When I was a child, I had an inflatable Goodyear airship. I clearly remember the real thing visiting the UK around the same time and being taken aback by this huge shape in the sky. In the seminal movie “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure”, the eponymous heroes invent a sighting of an airship to distract would be captors “Look! It’s the Goodyear Blimp!”. The public now firmly associate the name Goodyear with the operation of airships, and these magnificent craft are witnessed by millions every year, either in person or on the TV.
The history of Goodyear airships dates back to 1925, with the launch of the company’s first airship, the Pilgrim. During WWII, Goodyear supplied airships, nicknamed “blimps” to the US Navy, as surveillance craft, often used to escort convoys. The advent of modern surveillance technology in the 1960s led to the withdrawal of the Navy’s blimps, but Goodyear persisted with its airships, and they now act as airborne ambassadors for the company, being a familiar sight in the sky above sporting events and other gatherings.
Today, Goodyear operates four blimps, three of which are based in the US - the Spirit of Goodyear,based at Akron, Ohio; the Spirit of Innovation, based at Pompano Beach, Florida; and the Spirit of America, based at Carson, California. The fourth blimp is called the Navigator, and home based in China. Each of the US based blimps has its own territory, with the Spirit of America being responsible for covering the west coast of the US, Nevada, Arizona and as far as the west coast of Canada.
The current fleet of blimps are designated GZ-20 (GZ = Goodyear-Zeppelin, stemming from the pre-WWII partnership between the two airship manufacturers) and measure 192 ft (58m) long - this is comparable to the Airbus A330-200, giving an idea of the large size of the craft. However, modern airships are tiny compared with the vast airships produced in Germany by the Zeppelin company - the legendary Hindenburg measured a staggering 804 ft (245m) in length!
Goodyear’s fleet of airships are now used to raise the profile of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. Part of this role involves making appearances at sporting events and other public gatherings. To maximise the potential for advertising and public interaction, the blimps are fitted with EagleVision - a high-resolution aerial sign consisting of boards containing a total of 82,656 LEDs. A computer control system varies the power output, allowing a palette of over 30,000 possible colours.
The EagleVision system allows text, animations and video to be projected from the left hand side of the blimp. In practice, more than half the messages displayed on the sign relate to national and local charities, with the remainder being used for Goodyear marketing and dealer promotions.
In addition to their marketing role, the blimps also see extensive use as airborne camera platforms, especially at major outdoor sporting events. Goodyear pioneered the use of blimps as camera platforms, with coverage of the 1960 Orange Bowl, and now provide aerial views for over 100 TV events every year. The blimps are especially useful for the all important “establishing” aerial shot of an event, often used as the opening shot on TV coverage.
Events covered include sporting events such as the Super Bowl and NASCAR races, through to other events such as the Academy Awards. Goodyear’s airships can be equipped with High Definition (HD) cameras, and their expert camera operators are capable of tracking an object as small as a golf ball in flight.
The blimps are flown by a single pilot, with each base having four pilots available. The pilots who fly the airships have a variety of aviation backgrounds, having flown both fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. New pilots are required to undergo a Goodyear lighter-than-air (LTA) training course which lasts around six months and culminates in an FAA examination to gain the LTA airship rating.
Being an airship pilot has to rank among the most unusual occupations in aviation and the world at large. “When I meet people and they ask what I do, once I tell them I find we don’t talk about much else!” joked new pilot Nathan Brooks. A conversation stopper indeed!
Along with the pilots, airship operations involves a huge support team, consisting of riggers, mechanics and electronics technicians amongst others. The ground operations are directed by a crew chief, and are certainly labour intensive - a large team is involved in getting the blimp airborne, and getting it back to earth! Operations away from base require a considerable amount of support personnel and equipment, necessitating a large bus and several van loads of gear.
The Carson base of Goodyear's West Coast airship, Spirit of America, lies in the Southern suburbs or Los Angeles, alongside the busy I-405 San Diego Freeway. It is a familiar sight in the sky over southern California covering sporting events such as LA Galaxy matches and of course, the Academy Awards.
The Goodyear blimp has been one of the most recognisable sights in the sky, and Goodyear’s recent updates to the camera equipment will mean that they continue to play an important role in TV coverage, along with their long established role as flying ambassadors for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. They remain an iconic, majestic sight, reminiscent of a bygone age of huge, lighter than air craft and will continue to inspire generations to come.
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