Gliding across the skies over major sporting events for decades, the iconic Goodyear Blimp draws the attention of everyone. Fans and participants point and take pictures of the yellow, gray and blue airship as it glides overheard.
Just before the NASCAR season started on Wednesday, February 11, Heavy Sports was invited for a ride in Wingfoot Two above the Daytona Beach, FL skies. Lasting 45 minutes, the helium filled Zeppelin quietly traversed over the beaches and ocean carrying six passengers and two pilots.
It was an incredible experience with enlightening information offered up by the pilots.
Goodyear Blimp Takes Flight Over Daytona
After a pre-flight informational and safety meeting, passengers boarded the blimp by two people coming off the previous flight as two others board rotating until the swap was complete.
Lifting off at 1:45 p.m. from New Smyrna Beach Airport, pilots Joe Erbs and Jessica Miladinovich eased the 246-foot long, 57.5-foot high and 64.8-foot-wide airship off the tarmac. From there, they guided it towards the Atlantic Ocean with the two side propellors whirling it into motion.
Utilizing winds from the west, well timed steering moves and altitude adjustments kept the blimp on track. Reaching an altitude between 1,000 and 1.200 feet, it cruised along the beach as onlooks waved and took photos. When it was time to head back to the airport, pilots upped the propellor RPMs into the wind.
With winds maxing at 17 mph, the blimp was guided in crabbing toward the land spot. As it glided closer, an almost 45-degree angle was used to gently touch down safely.
Goodyear Blimp has Long History at DIS
Goodyear has sent a blimp to Daytona International Speedway for more than 60 years. Known for the racing tires used by competitors on the racing surfaces, the manufacturer’s blimps have been a part of major NASCAR events across the country.
As a blimp pilot for almost two years, Milandovich knows what it means when people see it fly overhead and incredible overhead shots provided for TV coverage.
“It’s really an amazing feeling to just fly the blimp,” said the Kent State College of Aeronautics and Engineering graduate. “It’s really cool seeing the public’s reactions and when they line the fence of the airport where we’re tethered for and event.”
This coming weekend, the Goodyear Blimp will fly high over the DIS high banks for The Duels on Thursday night, O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race on Saturday and The Great American Race on Sunday.
From Toy Drive to Flying the Blimp
Miladinovich hails from Pompano Beach, FL and turned a toy drive into a career opportunity
“I have been flying for more than 13 years before becoming part of the blimp crew,” she said.”I’m very lucky regarding how I became a pilot for Goodyear. Each year, they host a Toys for Tots event where pilots of all kinds go to the hangar, donate toys and check out the blimp.
“While talking with the chief blimp pilot he mentioned they had an opening. So, I applied and got hired. I actually cried when I passed my final test, which was actually flying the blimp, to get hired. There aren’t many people who get to pilot these iconic airships.
“What people don’t know is sometimes we can be up in the air over an event for up to 10 hours. NASCAR races are good because they last about four hours and there is such an energy in town during the weekend.”
How Wingfoot Two was Made
The assembly of Wingfoot Two began in March 2013 at Goodyear’s Wingfoot Lake hangar in Akron, OH. Engineers and technicians from Goodyear and Germany’s ZLT Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik company brought the airship to life.
The tail, fins and gondola were built in Germany and shipped to OH for assembly. The envelope of the main body is constructed of polyester with an innovative film from DuPont™ called Tedlar®, surrounding a semi-rigid internal structure, which differentiates this airship from previous Goodyear blimps.
Once assembled, WF2 was put into rotation for sporting events such as the Daytona 500, The Masters Golf Tournament, various NFL and College Football games.
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