I put together a version of this page 10 years ago when I rode on the Goodyear blimp. The page and writing were embarrassingly amateurish (as compared to my moderately amateurish work today). I moved it over to this site and cleaned it up a bit.

See the photos that go along with this story about my trip. And here is Goodyear's blimp Web site.

First things first
It is virtually impossible to get a ride on the Goodyear blimp. I don't mean to be egotistical, but it is usually the first question I get asked. Goodyear offers no public flights. They keep the blimp's schedule filled with corporate clients, investors, contest winners, celebrities, dignitaries, etc. Don't write me asking how to get a blimp ride. I know "your case is different," but I have no way of helping you.

So how did you get a ride?
At the time, I worked as a radio producer at WKSU-FM, Kent State University's National Public Radio affiliate. Goodyear is kind enough to donate two blimp rides to the station each year. We use them for drawings during our major fundraising campaigns ("Call in, make a pledge, and get registered for the blimp ride drawing.") That summer, we pitched an idea to Goodyear: in order to stimulate interest and enthusiasm for the blimp drawings, why don't you let two of our producers take a blimp ride and chronicle the experience?

They agreed.

So what happened next?
Our original blimp ride was scheduled for October 9, 1997. The trip was cancelled because the hanger door was jammed - which did wonders for my confidence. I thought we had lost our chance. Then Goodyear called about a month later to reschedule our flight. We were set to go at 10:00 a.m. on November 20th. WKSU's news director (at the time), Vince Duffy, and I packed up our cameras and tape recorders and headed down to "Blimp Base 1" in Suffield, Ohio (a couple miles south of Kent). As we drove towards the blimp hanger, we started to panic when we saw the blimp was taking off - we thought we had missed our flight. We were completely unaware that on flying days, the blimp is constantly changing passengers and making trips. When we entered the hanger, we found out that we were on the next flight, and were invited to relax in the lounge with our fellow passengers. Goodyear had a video playing about the blimp, its pilots, the history of lighter-than-air ships, etc… Our pilot, Don McDuff, greeted us at the hanger, then drove us to the blimp's landing pad to wait to board.

The blimp was landing from its previous flight as we arrived. It takes a 13-man crew to bring it in. When its engines are idling, the blimp acts like a hot air balloon - and will drift away with the breeze. While the blimp is on the ground, it is supported by a single tire on the bottom of the passenger car. You see, when fully inflated, the blimp weighs less than I do - about 150 lbs. Six men throw their body weight onto the passenger car to keep it still long enough for the passengers to get on and off.

Take off is pretty simple; the crew just lets go of the blimp. The pilot cranks up the engines, and off you go.

What's it like to ride in a blimp?
It is very difficult to describe the sensation of riding in a blimp. I was expecting an experience similar to a small plane - loud, bumpy, and unstable. The loud part was definitely dead on, but the "feel" of the ride was very different than I expected. The blimp moves very slowly, about 25-35 miles per hour (the cars on the road below us were making better time) and stays at an elevation of about 1000 feet (though it is capable of going significantly higher). One of my fellow passengers likened the ride to being strapped to the belly of a whale while it swims through the sky. Now, I haven't seen any whales flying over Akron since one long night during my sophomore year of college - but the point is well taken. The blimp is slow and graceful. Even in winds and turbulence, the blimp doesn't seem motivated to react - it just rocks and climbs, very gently.

We were very lucky - our flight lasted about an hour (the usual time is about 30 minutes). We headed north from Suffield and flew over Kent, then headed west to Mogadore (west Akron), then cut back across to the blimp hanger. Vince and I spent a lot of our time interviewing, capturing sound and taking pictures - but we still had plenty of time to take it all in.

At the end of our flight, our pilot simply lowered the blimp so the crew could grab a hold of the lines, then they pulled us in. My first reaction to the ride was that I want to go again. In fact, I have devoted a great deal of mental energy to coming up with a way to get another ride - to no avail. For now I must satisfy myself looking and listening to my chronicle of the event, and proudly display my "Blimp Riders Club" card, signed by my pilot.

Comments

[tyler]

thanks for posting this - I've ALWAYS wondered what it would be like to ride in that thing! I work near the landing pad in Southern California and see it take off and land a lot.