Goodyear Blimp Over Fairhope

Wingfoot Two, one of Goodyear’s fleet of four blimps, passes over the Fairhope/Daphne area at midday Monday. Moving at about 55 knots or about 63 mph, the airship is captured about 1,225 feet up while heading northeast. Based near Fort Lauderdale, Wingfoot Two has the honor of being the first Goodyear blimp in over 50 years to serve as a jump platform for skydivers when a US Air Force skydive team jumped from over the Bristol Motor Speedway in SEP 2016. Three 200-horsepower engines (mounted on either side and at the tail) can move the airship at up to 73 mph. Capable of seating 12, the airships measure 246 feet and–unlike earlier models–have a semi-rigid internal frame, which means they are more correctly called airships (although many still refer to them as blimps). The blimps are filled with helium maintained at low pressure, so that small punctures should not pose serious consequences for the airship. Used mainly for advertising and capturing aerial views of sporting events, the airships are restroom-equipped. Photo by David Gluth…