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Up Up and Away!
by CJ Hollenbach
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The third time was the charm for my long awaited and much heralded Goodyear blimp ride. Twice previously, the flight was cancelled due to Ohio's inclement weather. One thing you can always count on in Ohio is you can never count on Ohio's weather, especially in the winter. The blimps won't fly in windy weather. So, recently on a very cold and blustery Saturday morning in January I embarked on an experience of a life time. Cold really doesn't describe the temperature out on the tarmac as I waited for the blimp. I was surprised my fingers didn't start snapping off from the wind chill. I was part of a "media tour". Along on my flight were various newspaper reporters and management, their husbands and friends. My friend, Summit County prosecutor, Gregg Peacock was also on board. Being a media tour, we were treated to a 45 minute ride, longe than the usual flight. (It pays to know people!) I was also surprized to find out that rides in the Goodyear blimp are by invitation only. You can't just call Goodyear and say "I want to fly Tuesday!"The ride is quite an honor here in Ohio, especially in Akron where the blimps call home. All of us were excited to be a part of the experience. It takes a crew of up to 22 people to get the blimp into the air. 16 of them steadied the giant balloon so we could get on. We had to climb up a ladder to enter the gondola. Very primitive, I thought. The blimp never touches the ground, but is held by tether ropes by the crew. The gondola is no bigger inside than a minivan. Not as loud or as cold inside as I expected either. And NO seatbelts! The ascent was effortless and we airborne before I knew it. It reminded me of being on a very tall rollercoaster, VERY TALL. The view was breathtaking. Ohio is beautiful in winter. We had a million questiosn for our pilot, Greg Poppenhouse. Finally, one of the reporters asked what we all had on our minds. "Has anyone ever gotten sick on one of your flights?" Greg thought for a second and said "We did have a mother and daughter throw up in here the other day!" We all collectively gasped and laughed at the same time. The Goodyear blimp only flies at 35 mph. if the winds are with you. We floated for our designated 45 minutes which went by in a flash. The flight ended and we climbed out of the gondola. As I was disembarking, I noticed Sandy lying flat on her back the asphalt below me. She was laughing hysterically, so I knew she was OK. There was a van waiting to take us back to the blimp's hangar in Suffield. The ride was a great experience for me and I must thank, the beautiful Carol Dullen of Goodyear for inviting me along. We all loved it and it was something we will never forget. Pictures Click on the images below to see a full size view (You can drag the large images by clicking and dragging the image)
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