Goodyear Blimp Max performance Climb

[psolk 3,070]

Pretty awesome footage of the new Goodyear blimp with a low pass approach and max performance climb out.  Who knew!!!

Some of the stats are pretty impressive. The new blimps can perform VTOL stay airborne for 48 hours and cruise at 10,000 feet at 73mph.

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/43041/watch-the-goodyear-blimp-make-a-crazy-zoom-climb-out-of-long-beach-airport

 

[mwilk 1,107]

I grew up in Akron, Ohio in the 60's. During the summertime it wasn't unusual to have a Goodyear blimp flying around. Sometimes there were three or four. 

[Stratocruiser1 134]

Do I see a prop on the tail?

[Mallard 195]

5 minutes ago, Stratocruiser1 said:

Do I see a prop on the tail?

Yes - because that's a Zeppelin NT which actually has three engines, two in nacelles on the side of the lifting body (of which the propellers can individually be swivelled 90° upwards and 30° downwards) and one engine in the back which powers two props.

This configuration also makes the NT useable as a resarch, survey and observation platform that can "anchor" itself stationary over a defined location - although most are used for sightseeing. I used to see one of them regularly come over Freiburg in southwestern Germany for tours over the Black Forest. It was based at Lake Constance, where it would run schedueld sightseeing flights. Aparently the views from the passenger gondola (which can seat up to 14 passengers) are quite spectactular, as it has impressively large windows.

 

Cheers

Mallard

[Tim_Capps 479]

Airships are just  cool. My mom was in the WAVES during WWII and was on the ground crew at Moffett Field. They were taught to hold the rail palm out, not palm in, because it was not uncommon for ground crewmen to freeze and get carried aloft, which seldom ended well.

[n4gix 4,961]

What it takes to fly the $21 million semi-rigid blimp:

 

 

[Mace 1,964]

Maybe a dumb question, but can a blimp "stall" in the typical winged-aircraft sense?   I assume "yes" but I figure it would float down like a leaf falling off a tree.

[n4gix 4,961]

Not really, as long as they maintain neutral buoyancy.