention, evoke positive emotions and generate interest in the airship and Bayer. It is a heavenly ambassador for an international, innovative research organization.

“Bayer decided in favor of an airship because, unlike a balloon that depends on thermal columns, it can be controlled and made to circle in the sky,” says Sonja Diewerge, media spokesperson at Bayer and responsible for the anniversary project. The airship will fly in the morning before sunrise, in the evening after sundown, and when winds are calm. For the Bayer Group, safety is priority number one in this project as it is in other areas. For this reason, two pilots will be on board at all times, contrary to usual practice in airships. That means that two remaining seats are still available on all flights.

However, much still has to be done before the first passengers can come on board. As soon as the gondola frame comes back from welding, it will be Wilfried Eichstädt’s turn to take over. The automotive mechanic, together with an electrician, is responsible for finishing the interior: glazing, cushions, engine, tank, propellers, burner controller.

A familiar Bayer material is to be used for the cladding: Makrolon. Fitting the glazing is another challenge, as interior expert Eichstädt explains. “For the cockpit, the cladding at the top and bottom must be curved to different degrees. If it warps by even just two millimeters, the holes will not match up anymore.”

Like the interior specialists, seamstress Annette Sander of Gefa-Flug also is ready to start work on the Bayer fabric envelope. She is just waiting for the material to arrive. In the weeks ahead, she will sew a good 2,500 meters of seams on the 1,300 meters of material, until it takes on the shape of an airship. 

The material is very thin and extremely tear-resistant. At the same time, it is silicone-coated and very slippery. "It takes a lot of skill to sew this material accurately," Hassa says. Sander has the just the right kind of experience, because she has worked for Gefa-Flug for twelve years. 

Once the seamstress is finished, the two lettering specialists can take over: The Bayer cross with the “Science For A Better Life” slogan and “150 years” will first be bonded onto the envelope and then sewn. “It’s not easy applying a two-dimensional object onto a three-dimensional body,” Hassa points out. 

As a sustainable company, Bayer naturally is thinking beyond its anniversary year. The “150 years” will be removed from the airship after 2013. Gefa-Flug trains pilots at the Bayer Leverkusen sport aviation club. The airship will continue to serve as a Bayer ambassador, both in the sky and on the ground.