“Spirit of America” to be rebuilt

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s newest blimp, the “Spirit of America”, which crashed during a landing six weeks ago, will fly again. The company has announced that it will rebuild the damaged airship and return it to the skies by late summer.

The rebuilding project will take place at Goodyear’s Wingfoot Lake airship hangar in Suffield Township. The blimp will keep its name, and will not undergo any design changes. The blimp’s envelope sustained a large gash when it hit a fence.

Workers will replace the damaged envelope with a spare envelope, which the company already has on hand, spokeswoman Jennifer Arnold said. The gondola suffered minor damages, and will be repaired, she said. The engine, fins and propellers were undamaged, she added.