View Full Version : Goodyear Zeppelins
Golf-Mike-Mike
30th Jun 2021, 17:11
While we see a German-registered Goodyear Zeppelin "blimp" fly over London today, surely not a reaction to the football result (?), I'd always thought they were American-registered so I looked them up on the FAA website. How on earth did Goodyear manage to get N1A, N2A, N3A and N4A, an awful lot of money I presume? Screenshot courtesy FlightRadar24.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1512x928/zepp_9e08ed69d863235ef98c30c234b614536fc43936.jpg
SpringHeeledJack
1st Jul 2021, 05:43
They probably had the registrations for a long time, at least back before the fetish for derived meanings became a thing. Those short US reg's are pretty cool in general.
N707ZS
1st Jul 2021, 08:38
Shame it's not doing a UK tour. N2A graced our locality for a number of days in 1983.
Nightstop
1st Jul 2021, 11:59
It’s between Brighton and Shoreham right now, heading West just offshore (1st July 13:00 BST).
Nightstop
1st Jul 2021, 12:43
Now passing Bognor Regis 👍
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/702x295/4754a297_0b6a_4de6_bcb8_9cff42d7e3f5_632f1606c0b4cf299d29376 9ba20ada2c695b202.jpeg
tdracer
1st Jul 2021, 18:00
Perhaps being a bit anal here, but every definition of "Zeppelin" I've ever heard or seen is for a rigid airship - which the Goodyear Blimps definitely are not.
Yes, I see that it's called a "Zeppelin" on the referenced website, but that doesn't make it correct. There are Zeppelins (rigid), and there are Blimps (non-rigid). The two terms are mutually exclusive.
Perhaps being a bit anal here, but every definition of "Zeppelin" I've ever heard or seen is for a rigid airship - which the Goodyear Blimps definitely are not.
Yes, I see that it's called a "Zeppelin" on the referenced website, but that doesn't make it correct. There are Zeppelins (rigid), and there are Blimps (non-rigid). The two terms are mutually exclusive.
Well, technically they are Zeppelins. As they were built by the Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik (https://zeppelin-nt.de/en/zeppelin-companies/ZLT-zeppelin-luftschifftechnik.html) in Friedrichshafen, Germany on the coast of Lake Constance. The same place where the "original" Zeppelin were built, and in fact the company is still in the net of companies founded by the Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin in 1908 which eventually manufactured the Hindenburg amongst others of its kind. Therefore, it has, from a company perspective, a direct line to the first Zeppelin ever built, although it is of course a bit more indirect.
A little less technically, the Zeppelin NT is a semi rigid airship, roughly a halfway point between the old gas-bags like the old Goodyear blimps and full rigid airships.
It did a bit of a tour today along the south coast was meant to route over Southampton but was refused zone clearance for some reason so it went up to Winchester then back towards Dover to cross The Channel to Calais
Golf-Mike-Mike
2nd Jul 2021, 19:51
Yes I thought Zeppelin was the manufacturer's name rather than a type as such.
There are Zeppelins (rigid), and there are Blimps (non-rigid). The two terms are mutually exclusive.
I doubt the R101 was called a Zeppelin by its designers. Not an expert on the subject though, but I do have "My Zeppelins" by Hugo Eckener on my bookshelf.
Dont Hang Up
3rd Jul 2021, 12:59
Spotted it at lunchtime just south of Karlsruhe, Germany, heading Southeast. Is it doing some sort of European tour?
Then again FR24 suggests it has turned South over Stuttgart. Probably headed home to Lake Constance.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!
14th Jul 2021, 23:22
They probably use those small N Numbers because there isn't enough real estate to paint a 'normal' one :}
I was driving home from work here in Texas one day a few years ago and saw one parked in a field just off to the right. I circled back around (as we say over here) and got to spend half an hour or so talking to the crew, then I watched it take off. They said that all their pilots were also instructors, mostly because so few people had the airship rating that they pretty much had to. It did look like fun though
I have some good pics somewhere, but they don't show the N Number. What they DO show though is the air conditioning system: it's a hose mounted behind each prop and redirecting the airflow into the cabin - maybe it's really the pressurisation system (that was a joke btw)
cavuman1
15th Jul 2021, 15:16
My uncle was President and CEO of BF Goodrich for 15 years. His large and palatial office featured a 5'x8' gilt-framed painting which hung behind his massive desk. The artwork depicted an azure sky dotted with happy little cumulus clouds. The name of the painting was writ large on a polished brass nameplate: The GOODRICH BLIMP.
- Ed
tdracer
15th Jul 2021, 18:25
My uncle was President and CEO of BF Goodrich for 15 years. His large and palatial office featured a 5'x8' gilt-framed painting which hung behind his massive desk. The artwork depicted an azure sky dotted with happy little cumulus clouds. The name of the painting was writ large on a polished brass nameplate: The GOODRICH BLIMP.
- Ed
I'm dating myself, but I still remember that Goodrich TV ad campaign - back when it was rare to actually reference the competition in your ads.
Mr Mac
15th Jul 2021, 21:30
Yes I thought Zeppelin was the manufacturer's name rather than a type as such.
GMM
I have a nice Bower and Wilkens Zeppelin speaker dock in my study !! Its pretty heavy and would need some quite up scaled muscle to lift it ie bigger than average drone !!
Cheers
Mac
jimjim1
30th Jul 2021, 22:20
GMM
I have a nice Bower and Wilkens Zeppelin speaker dock in my study !! Its pretty heavy and would need some quite up scaled muscle to lift it
Mac
It's not made of Led is it?
Jn14:6
31st Jul 2021, 08:37
Zeppelin is the name of the manufacturer, not a type description, so the recently sighted example is, indeed, a Zeppelin.
The 'N' registered examples were not, being Goodyear GZ-20 series craft.
The term 'Blimp' derives from the early days of airships whereby the Air Ministry divided them into two types; 'A' Rigid, and 'B' Limp, hence 'Blimp'.
Less Hair
31st Jul 2021, 08:58
Zeppelins are always type A.
And while the original Zeppelins were lighter than air and therefore were called "driving" through the air (in german) the current Zeppelin NT is creating some final bit of dynamic lift this is why it is now called "flying" as well.
Mr Mac
1st Aug 2021, 05:49
It's not made of Led is it?
JimJim1
No, but it does play their music some times :)
Cheers
Mr Mac
Also available in plastic 1:500 scale if anyone is interested!
chevvron
8th Aug 2021, 05:20
Well, technically they are Zeppelins. As they were built by the Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik (https://zeppelin-nt.de/en/zeppelin-companies/ZLT-zeppelin-luftschifftechnik.html) in Friedrichshafen, Germany on the coast of Lake Constance. The same place where the "original" Zeppelin were built, and in fact the company is still in the net of companies founded by the Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin in 1908 which eventually manufactured the Hindenburg amongst others of its kind. Therefore, it has, from a company perspective, a direct line to the first Zeppelin ever built, although it is of course a bit more indirect.
Ah but Sam Cody flew the 'Nulli Secundus' prior to this on 5 Oct 1907 so the name should rightly be his.