Goodyear Blimp Blog

100 Years for Goodyear Aviation

Today we celebrated 100 years for our Aviation Division.  The event consisted of airship rides for our VIP invitees, lunch and a great presentation about our newest products.  I enjoyed the flights tremendously as many of the guests were pilots.  It is interesting to see the reaction of a heavier-than-air pilot when introduced to lighter-than-air flight. 

Several commented on the angle of approach of the airship when we come in to land.  Most airplanes set up for a three degree glide to the runway when landing.  Because we are lighter-than-air we have to force the blimp to descend and our angle of approach will commonly exceed 20 degrees. (Much steeper than what many other pilots are used to.)

I believe everyone had a great time and we even got to enjoy a tasty cake!

Moon over Miami

The plan today was to provide coverage over the Miami Heat game for FSN tonight.  It was my turn to fly and the weather looked good; in fact, the lack of clouds and full moon was very nice visually. 

I had mentioned in a previous blog that we do cover events even though they may be played or conducted indoors.  Many people that I talk to seem to think this is strange but it does make sense.  Consider our game tonight; it is being played in downtown Miami.  The aerial shots that we were able to provide set the scene and location of the game as all of the other cameras are positioned inside the stadium.

We had a great evening and even after covering many events in Miami over the years, I was compelled to take a few pictures of the full moon over South Beach and the whole area as the sun was setting. 

AOPA Visits

Keep an eye out for a special feature on the Goodyear blimps in the May 2009 issue of Aircraft Owners and Pilot's Association (AOPA) magazine.  We had the pleasure of hosting editor Tom Haines for a flight today. 

I worked at AOPA for a short time before coming to Goodyear Airship operations and it was good to be back in contact with the organization.

I can't wait to see how the final project will look...

Here's a video clip of an evening flight on the Spirit of Innovation:

Goodyear Blimp Flight AOPA