Goodbye Goodyear blimps … say hello to state-of-the art, 73mph superblimps

It has been a fixture in the skies above major sports events for years. But now the fabled Goodyear Blimp is being retired. Well, sort of. The big, cigar-shaped thing seen floating over stadiums in the U.S. will still be there. It will also remain instantly recognizable with its blue-and-gold Goodyear logo emblazoned across the side. It just won’t be, well, technically, a blimp. Instead, it will be a semi-rigid dirigible, which means it has a a fixed structure holding its big, gassy balloon in place. That’s unlike a blimp, which goes flat when the helium is removed.

It’s a brand new design. It is a much larger airship. But the most impressive features are the glass cockpit that is all fly-by-wire, the most state-of-the-art avionics in airships today

Goodyear’s Priscilla Tasker

The overhaul comes on the 90th anniversary of Goodyear’s entry into the dirigible business. The first of the new models, Wingfoot One, took to the sky last year, replacing the 14-year-old Spirit of Goodyear. The last of the old ones, Spirit of Innovation, will fly to California next month to replace Spirit of America while its replacement is being built. After that, Spirit of Innovation will be retired. The new ships, with three engines instead of two, will be able to hit speeds of 73 mph and make less racket getting from place to place. They’ll also be more maneuverable but they’ll still be carried aloft by helium.

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