Goodyear Zeppelins
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Goodyear Zeppelins
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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
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.
Then again FR24 suggests it has turned South over Stuttgart. Probably headed home to Lake Constance.
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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)
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)
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
- Ed
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
- Ed
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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
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'.
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'.
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.
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.
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