Goodyear Blimp Blog

Coke Zero 400 in Daytona, and The Ponytail Express by Corky Belanger

Well, here I am again writing in as a guest in Marty’s blog.  On July 3, I had the pleasure of getting to take the flight of a lifetime.  Then again, flying the Goodyear blimp is always a flight of a lifetime.

We flew to Daytona on our annual trip to cover the Coke Zero 400 race on the 4^th of July. This year was quite different though as I found out I would be flying the great Kyle Petty.  Mr. Petty is now working as a NASCAR analyst on TNT and also hosting a show with SPEED TV’s Rutledge Wood called The Ponytail Express.  We took Kyle and Rutledge up for a flight for the show.

I have flown my share of famous people throughout my career, but I was excited to fly someone with whom I had a close connection. As you know, Kyle Petty is a third generation racer and I’m a 2^nd generation blimp pilot. Being born into something has many advantages and disadvantages as we both agreed upon.

Kyle said he got into racing because he was “Too lazy to do anything else.” I stood there in a daze wondering if that was the reason I got into blimps? He slapped me on the shoulder and we both laughed!

Kyle was excited about the flight, after getting his own pilot’s license this past October. He said his wife won’t let him fly without an instructor, so don’t tell her he made the takeoff and landing.  All kidding aside, we took off from the airport and headed to our destination, Daytona International Speedway. On the way down the beach to the track, Kyle pointed out how and where the original race was run and how his grandfather used to talk about the good old days, racing in the sand.  He said the cars would slide in the water as the high tide came in.

For those of you who don’t know, Kyle’s grandfather, Lee Petty, started racing in the early 50’s and raced for 16 years. As we continued our flight, we talked about racing, flying and how great our jobs really are. Once we arrived at the track, his recollection of all the events he and his father raced at Daytona came back to him quickly.  His father, Richard Petty, better known as the “King,” is one of the greatest race car drivers in the world; his career stats alone would cover this blog.

Kyle started racing in the late 70’s and raced over 800 races in his 30-year career. Between the three of them, Lee, Richard and Kyle, we are talking over 80 years of experience. If that’s not racing royalty what is? As we headed back for the airport, we passed over his hotel and a few other landmarks that he pointed out.

When it came time to land he was amazed at how much of a negative pitch we carried on approach. I think he was holding his seat; but I would be holding more than a seat if I was in a racecar! The flight was very memorable, but what a wonderful person Mr. Petty is I will never forget. I guess I’ll be waiting by the phone for a ride from him in the future!

You can view a video of his flight at http://www.nascar.com/video/cup/2009/07/04/cup.day2.pony.express.nascar/index.html?MostPopular

Also, check out Kyle’s charity camp, Victory Junction, at http://www.victoryjunction.org/. 

 

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. 

Super Bowl Rundown

One of the most frequently asked questions I get when at home or on the road is:  "What is it like to fly over the Super Bowl?"

I can answer that question as I have flown over the game several times, but not since 9/11.  After that day, the FAA/TSA/FBI shut down the airspace well before and during the game.  People from all over the country show up for the game even if they don't get to attend it and the media surrounding the event is huge.

We were lucky to attend Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, FL, and I wanted to share our schedule with you.

1/24 - The Spirit of Innovation and crew travel from Pompano Beach to Tampa.  This is approximately a four hour drive and less in flight time.

1/25 - 26 - We provided rides in the airship to our customers in the Tampa area.  During these flights we were able to fly them over downtown and Raymond James Stadium (site of the big game) and everyone enjoyed it very much.

1/27 - The Super Bowl committee hosted a media day at the stadium and we hosted ours all afternoon at the airport.  We flew reporters from the local market and also from Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh and Phoenix.  We also flew Matt Millen, a commentator for NBC Sports and the former general manager of the Detroit Lions.

1/28 - Ahhh, a day off for the crew; however, our PR Manager Sara Waldman and I were in constant conference calls setting up our schedule and operations for the remainder of the week.

1/29 - We were scheduled for a CNN Headline News broadcast from the University of Tampa.  This was very interesting as a cold front has just passed and the winds were blowing.  We launched the airship and Pilot Corky Belanger called down immediately to let me know he was going to be late.  As it turned out, it took N2A an hour and a half to travel eight miles!  We were fortunate to get in some look-ups of the blimp during the broadcast; however, the winds on the ground picked up and we brought the airship back.

1/30 - ESPN was on deck and we covered their evening SportsCenter shows over downtown Tampa.  We were lucky in that the Thunderbirds were practicing for the big day and we shot footage of them in the routine.

1/31 - We provided ESPN coverage once again and all went well but it was a late night given our plan for the next day.

2/1 - Super Bowl Sunday!  Our plan was to fly Al Roker from The Today Show over the stadium live on the air.  Given the other events we were covering, we had no time to check our video and audio until that morning.  So we launched before dawn to fly over The Today Show's set at the stadium to check our feed.  The test went well and after a very chilly flight, I flew back to the airport to pick up Mr. Roker.  We launched with him and headed back to the stadium for the live shots.  Although our check-in flight was fine, by the time we went back to the stadium every station in town for the big game had begin transmitting.  Thanks to my technical staff we were able to broadcast and everything went well.  By the way, Al is a nice guy!

So for all the work and planning we had a great week.  The game was one for the record book and the crew and I enjoyed it on TV like most of America.

 

Tampa Scramble

I am asked how often we travel and what our typical schedule looks like.  The answer to both questions is "it depends."  A perfect example would be last weekend.

We were scheduled to operate at home base over the weekend and then on Wednesday, we got the call to go to Tampa for the ACC football championship game.

Moving the airship to a new location and covering an event may seem easy but here is a very simple checklist of things that have to happen before this will work:

1.    Find a hotel for 20-22 people in an area that is most likely sold out due to the event you are covering.
2.    Assure a safe landing spot for the airship at an airport and arrange for fuel.
3.    Apply for and receive a waiver to fly over the event from the FAA/TSA (a requirement since 9/11).
4.    Attain clearance for microwave frequencies to transmit our signal for network use.
5.    Find a good place for dinner while you are in town.

There are many more things that are involved in our travels and thus we normally have plenty of advance notice to make sure we are ready for a trip.

In this case, we had one day before we left and I can't say enough about my crew and fellow pilots.  Everything went perfectly and just to prove it here is a shot over Raymond James Stadium during the game!

 

Sports Spectacular

With our maintenance complete in the hangar in Pompano Beach we just finished two weeks of television coverage over a wide variety of entertainment and sporting events.

We started with a taped segment for the Paul O'Grady show that airs in England.  We then covered the University of Miami vs. Virginia Tech game on ESPN, followed closely by the NASCAR races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.  After two days off we switched gears and were filming over an LPGA tournament in West Palm Beach.

From an airship pilot's point of view it was a very varied and interesting couple of weeks.  When we are working with a talk/entertainment program we are personally in front of the camera.  Over NCAA football, we look for wide shots and concentrate on the long passes and kick returns.  NASCAR coverage is constant action all the time as race-changing moments could happen at any second.  Golf coverage is by far the hardest to cover as sound and even our shadow is an issue to the players; and the venue does not lend to our normal circle pattern.

Career Weekend!

I am still recovering after the best weekend I have ever had flying!  Forget about my Auburn Tigers loss to LSU; it was a great game and I am so very fortunate to have been a small part of it.

Here is a quick recap…I could easily type all night about this weekend.

Friday – TV Test Day – I flew with Todd Van Emst, a fellow Auburn grad and tested our HDTV gear for ESPN’s Gameday show tomorrow.  The test went very well and Todd got some great pictures.  I, of course, enjoyed my time over campus.

 

Saturday – GAME DAY! – We started very early to make it over for the ESPN Gameday show.  It was so cool to see all the fans around the stage and the excitement of a Fall weekend in the south.  We then flew back to our operational airport in Lagrange, GA.

 

After a nice afternoon nap, we were back overhead and ready for the big game.  I wish Auburn had won but we played hard and I enjoyed every second of it.

 

Sunday - A scheduled day off for me and the crew.  My wife flew in to visit and I was able to take her for the first time to the Auburn campus.  We saw the sights and then due to an invitation from Todd, we both attended practice and even talked with the head coach, Tommy Tuberville!

 

As an Auburn fan and a blimp pilot, the only thing that would have made the weekend better would have been a win!

4th of July Blimp Style

Ahh the 4th of July… our nation’s birthday, cookouts and fireworks to top it off. Unless you are working of course! We spent this holiday weekend in Daytona Beach, FL covering the NASCAR races on the 4th and 5th.  Who could imagine having to work on such a great holiday weekend!  Well, before you feel sorry for us, there are a few positives to working on the 4th.

As I was toiling away in the airship covering the race on the evening of the fourth, contending with absolutely perfect weather, something came to mind. We were about to get to see some fireworks. Not just one show over Daytona, but rather any show within 30 miles of the track! As the sun set and another long summer day came to a close, the shows began. Now we were faced with the horrible problem of not only watching a great race right under us, but hundreds of fireworks all over the east coast of Florida.  

If you are kind enough to worry about us up there during such an event, please don’t. We orbit the track at 1,500 feet and unless someone has approval from the FAA, NASA, and I am sure several other agencies with letters, the fireworks never reach that altitude.

 

We had some additional fun during our aerial coverage for ESPN. Two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson was kind enough to lend us one of his helmets and we just happened to have an “Uncle Sam” costume aboard. So we fired off the cockpit camera and had some fun.

 

So in the end, no BBQ; but I wouldn’t have traded that flight even for some Memphis-style dry rub ribs!

Check out this clip: Download 4th_of_july_pop.flv

 

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.

Cold fronts and Speed Weeks

We left this morning to fly the airship to Flagler County Airport (just north of Daytona) to set up for aerial coverage of the Speed Weeks races and the 50th running of the Daytona 500. This is a special treat for us also as the Goodyear blimp has flown above nearly every Daytona 500.

We departed our home base in South Florida and enjoyed the beautiful sights over the beaches, as well as a tailwind. Our nice day didn't last long as we hit a cold front around Ft. Pierce, Fla. I have no idea why it didn't dawn on me to bring my jacket knowing that we were to pass through a cold front in flight. We climbed to 3000 feet to avoid strong headwinds at the lower altitudes. The temperature also dropped, and now even with the cabin heater running at full steam it was quite cold -- 55 degrees.   

We also had the door on the right side of the gondola removed to accommodate the installation of our camera gear, which we'll use to capture those pretty aerial shots of the race track during the network telecasts. This gave us a brisk breeze. We complained about the temperature until we landed at Flagler County and thawed out. Seems silly, but I don't think I will forget my jacket again on a northbound flight past a cold front.

Blimp camera