in 1915 neville usborne and another british officer worked on a plan to lift a be.2c fighter under a ss-class non-rigid airship. this would allow the fighter to reach the height of a raiding zeppelin rapidly while also conserving fuel. in the first experimental flight on 21 february 1916, the envelope lost pressure and the plane was prematurely separated from it at 4,000 feet. both the officers were killed and there was no further experimentation with small airships.