THERE'S plenty of hot air in the old postbag this week - but of the interesting and informative kind!

Reader K. H. of St Helens picks up on the Zeppelin theme raised by Joe Jones of Sutton (November 18) who recounted boyhood memories of a stately airship, which he had believed to be the ill-fated R101, gliding across the local skyline.

"This was not the 724ft R101," says K.H., "but its 707ft sister ship, the R100. Both were built by different companies in 1929 at a cost of £600 apiece, and though similar in appearance, were of different construction."

Despite a triumphant Atlantic crossing, while on its maiden voyage to India on October 5, 1930, the R101 crashed into a hillside near Beauvais, France, during heavy rain, exploding into a fireball. The 46 killed included Air Secretary Lord Thompson.

Eight survived when a water-tank burst above them.

Our aeronautical informer adds: "The R100, which I remember clearly as it flew above the Sankey Valley, was built by the Airship Guarantee Company, whose chief calculator was Nevil Shute Norway, later to achieve fame as novelist Nevil Shute. After the tragedy in France, this second airship was dismantled."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.