It’s a Bird … it’s a Plane… it’s a Blimp!

Goodyear recently pulled what must have been gigantic wraps off the latest addition to its iconic airship fleet at the tire company’s Wingfoot Lake hangar in Suffield, Ohio, and it’s technologically light years ahead of any lighter-than-air-craft to date. Scheduled to take its maiden voyage this summer, it’s the first full redesign for the flying corporate logo since Nixon was president and humans first walked on the moon. Larger, faster and more maneuverable than its predecessors, it packs the latest in on-board computer flight control systems; by comparison, the current fleet’s strictly analog avionics date back to 1925. Built in partnership with Germany’s ZLT Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik, the $20 million airship is technically no longer a blimp, but a craftily engineered cross between a blimp and a zeppelin. Unlike a traditional zeppelin, which sports a rigid structure, the new model depends on both a carbon fiber/aluminum frame and internal pressure to maintain its instantly recognizable shape. A “zepplimp” perhaps?