What It Takes To Fly The $21 Million Goodyear Blimp

We took a ride on the world-famous Goodyear Blimp as it flew above the Daytona International Speedway where it provided aerial coverage for NASCAR in February. Our journey began at the Blimp Base in Pompano Beach, Florida — from there, the Blimp flew 200 miles north to a small airport in New Smyrna, where it would call home for the weekend. 

We got to spend about five hours in the Blimp, which was updated in 2014 in collaboration with the Zeppelin company. The new model isn't technically a Blimp, due to the internal structure inside its balloon, or envelope.

This is what it's like to fly on the iconic Goodyear Blimp, which isn't accessible to the public — only the crew and invited guests are allowed to go for a ride. 

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What It Takes To Fly The $21 Million Goodyear Blimp

[buch]

2:51 : "Six months to maybe a little over a year"
So you need a goodyear of training to fly this thing?

[lolbots]

heading over to see if spacex need any grass cutters

[GFM_]

My dad worked 36 years at Brazil's Goodyear and one day he brought the whole family in a flight on this beauty. I'll never forget that

[reinardjared]

“You know everyone wants to see a blimp.”
GTA5 players: *pulls out rpg*

[MRSK]

When I was younger, I thought the people sat in balloon part

[bscura]

In the '80s when I was in high school, there was a Goodyear Blimp based right across the freeway from our school. I was on the yearbook staff and we requested a ride to photograph the campus from above. Goodyear was happy to oblige. When it was our turn, they put me in the co-pilot seat. We flew around, I took pictures, and then the pilot asked if I wanted to fly it. This was an older model with pedals for the rudders and a big wheel beside each seat for elevators. I'll never forget that day. For a few minutes, I got to fly the Goodyear blimp.

[nativeportlander]

I’m gonna piss people off at parties when I interject that the Goodyear Blimp is actually a semi-rigid airship.

[BobMcCoy]

*_I wonder if the Blimp Tires are Goodyear_*

[xlilnetx]

The pilot who started off as a landscaper for good year. Amazing story, peoples dreams can come true

[crispyrainbow]

“I didn’t even realize this job existed until I found it.”

-Mr. BlimpMan

[calebyork]

I don’t know why it made me smile when they said that the blimp would spin around in circles at night while parked. Also I feel like a crash in that thing would feel like a gentle ground boop.

[zuko]

It's all good until it got attacked by pigeons using Blitzkrieg tactic

[GRosa]

That’s a big improvement from the previous generation blimps. I had an opportunity to look inside the cockpit of the older model and I was shocked at how small it was.

[sl]

Probably took them a Good Year to build it.

[legendary_moocow]

ive seen it at my elementary school several times, looking back it was just so cool knowing theirs only 15-20 blimps left and ive seen this one multiple times, the Goodyear blimp.

[Mralmostpig]

somehow it gives me an "aww" feeling when it took off. as nostalgic as a Disney cartoon in the 50s

[az]

As a kid i thought people would ride inside the round thing

[jdwolf]

When a camera is worth more than your house

[Griffin그리핀]

Living in Arizona we see the Goodyear blimps quite frequently. Needless to say it's always amazing to see

[KS-xdql]

To put the 21 mil in perspective, a passenger airplane costs about 200 - 300 mil...