The Iconic Eye in the Sky.
It’s unusual to see the Goodyear Blimp so low to the ground. After all, this normally only happens when it takes off or lands. Fortunately for me, I’ve had this experience several times. This blimp near my home (shown above) was literally 150 ft. over my head. How cool is that?
This was possible because I live across the channel from Grosse Ile, a large island in the Detroit River. There is a small airport on the island that is occasionally visited by the Goodyear Blimp. I imagine it is to refuel and/or dock overnight. It does so when covering a large event in the Detroit area.
I would imagine the majority of big cities in America have been visited by the Goodyear Blimp at one time or another. Most likely while hosting a major televised sporting event or parade. Even so, it is very rare to see a Goodyear Blimp overhead. It would be considered a once in a lifetime event for most people. I’ve seen it three times.
When they land, they don’t come straight down, they gradually decrease their altitude in a slightly slanted horizontal pathway, like a fixed-wing plane.
They usually fly low over part of the the island as they descend, literally just above the treetops. The ‘landing’ can last for several minutes and is usually heard long before you actually see it.
Once over it’s landing spot the blimp will maneuver closer to the ground, close enough to allow the ground crew waiting below to grab the extended ropes connected to the nose of the airship. The handlers will then anchor the blimp, allowing the pilots and passengers to debark.
The above video is a little dated (2011), but it is an excellent recording of the landing process. The landing technique may have changed a bit over time, but you have to love the coordinated effort necessary to land this airship safely.
From here the blimp will either dock in place or be transported to a nearby hanger. Check out the inside of one of Goodyear’s enormous airship-base hangers here.
Goodyear blimps have been an iconic image in the sky for almost 100 years. There are currently four Goodyear Blimps in service. One used mostly overseas, which is based in Germany. The other three are based here in the US; one in Florida, another in California, and the third in Goodyear’s corporate location, Akron, Ohio.
Technically, these airships are not ‘blimps’, although we still call them blimps. The current Goodyear fleet consists of semi-rigid Zeppelin NT airships. The difference is, blimps have no internal structure and they maintain their shape by the pressure of the gas inside. The Zeppelin NT airships are built around a framework of high-strength lightweight components.
These semi-rigid airships are 246.4 feet long, with a maximum speed of 73 mph. They can stay in the air for well over 24 hours, although typically they’re airborne for less than 8 hours. Did you know Goodyear owns four of the ten operational blimps in the world? No wonder blimp sightings are so rare.
The three U.S. based Goodyear Blimps annually cover over 200 entertainment and sporting events throughout North America. Obviously their main purpose is to advertise for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. In addition, they provide a media platform for television coverage of major events. The fees for this service probably provide a healthy profit for Goodyear even after covering their advertising expenses. That’s a pretty slick business move!
Typically Goodyear does not accept requests for a ride from individuals, family reunions, sport teams, service clubs or associations, political or religious groups, or organizations of any kind that do not have tax-exempt status under Section 501(c) 3 of the U. S. Internal Revenue Service Code.
Currently the only passengers allowed in the gondola are Goodyear executives and certain employees, as well as invited guests. According to the Goodyear Blimp Passenger Guide only requests from non-profit charitable organizations will be considered for blimp ride certificates.
Due to the semi-ridged framework, the modern airships allow for a larger gondola, increasing the passenger load to 12–14 seats (compared to seven in the old style). And yes, unlike previous models, the current versions contain a restroom in the gondola similar to a commercial jet.
Hopefully one day, if you’re lucky, you too can catch a glimpse of this slow moving iconic eye in the sky.
On the sad side: Occasionally one of the Goodyear Blimps will return to base with a few bullet holes in the envelope. The holes are too small to have an effect on the interior pressure, no real damage is done. However, it would be a different story if a bullet were to pierce the gondola. It’s a shame some gun owners choose to be so dangerously irresponsible.
Thanks for reading my article.
Info Sources: In addition to my personal information, most ‘researched’ information was gathered from the websites noted below and from various Google searches.
- To learn more about the history of the Goodyear Blimp visit their website here.
- To see the current Goodyear Blimp schedule visit their website here.
- To visit the Wikipedia page for the Goodyear Blimp go here.
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