Speaking of Blimps...

Above, Spirit of America in Carson, California in 2012. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Speaking of blimps (i.e., the Sao Paulo blimp crash), I paid a visit to the Carson, California Goodyear blimp airship operations field back in 2012. There, the Goodyear blimp Spirit of America was moored. 

I took a few pictures of it.

Above, another view of the Spirit of America in 2012. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Spirit of American was replaced by its sister ship, Spirit of Innovation in 2015. This was the interim period before the new semi-rigid generation of Goodyear blimps were put into service.

According to GoodyearBlimp.com:

Carson, CA, July 26, 2015 – Goodyear Airship Operations is retiring its Los Angeles-based Goodyear blimp "Spirit of America." The GZ-20A model airship will be decommissioned in mid-August 2015. The blimp will be replaced in the Los Angeles market by its twin ship "Spirit of Innovation" in late September 2015. The transition is taking place as Goodyear celebrates 90 years of lighter-than-air publicity and introduces a new fleet of high-tech, next generation NT Zeppelin model airships.

Goodyear invites the community to get a final up-close look at the blimp during a retirement celebration, which will be held on Friday, August 7 and Saturday, August 8 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. The event will be free to the public. RSVP at http://goodyearblimp.eventbrite.com.

"Spirit of America" has continued to provide aerial coverage to a series of final events in July including the ESPYS, Crossfit Games and Special Olympics World Games LA 2015 Opening Ceremony. Its final months have involved a 29-day West Coast Tour from Los Angeles to Olympia, Washington for the U.S. Open in June; an honorary flight with NFL Arizona Cardinals 2015 draft pick Gerald Christian for Irrelevant Week on July 9; and an exclusive ground tour for more than 110 Special Olympics World Games athletes representing five countries at the Carson blimp base on July 23. 

"Spirit of America"

Christened on Sept. 5, 2002

Retiring August 10, 2015

Above, a zoom shot of the Spirit of America gondola. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Before moving to New Mexico in 2018, I did get some photos of the new Wingfoot Two in Carson.

Here's one:

During my 2015 trip to Japan, I did see a blimp in Tokyo:

Above, an advertising blimp (MetLife) near Asakusa, Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.