The Dirigible - A question for aircraft experts.

Ok, I know what a dirigible is, however my father has what he calls an "antique tool" called a dirigible reamer, claimed to be the only one ever made. Can anyone tell me what that is, he keeps trying to explain it to me but I don't understand, something about it adjusting something in the engine.

I am certainly no expert on any type of aircraft, but am interested in finding out more about his "antique dirigible reamer" if it's even spelled that way. I have tried googling it, but get zero results.

The word "dirigible" comes from the French "derigeable," meaning being able to be directed. Either that or the latin, dirigere (I think, not 100% on that). What a dirigible reamer therefore is some sort of thing that can go inside an inflexible pipe or piston cylinder and remove dirt or grind it out further. Similiar to a hone that you attach to a drill and use to re-bore a piston cylinder. "Dirigible" in this case, I should imagine, has nothing to do with the lighter-than-air vessel.

If I'm right, this tool should look like a fibre-optic tube with a spring-loaded head mounting at least three grinding surfaces. It's very difficult to describe but that's the closest I could come.

No this is for a dirigible as in that little blimp like thing they use with helium or whatever. I will ask him again what this device does again, and I will see if I can get a picture of it.

Ahhh, OK. Now I am confused. This now sounds to me like one of those inflatables they shove down arteries in heart surgery to expand them.

[edit on 1-10-2004 by Lampyridae]