Goodyear has announced that construction work on the first of its new generation of airships has begun. The Zeppelin LZ N07-101 airship is being built by Germany’s ZLT Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik and will be assembled at Goodyear’s Wingfoot Lake Hangar near Akron, Ohio. LZ N07-101 and other craft built by Zeppelin will ultimately replace Goodyear’s fleet of blimps.
The Goodyear blimp will be present over London during the Olympics later this month and in August thanks to Goodyear’s selection as provider of aerial images by the US-based NBC network. Goodyear will lend its aerial presence to NBC Olympics’ coverage of the Olympic Games for the tenth time; the company most recently worked for NBC Olympics during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Goodyear’s three North American blimps are currently assisting the US Department of Homeland Security/FEMA in its efforts to collect donations to aid those devastated by recent tornados in the United States. The airships, Spirit of Goodyear in Ohio, Spirit of Innovation in Florida and Spirit of America in California, are using their electronic signs to display disaster relief messages directing people to donate by text via The Salvation Army or The American Red Cross. A third message provides details of the nvoad.org disaster relief website.
Today the Goodyear blimp is being pressed into service with the US armed forces for a planned strategic operation, yet there is no need to panic, arm yourself to the teeth or flee to the relative safety of your basement. The blimp is pairing up with the United States Marine Corps Reserve for what Goodyear is calling a ‘joint manoeuvre’ to help the ‘Marine Toys for Tots Foundation’ collect toys for needy children.
Goodyear take note – an Indian rival has taken to the skies. MRF Tyres is an official sponsor of the miniature blimp that hovers over stadiums where Indian Premier League cricket tournament matches are played. The 19 metre long blimp, which displays the company’s logo on its sides, can be raised to a maximum of 1000 feet and has the capacity to take aerial shots of matches. It is also used to observe weather conditions. The blimp deal, signed for the 2010 season, is said to be worth around US$3.5 billion.
An interesting diversion to our regular industry related news comes courtesy of Goodyear, who reports its gifting to the Smithsonian of a century-old lifeboat that saw service on the very first airship built by the company. Constructed by one S.E. Saunders of East Cowes on the Isle of Wight in 1910, the boat is made primarily of wood, measures 27 feet long with a 6 foot beam and weighs over 500 pounds – that’s 8.2 metres long and 225 kilograms for those of you reading this in metric.
Nathan Brooks has become the latest to sign on as a Goodyear blimp pilot following his “check flight" at the company's Airship Operations facility in Carson, California. The 29-year old joins pilot-in-charge Jon Conrad, assistant pilot-in-charge Matthew St. John and senior pilot Kristen Davis as pilots for the California-based "Spirit of America" airship.
Goodyear turns 111 this year, and is celebrating by recounting its Top 111 Innovations, Inspirations and Historic Firsts.
After two years on the market, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. was finally able to sell its Wingfoot Lake property near Akron. The 540-acre lake and 150-acre park area was acquired by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife for a reported $3.2 million.
The sale does not include the tyre maker’s blimp port and hangar there. The state plans to open the park to the public by mid-2010. In 2007, Goodyear announced plans to sell the property as part of its financial plans. Once a company-only facility, the complex includes picnic shelters, playgrounds, ball fields and courts, a miniature golf course and driving range, boat docks, and a snack bar. (Tire Review/Akron)
Pasadena Tournament of Roses Queen, Courtney Chou Lee and Royal Court, Princesses Mary Gaule, Jasmine Jenkins, Bridget McDonald, Molly Novell, Lauren Valenzuela and Quinn Young are to take to the air aboard the world famous Goodyear blimp, following in the now traditional footsteps of all Pasadena Rose Court winners before them.
For over 35 years the seven members of the Royal Court have been invited to fly in the Goodyear blimp, which is based in Carson, California. As one of the more than 150 community and media events the Royal Court will attend, the blimp ride has become one of the highlights of their year-long reign. The ambassadors of the Tournament of Roses will fly aboard Goodyear’s aerial ambassador today (3 December).
Pirelli may gain global recognition through its artistic and iconic calendar, but Goodyear has the blimp – and a 58 metre long airship floating in the sky is a spectacular way for the tyre major to promote its brand. The company has operated blimps since 1925 and currently has three in service. One of these airships, the Spirit of Goodyear, recently became the first Goodyear blimp to meet another illustrious American icon – the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.
Our friends in the US are just a hop, skip and a jump away from their presidential election, but the absent minded amongst them need not write a reminder in reverse letters on their forehead and hope they encounter a mirror on election day – all they need to is go outside and stare at the sky. The Goodyear blimp has taken to the air to remind voters that November 4 is the day to remember.
Goodyear is highlighting the safety aspects of its products through a new integrated advertising campaign. The advertisement, created by London based agency Leagas Delaney, utilises the iconic Goodyear blimp, portraying the airship as a flying laboratory housing a team that looks after drivers on their journey.
The safety message is bolstered by statistics highlighting the safety benefits of Goodyear’s innovations, and the campaign also introduces a new endline – ‘Safety Together’ – and a new corporate identity. The campaign will be shown across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, encompassing TV, print and point of sale.
Two Goodyear employees have taken the “Spirit of Innovation” to new levels by staging their marriage on-board the famous blimp. Sonya Waggoner and Wallace Campbell brought forward their plans to marry in November, when office-wag and friend of the couple, Phil Petty persuaded Campbell to use his blimp ride ticket to give Waggoner a surprise wedding day she would never forget.
Reluctant at first, Petty told local news sources in Gadsden, Alabama how he pestered his co-worker until he caved-in, allowing the wannabe wedding-planner to pursue his vision for the couple’s big day: “I told him it was a lifetime opportunity…he didn’t much want to do it, but we kept talking. He finally said, ‘If you can do something to make it happen, I’ll do it.’” Petty took this literally, arranging – with the help of the Gadsden plant’s communications manager, Jackie Edmondson – for the probate judge to conduct the ceremony and a tyre-shaped wedding cake.
Not everyone get the opportunity to be the public face for a blimp, but in the US Sara Waldman has taken on this perhaps unique position. Goodyear has announced Ms Waldman’s appointment to the role of public relations manager for the airship “Spirit of Innovation.” In her new position, Ms Waldman will be responsible for strategic and day-to-day public relations, marketing support communications, media outreach, community affairs and scheduling activities surrounding the airship’s operations from its base in Pompano Beach, Florida.
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