Unidentified people atop Telephone Building watching the Graf Zeppelin. Date August 28, 1929 The Zeppelin was a German built and operated, passenger carrying, hydrogen filled, rigid airship which operated commercially from 1928 to 1937. It was named after the German pioneer of airships, Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who was a Count in the German nobility. The airship made 590 flights covering more than a million miles. It was designed to be operated by a crew of 36 officers and men.