Crowds at the CenterPoint Energy Dayton Air Show will see a familiar logo coast through the sky as the Goodyear Blimp celebrates 100 years since its first flight.
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News Center 7’s Nick Foley spoke with the blimp’s chief pilot about his plans to wow the airshow audience. Hear more about the history of the blimp and its capabilities LIVE on News Center 7 at 5:30.
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Goodyear Blimp Chief Pilot Michael Dougherty said bringing the blimp to the air show in Dayton marks a major milestone in the company’s history.
“We’re excited to have all the airships working for us this year to really get out there and celebrate the 100 years of an airship. Because 100 years of a company is a pretty big deal, and for us to have a company within a company celebrating its own 100 years is really cool,” Dougherty said.
Goodyear introduced the first ‘helium-filled non-rigid airship’ in 1925. Introduced as the ‘Pilgrim,’ the blimp traveled 95,000 miles and started the Goodyear Blimp program, according to a Goodyear spokesperson on their website.
Dougherty said the return to Dayton hits home since he’s an Akron native. He pilots all three of Goodyear’s US Fleet and is bringing “Wingfoot Three” to give show-goers a surprising, up-close performance.
“You can actually hover [the blimp] in place, kind of like a helicopter, which gives us the ability to put it in front of an air show crowd and do what we call maneuvers demo, which is pretty cool. People don’t think that the airship might be as maneuverable as it is,” Dougherty said.
As reported on News Center 7 at 5:30, the blimp will be in town several days before the air show in support of their local dealers. Dougherty said the goal is to be as accessible to airship enthusiasts as possible.
This will be the blimp’s first return to the air show in over 20 years.
The CenterPoint Energy Dayton Air Show will take place on June 21-22 at the Dayton International Airport.
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