TheGoodyear Blimp is any one of a fleet ofairships (or dirigibles) operated by theGoodyear Tire and Rubber Company, used mainly foradvertising purposes and capturing aerial views of live sporting events fortelevision.^[3] The termblimp itself is defined as anon-rigid airship—without any internal structure, the pressure oflifting gas within the airship envelope maintains the vessel's shape.

Wingfoot One (N1A) is not actually a blimp, but rather asemi-rigid airship built byLuftschiffbau Zeppelin.^[1]

Spirit of Innovation (N2A), Goodyear's last trueblimp (non-rigid airship), was retired on March 14, 2017.^[2]

Goodyear has been manufacturing balloons and airships since the early 1900s. In 1925, Goodyear established its globalpublic relations airship fleet, with the launch of thePilgrim. In 2014, Goodyear began to replace its three U.S.non-rigid airships (blimps) with three newsemi-rigid airships, manufactured byLuftschiffbau Zeppelin, each having a rigid internal frame. Although technically incorrect, Goodyear continues to refer to these new semi-rigid airships as "blimps".^[1]Wingfoot One, the first semi-rigid Zeppelin in Goodyear's U.S. fleet, waschristened on August 23, 2014, at theWingfoot Lake Airship Hangar, near the company's headquarters inAkron, Ohio.^[4]

In May 2011, Goodyear announced it was replacing its fleet of non-rigid airships with threesemi-rigid airships built byLuftschiffbau Zeppelin.^[5][6]

Goodyear's U.S. fleet consists of three semi-rigid airships (modelLZ N07-101):^[7][8]

• Wingfoot One (N1A), based inPompano Beach Airpark (IATA:PPM,ICAO:KPMP,FAALID:PMP) inPompano Beach, Florida^[9]
• Wingfoot Two (N2A), based in Goodyear Blimp Base Airport (FAALID:64CL) inCarson, California
• Wingfoot Three (N3A), based in Wingfoot Lake Airship Operations Balloonport (FAALID:4OH6) inSuffield, Ohio^[10]

The new airships are 246 feet (75 meters) long, 52 feet (16 meters) longer than Goodyear's old model, theGZ-20. The Zeppelin NT model is also slimmer, has a top speed of 70 miles per hour (110 kilometers per hour) (versus 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour) for the blimp), and has a passenger gondola that seats 12 (compared to seven in the blimp). The gondola also contains a restroom.^[11] Both craft are outfitted withLED sign technology Goodyear calls "Eaglevision". This allows the aircraft to display bright, multi-colored, animated words and images.

Goodyear has also leased blimps operating in other parts of the world. These airships were built and operated by The Lightship Group ofOrlando, Florida. In 2012, The Lightship Group was acquired (along with theAmerican Blimp Corporation) by Van Wagner Communications LLC, and operated as the Van Wagner Airship Group until November 17, 2017, when it was purchased by Airsign Inc.^[12][13][14] They currently operate an airship for Goodyear in China.^[15]

The Goodyear blimps are inflated withhelium, a non-renewable resource. The helium is maintained under lowpressure, so small punctures do not pose serious consequences for the blimp. One inspection element of the blimps is to look into the envelope for pinpoints of light which are indicative of small holes.

Prior to the Zeppelin NT, the Goodyear blimps were non-rigid (meaning their shape is not maintained by a rigid internal structure)dirigibles (directable/steerable airships). Inside their exterior envelope, the blimps are fitted with air-filledballonets. As the blimp ascends or descends, the internal ballonets expand or contract to compensate for density changes and to maintain uniform pressure in the envelope. The latest Goodyear airship, the Zeppelin NT, is a departure from this convention, as it is asemi-rigid airship that makes use of a truss inside the envelope to provide some of its strength.

"GZ" stands for Goodyear–Zeppelin, stemming from the partnership Goodyear had with the German company when both were building airships together. However, these models came many years after this partnership had dissolved during the start of World War II. The GZ-1 was theUSSAkron (ZRS-4), the U.S. Navy's fourth rigid airship used for several tests including as a flying "aircraft carrier".

• GZ-19/19A: Introduced in 1959 with theMayflower (N4A) and discontinued in 1978 after theMayflower (N38A) was destroyed by a tornado. The design for this class is similar to theL class blimp built by Goodyear for the U.S. Navy.
• GZ-20/20A: This class was introduced in 1969, withAmerica (N10A) andColumbia (N3A) being the first two. TheEuropa (N2A) followed in 1972 and was based in Italy, the first Goodyear blimp based outside of the United States. These airships were larger than the GZ 19 blimps. Beginning in 2014, Goodyear began retiring the GZ-20 and replacing them with theZeppelin NT. On February 23, 2014,Spirit of Goodyear was retired in Pompano Beach after the2014 Daytona 500.^[17] On August 10, 2015, the California-based GZ-20, theSpirit of America, was decommissioned. TheSpirit of Innovation, took over California operations in September 2015 until its retirement in March 2017 as the last remaining GZ-20. In fall of 2017, Wingfoot Two will be relocated to California.^[18]
• GZ-22: The only airship in this class was theSpirit of Akron (N4A). Originally built in 1987 to show the U.S.Department of Defense that airships were still militarily viable, it was the most technically advanced airship Goodyear ever had in its public relations fleet, featuringfly-by-wire technology. However,Spirit of Akron was destroyed in a crash in 1999 and the company has not built one since, most likely because of the increase in manufacturing and operating expenses due to its advanced technology.
• LZ N07-101: In May 2011, Goodyear announced that it would be replacing its aging fleet of GZ-20blimps (non-rigid airships) withZeppelin NT airships. Construction began in 2012 on the first of three newsemi-rigid airships; completed in March 2014,Wingfoot One was christened on August 23, 2014, byGood Morning America anchorRobin Roberts.^[8]Wingfoot Two, the name of Goodyear's second semi-rigid airship, was unveiled in April 2016.^[19] The third finished the fleet in 2018.Shaesta Waiz, the youngest woman to fly solo around the world, christened Wingfoot Three during an August 30 ceremony in Akron, with the traditional smashing of a bottle of champagne across the bow. "Wingfoot Three will serve as a beacon for me to continue my work inspiring and celebrating aviation with others," said Waiz. She joined a list of other famous Goodyear airship christeners, including Amelia Earhart and astronaut Sally Ride.^[20]

• C class blimp 1918–1919
• D class blimp 1920–1924
• F class blimp/Type FB 1918–1923
• Goodyear Type AD 1925–1931
• G class blimp 1935–19?
• H class blimp 1921–1923
• J class blimp 1922–1940
• K class blimp 1938–1959, WWII anti-submarine, post-war tests
  • K-1 1938–1940, pre-war experimental
• L class blimp 1930s–1945, WWII
• M class blimp 1944–1956
• N class blimp 1950s–1962
• Goodyear ZWG 1950s

According to the Goodyear website, the now retired GZ 19 and 19A blimps were 150 and 157 feet (46 and 48 meters) long respectively, and the GZ-20/20A blimps were 192 feet (59 meters) long, 59.5 feet (18.1 meters) tall, and 50 feet (15 meters) wide. For comparison, the largest airships ever built, theZeppelin company'sHindenburg, LZ-129, and theGraf Zeppelin II, LZ-130, were both 804 feet (245 meters) long and 135 feet (41 meters) in diameter. That is, over four times as long and over twice as wide as the current Goodyear blimps. The largest blimp ever made by Goodyear was theU.S. Navy's ZPG-3, at 403 feet (123 meters) in length.

Since 1928, Goodyear had traditionally named its blimps after the U.S. winners of theAmerica's Cup yacht race. This naming method is attributed to then-Goodyear CEO P. W. Litchfield,^[21] who viewed the airships as "aerial yachts". Although that practice deviated with the introduction of theSpirit of Akron in 1987, the tradition ended with the Florida-basedStars & Stripes in 2005.

In 2006, Goodyear began having the public participate in the naming of their airships; they dubbed this the "Name the Blimp" contest.Spirit of Innovation was the first airship to be named by the public.

The America's Cup winners' names:^[22]Puritan,Reliance,Defender,Volunteer,Resolute,Vigilant,Mayflower,Ranger,Rainbow,Enterprise,Columbia,America,Stars & Stripes.^[21][23]

Non-cup winners' names:^[22]Pilgrim,^[24]Neponset,^[24]Spirit of Akron,^[21]Spirit of Goodyear,^[21]Eagle,^[21]Spirit of America,^[25]Spirit of Innovation,^[25]Wingfoot One,^[26]Wingfoot Two.^[19]

Foreign-based blimps have been operated byThe Lightship Group since the 1990s:Europa,^[21]Spirit of Europe,^[27]Spirit of the South Pacific,^[27]Spirit of the Americas,^[28]Spirit of Safety,^[29]Ventura,^[30]Ling Hang Zhe (Navigator).^[25]

The only passengers that Goodyear will allow on the blimps are corporate guests of the company and members of the press; it has been Goodyear's long-standing policy that no public rides are offered. However, for over 50 years, it had to offer limited public rides at itsMiami, Florida, winter base onWatson Island as part of its land-lease deal with the city in order to operate from the island. That practice ended in 1979 when the base was moved toOpa-locka, Florida.

During the period in which Goodyear supplied tires forIndyCar, it was a tradition that thepole position winner at theIndianapolis 500 would get a ride in the blimp in the days leading up to the race.^[31]

During the period in which Goodyear was a corporate sponsor of theAll American Soap Box Derby,^[32] the winners of the World Championship races held each July in Akron, Ohio were awarded a ride in the blimp.^[33][34] Typically these rides were given on the day following the annual race, but if weather prohibited the blimp from flying on that day, the champions were given an award letter from Goodyear. This letter was basically a lifetime ticket for one blimp ride to be taken whenever arrangements could be made between all parties involved.

"As part of the blimp’s 100-year anniversary celebration, {in 2025},Goodyear is giving three U.S. residents a chance to join the exclusive club and win a ride."^[35]

The European Goodyear blimp is operated byDeutsche Zeppelin-Reederei, a commercial passenger flight operator, and the Goodyear Zeppelin NT is regularly used for public flights around Germany outside of sport seasons.^[36]

For years, Goodyear has fitted its blimps with a night sign. From neon tubes, to incandescent lamps to LEDs, these signs have helped the company advertise its products and also deliver public service messages from various organizations such as local governments.

• Neon-O-Gram: Originally called NeonGoodyear, was first fitted onDefender in the 1930s. Neon tubes on the sides of the blimp which usually spelled out 'Goodyear'.
• Trans-Lux: Installed in 1947 on both sides of thePuritan. Ten panels, each holding 182 incandescent lamps, with 18-foot letters.^[37]
• Skytacular: In the mid-1960s, the GZ-19Mayflower (N4A) was fitted with over 3,000 incandescent lamps of red, yellow, blue and green on both sides that for the first time featured animation.^[37] Usually moving stick figures, ticker messages or colorful patterns. A smallgas turbine had to be attached to the blimp's car in order to power the Skytacular night sign.
• Super Skytacular: Same technology as Skytacular, but with more than 7,000 lamps on both sides.^[37] Super Skytacular was fitted on the new longer GZ-20 blimps in 1969.
• EagleVision: Use a computer-driven system to create video displays with more than 80,000 LED lights.^[37]

• Wingfoot Air Express, while transporting passengers from Chicago'sGrant Park to theWhite City Amusement Park,caught fire then crashed through the skylight of the Illinois Trust & Savings Bank on July 21, 1919, killing one crewman, two passengers, and ten bank employees.^[38]
• Columbia, tail number N10A, was buzzed repeatedly by a radio-controlled model airplane when the blimp flew over a field used for R/C model flying on September 3, 1990; the R/C pilot then intentionally rammed his model airplane into the blimp, tearing a three-foot hole through the envelope.^[39] The blimp made a "hard landing" at a nearby airport. The R/C pilot, John William Moyer, was identified by other flyers at the field and was arrested.^[40]
• Spirit of Akron, tail number N4A, crashed on October 28, 1999, inSuffield, Ohio, when it suddenly entered an uncontrolled left turn and began descending. The pilot and technician on board received only minor injuries when the blimp struck trees. TheNational Transportation Safety Board report identified that improperly hardened metal splines on the control actuators sheared, causing loss of control.Spirit of Akron was a unique airship, the only Goodyear blimp of theGZ-22 class to be built.^[41]
• Stars and Stripes, tail number N1A, crashed on June 16, 2005, inCoral Springs, Florida, when it was caught in a strongthunderstorm that eventually pushed the aircraft into trees andpowerlines. There were no injuries in the crash, although the pilot and passenger were trapped for a number of hours until the powerlines could be de-energized.^[42] TheNational Transportation Safety Board accident report claims the cause of the accident to be the pilot's "inadequate in-flight planning/decision which resulted in an in-flight encounter with weather (thunderstorm outflow), anddowndrafts..."^[43]
• Spirit of Safety I (built by American Blimp Corporation), registered as G-TLEL and owned and operated by Lightship Europe Limited, (but operating in Goodyear livery), caught fire while on landing approach to theReichelsheim Airport and crashed on June 12, 2011, nearReichelsheim,Hesse, Germany. The pilot, Michael Nerandzic, flew the airship low enough that passengers could jump to the ground, and all three did indeed leap to safety. Nerandzic then, while still able to maintain some control on the burning blimp,climbed away so that fire or wreckage would not hit the escapees; soon after, Nerandzic died in the blimp's fiery wreck.^[29][44]

In 1983, the city ofRedondo Beach, California, near the blimp base airport inCarson, California,^{[45][better source needed]} adopted resolution number 6252 recognizing the Goodyear AirshipColumbia (since retired) as the "Official Bird of Redondo Beach".^[46]

InIce Cube's 1993 hitIt Was a Good Day, Cube claims his good day ended with the lights of the Goodyear blimp reading "Ice Cube's aPimp". In 2014 Goodyear flew the blimp in celebration of Ice Cube, with the message “Today Is A Good Day”, helping to raise $25,000 for a local charity.^[47]

On a 2001 episode ofThat 70's Show, Leo recalls seeing what he thought was a UFO at a football game, which displayed a message that he interpreted as a prediction of a "good year."^[48]

An airship heavily inspired by the Goodyear blimp appears in the 2013 video gameGrand Theft Auto V, where it is almost always seen above Los Santos, based onLos Angeles. Although named theAtomic Blimp in-game, its design is that of a Zeppelin.

In January 2019, theCollege Football Hall of Fame inducted the Goodyear Blimp as its first-ever nonhuman inductee.^[49]

The Aldrich Blimp inThomas Harris' 1975 novelBlack Sunday is based on the Goodyear Blimp flying overSuper Bowl. It is the intended target of a terror plot.

• Cornfeld, Betty; Edwards, Owen (1983)."The Goodyear Blimp".Quintessence: The Quality of Having "It". Photographs: Dan Kozan. New York: Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers. pp. 44–45.ISBN 9781579121501.OCLC 46541599.

• Official Website
• The Goodyear Blimp, Today and Yesterday: A complete guide to Goodyear's advertising blimps
• Goodyear upgrades from blimps to Zeppelins
• Poll: Should Goodyear Still Call Their New Zeppelin NT Airships 'Blimps'?
• A blimp is a blimp. These aren't.
• Goodyear-Zeppelin airship dock collection, 1920–1959. Finding guide on the OAC.