Goodyear Blimp Blog

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.