During a recent trip to Goodyear’s R&D center in Akron, OH, we were invited to visit the hangar where they keep one of its three blimps. Up close, these things are huge, but they’re dwarfed by the original airships that were introduced at the turn of the last century.

Goodyear built its first helium-filled airship, named The Pilgrim, back in 1925. Since this was the dawn of the flight, people were in awe of these flying machines and when the Goodyear painted its name on the side, the company started an 80-year tradition. What you may not know was that Goodyear is the world’s biggest supplier of airships in the world, having built more than 300 since 1925. The blimps were even used by the US Navy as convoy escorts during WW2 to spot submarines. They remained in service until 1962 when modern technology finally made them obsolete. The current fleet of three Goodyear blimps, stationed in Akron, Carson, CA and Pompano Beach, FL, date back to the 1960s and every year they are overhauled to keep them airworthy. The balloon itself is simply a neoprene skin called the envelope. At 192ft long, it’s filled with 184,000cuft of helium. It also houses two large ballonets that are filled with air via external scoops. By either filling or deflating, these allow the blimp to either rise or descend. The envelope has no rigid structure, but keeps its shape through gas pressure. However, it does have a nose cone that won’t deform when the airship is traveling at its maximum 50mph. It’s also used to anchor the blimp when it lands. Under the balloon is the gondola, where the pilot and TV crew sit. With a steel frame and aluminum skin it weighs 3500 lb. Add the tail section, night sign, painted decals, rigging, ballast, undercarriage and valves, the blimps weighs about 10,000 lb. On the side of the airship is the Eaglevision sign. It comprises 82656 LEDs grouped onto 3780 boards. By using different color and intensity LEDs, the computer-controlled sign has a palette of 32767 colors to create images or messages. This is a far cry from the original sign used in the 1930s that used 10 aluminum-framed panels with neon tubes. The Goodyear Blimps are a familiar sight in the skies over sporting events and can be seen in Goodyear’s latest TV commercials. There’s also an excellent website (www.goodyearblimp.com) packed with information, slideshows and historical photos if you wish to learn more about this American icon.