Goodyear Blimp Blog

Nasty weather

Well, here I sit in Florence, S.C. We were supposed to fly to Frederick, Md., today but that's not going to happen. A very nasty weather system moved over the area yesterday bringing rain, wind and even tornadoes with it. Thankfully, we were spared the worst of the weather here in Florence, but the conditions are far from safe for flying an airship.

Luckily, the bad weather held off until after the NASCAR races were over. Our camera operator, James, had a fantastic weekend behind the lens. One of his aerial shots even made the highlight reel for ESPN's SportsCenter. I'm always amazed at how well our camera operators can follow the action for three or four hours straight, while constantly in motion.

Today, the rain is gone but the wind is blowing and blowing the wrong way! The plan was to fly to Petersburg, Va., today. This is a great example of a day when we could fly, but only in certain directions. If we were headed south, we'd be on our way right now. However, our next stop is Philadelphia and that's the wrong way to go today. I did a little quick math, and with this wind, our 210 nautical mile flight would take more than 20 hours at full power!

Fortunately, we are experiencing just a minor inconvenience. Our thoughts are with those who lost so much in this violent weather over the last few days.

Blimps and dolphins

We returned home with no problem after the NASCAR races, and since the trip was uneventful, I'd like to answer a common question we get as we travel the country.

Why does the blimp bob up and down like a porpoise when it's flying?

No, that's not just us having fun up there. It has to do with rising hot air and the speed that we fly. When flying on a commercial airplane, you've probably noticed that it gets a little bumpy just after take off and right before landing. At low altitudes, an airliner encounters up and down drafts due to unequal heating of the earth. (Imagine how much heat a blacktop parking lot emits versus a nice cool lake.) Since the airliner is moving at high speeds, passengers only feel slight turbulence when encountering updrafts.

Now take that same principle and apply it to slow-moving, low-altitude cruising blimps. When we fly into an updraft, the blimp's nose is pushed upward. As soon as the blimp pilot reacts by pitching the nose lower, the same updraft is now pushing on the tail, giving the opposite effect.

As a blimp pilot, I am used to the bobbing, but I know it probably looks a little strange from the ground.

Sweet home Alabama

Our three-day trip to Talladega went off without a hitch. We were greeted by a great crowd in Dothan, Ala., including a camera crew from WTVY, who made us feel right at home. On Friday, our flight path took us directly over my alma mater Auburn University. It's always a thrill for me to see the campus from above.

Unfortunately the great weather from our trip did not carry over for the races. The forecast called for a strong chance of rain and thunderstorms all weekend so we expected a tough assignment. We launched on Saturday for coverage of the Nationwide race. The telecast was going well, but a line of thunderstorms was threatening to cut off our path between the track and the airport in Gadsden. We left the race early and landed without a problem. Sunday promised more of the same, and it delivered. After a strong start with our aerial coverage, we were forced to leave the race early to ensure a safe landing back at Gadsden. We hated to leave such an exciting race, and we had a perfect aerial picture for the audience. We can't take a chance, though, when thunderstorms are that close. As the saying goes, "I'd rather be on the ground wishing I was in the air than the other way around."

We're on our way back home to Pompano for a short stay before heading back out on the road.

Back in the saddle

We resumed normal operations at our home base this week, providing passengers with beautiful views of South Florida's beaches. Thanks to the sunny skies, warm temperatures and steady winds, all flights were on schedule.

Our passengers included a reporter and photographer from Gold Coast Magazine, who took to the skies with us for a story on the Goodyear blimp's presence in South Florida. We had a smooth flight that hopefully lent itself to some fantastic photography. The article should appear in a fall issue of the magazine.

We also had a group visiting from Anniston, Ala. This was a nice surprise for me, since both my mother and father were born and raised there. It's such a small world sometimes.

Speaking of Alabama, we are on our way today to cover the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races at Talladega Superspeedway. If you live between Pompano Beach, Fla., and Talladega, Ala., look for us in the sky. Our flight path should take us up to Lake City, Fla., through Dothan, Ala., and then to Gadsden, Ala., where we will be based to cover the races this weekend on ESPN and Fox.

A new pilot

This week we emerged from our annual maintenance in the hangar, and not only did we have a successful test flight, but we also added a new member to our elite club. Rob Delagrange passed his FAA check ride flight. He did a great job and now holds a rare rating for a pilot: Lighter than Air - Airship Rating.

I'm often asked where a pilot can learn how to fly our blimps, and the answer is always the same. First, you must be a fixed-wing pilot with commercial instrument and multi-engine ratings. We also prefer our pilots to have completed a substantial number of flight hours in another airship. Then, we complete the training in-house. There is no independent "blimp school." All Goodyear pilots are certified instructors, and we have developed a rigorous course that can take up to a year for a new Goodyear pilot to complete.

Rob will be based in Akron, but he will fly with our Florida operation to the Talladega race next weekend before rejoining his crew.

It's a tradition for new pilots to be doused with water to celebrate. Since Rob couldn't celebrate with his crew in Akron, we wanted him to feel at home after his check ride here in sunny Florida!

Pilot in Charge

As I mentioned last time, I and several other pilots were invited to our headquarters in Akron, Ohio, for our annual leadership meeting. This is always an interesting week as we plan for the future and discuss a variety of topics. It's a little premature to discuss the details, but look for some exciting things coming from all three of our operations in the future.

On a personal note, during the meeting, they announced my promotion to Pilot in Charge for the Florida-based Goodyear blimp operation. There was lots of good news to go around as Larry Chambers, our former Pilot in Charge, was also promoted to Senior Pilot in Charge and manager of airship operations. He will assist all three U.S.-based airships with developing procedures, scheduling and training.

Pilot in Charge is a big job, overseeing all crew activities and flight decisions for the Spirit of Innovation. I'm honored to have it for sure. Fortunately, we have an outstanding crew that goes out of its way to make every event a success. We are looking forward to a great year.

Marine invasion

While the Spirit of Innovation was in its annual maintenance period last week, the other pilots and I were up in Akron for an airship operations meeting. Just because we aren't flying doesn't mean all the action stops. We were honored at the base with a visit from the Marine Corps Band. I'm sorry that I missed meeting all the men and women from the band, but I heard they had a great time touring the base and airship.

We had some shirts and pins to give the band members, but after they arrived it was clear we were going to run short. It was decided that the shirts and pins would be given out starting with the highest ranking band member and working down. The surprise came when our Crew Chief Steve Hogan called up the lowest ranking Marine and presented him with the American flag that was flown on our airship prior to maintenance.

As the son of an Air Force pilot, my hat always goes off to our soldiers. I just hope I'm in town the next time they visit.

Winds and Mohawk haircuts

I now feel guilty about our weather down here in Florida after speaking with Greg. This week, though, has been frustrating at best. The wind started blowing last weekend and hasn't quit, so we have been grounded.

I'm used to seeing the unexpected in airship operations, but when I walked into the morning safety meeting, I noticed something looked a little different about Jose Herrera, our senior radio and TV technician. Of course, I knew there was a story, and it seems he was involved with an event sponsored by St. Baldrick's Foundation. Volunteers shave their heads to benefit research for childhood cancer. It's a great cause, and Jose can pull off a Mohawk haircut.

We just enjoyed a few days off for the holiday, but hopefully we'll get some flying in before our two-week hangar period begins this weekend.

From our friends in Ohio

While I was on vacation last week in Tampa enjoying 80 degree weather, Greg Poppenhouse, the pilot-in-charge of the Spirit of Goodyear in Akron, Ohio, provided an update:

Flying over the hangar in Suffield, Ohio, I look down on the results of the big snowstorm of 2008 that swept through Ohio recently and compare my day to that of our Florida crew, who considers 55 degrees cold. Hey, Marty, try 30 degrees and 18 inches of snow!

If you are wondering if the blimp can fly in snowy, blizzard-like conditions, the answer is no. The Spirit of Goodyear stayed safe and warm in its hangar while the inclement weather swept over us. This week, however, we are finally out and flying about. It's still cold, but the sun is shining, and more importantly, the blimp's heater is working fine.

The blimp handles the same in temperatures of 30 degrees as it does at 70 degrees. In fact, the blimp has better lift in cold air, especially if there is sunshine on the envelope. This creates a great opportunity for "superheat," which is the term for the difference between the temperature of the air outside and the helium inside the envelope, creating better buoyancy.

Hope you catch us around the Cleveland area over the next few days. Next up, we will be covering the Cleveland Indians home opener on March 31st for WKYC.

Thanks for checking in.

Visiting California pilot

This week, we are joined by Kristen Davis, a newly hired Goodyear blimp pilot from our sister operation in California. Unfortunately, I was not able to fly with her the past few days because of high winds and thunderstorms. The down time gave us an opportunity to plan our summer tour schedule and catch up.

Kristen is from Chicago originally and was hired last year as a pilot for our Los Angeles-based operation. I asked her what she liked about flying in Florida. She mentioned the clear ocean water, which offers a great view of the sea life below.

While she is a new pilot for Goodyear, she is far from a "new" pilot. She already has accumulated more than 1,500 hours in the air and has the rare "Lighter Than Air -- Airship Rating" on her commercial pilot's certificate. Because Goodyear blimps are larger airships and feature two ballonets -- one forward and one aft -- instead of one, the company has its own extensive training program that a pilot must successfully complete.

Kristen has done a great job with her training so far, and I wish I had the opportunity to fly with her on this visit. I'm actually going on a short vacation until Friday, and I will miss the chance. I'm headed to Tampa Bay for some fishing....will post some good pictures if we catch anything.