Goodyear Blimp

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For over 80 years, Goodyear blimps have adorned the skies as very visible corporate symbols of the tire and rubber company that began operations in 1898. Today, these graceful giants travel more than 100,000 miles across the United States per year as Goodyear's "Aerial Ambassadors."

Tradition

The blimp tradition began in 1925 when Goodyear built its first helium-filled public relations airship, the Pilgrim. The tire company painted its name on the side and began barnstorming the United States ¬- humble beginnings to an illustrious history.

In the 1930s, Goodyear built two giant rigid airships for the Navy. The aircraft each measured more than two football fields in length and needed 6.5 million cubic feet of helium to become airborne. The USS Akron and USS Macon were designed as aerial aircraft carriers and could launch and retrieve specially equipped planes while in flight. Although a good concept, sadly, both airships were lost in storms within two years of going into service, effectively ending the era of the rigid airships.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Goodyear built a series of large surveillance airships used to protect merchant fleets along the coast. They also served as early warning radar stations. Over the years, Goodyear has built more than 300 airships, more than any other company in the world. Akron, Ohio, the company's world headquarters, was the centre of blimp manufacturing for several decades.

Today, Goodyear operates three airships in the United States; the Spirit of America, the Spirit of Goodyear and the Spirit of Innovation - these graceful giants travel more than 100,000 miles across the United States per year.