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[00:00.04]The Goodyear Blimp is an airship

[00:03.40]that is also a traveling advertisement

[00:06.88]for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.

[00:11.32]The airships are immediately

[00:13.24]recognizable to most Americans.

[00:17.56]For the past 100 years,

[00:19.72]Goodyear has flown blimps

[00:21.84]over major sporting events,

[00:24.28]including the Daytona 500 car race.

[00:28.84]The blimp has been at every Daytona

[00:31.88]500 race since 1962.

[00:37.12]In 2025 to celebrate the anniversary

[00:40.64]of the Goodyear Blimp,

[00:42.08]the airships are taking a special tour

[00:44.96]of big events around the country.

[00:48.76]Goodyear operates three 75-meter-long airships,

[00:53.60]called Wingfoot One, Two and Three.

[00:58.52]Wingfoot One is based near Akron, Ohio,

[01:02.28]which is also home to the company's headquarters.

[01:06.68]Wingfoot Two is based near Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

[01:12.24]The third airship is based

[01:14.60]near Los Angeles, California.

[01:18.44]Today, there are many camera technologies,

[01:21.88]such as drones,

[01:23.84]that have changed aerial photography.

[01:27.48]However, the blimp continues

[01:30.68]to provide pictures from the air that are unusual.

[01:35.92]At the Daytona 500, for example,

[01:39.00]the airship provides a bird's eye view

[01:42.36]of the speedway that cannot be equaled.

[01:47.16]Fox Sports director Artie Kempner

[01:50.60]spoke to the Associated Press

[01:53.32]about television coverage of the race.

[01:57.28]Kempner said,

[01:58.52]"It's great to show the pack racing."

[02:02.20]He added that he expected

[02:04.32]to use aerial pictures from the blimp

[02:06.92]about 50 times during his coverage.

[02:11.76]The Goodyear Blimp has been a regular sight

[02:15.16]at major sporting events since flying above

[02:19.16]the 1955 Rose Bowl American football game.

[02:24.60]It became a service vehicle

[02:26.48]for television coverage

[02:28.24]providing shots from high above events.

[02:33.44]At the same time,

[02:35.00]it has been a recognizable advertising vehicle

[02:38.80]for the Goodyear company.

[02:42.16]Over the years,

[02:43.48]blimps have undergone many changes.

[02:47.16]They have been equipped

[02:48.48]with improvements to steering,

[02:50.72]camera, and safety technology.

[02:55.20]The airship is quieter to ride

[02:57.76]because the engines and propellers

[03:00.84]have been repositioned.

[03:04.40]Riding on the blimp is not too different

[03:07.56]from traveling on a small airplane.

[03:11.24]Each can carry 12 passengers

[03:15.08]and has reclining seats,

[03:17.28]tables, seatbelts, and a bathroom.

[03:21.76]The blimp offers a smooth ride

[03:24.56]even at its top speed of 117 kilometers per hour.

[03:32.24]"It's an iconic symbol for our nation,

[03:35.28]a floating piece of Americana,"

[03:38.32]said blimp pilot Jensen Kervern.

[03:42.20]She added, "Despite changes in technology

[03:45.72]and our environment,

[03:47.16]people still get so excited to see the blimp."

[03:52.32]Goodyear representatives say the blimps

[03:55.08]have covered more than 2,500 events

[03:59.36]and taken more than 500,000 passengers for rides.

[04:05.44]President Ronald Reagan

[04:07.28]might be the most famous passenger.

[04:11.44]Already in 2025, the Goodyear fleet

[04:15.56]has flown over college football games

[04:18.48]at the Rose Bowl and the Orange Bowl,

[04:22.60]professional sports games,

[04:24.96]and golf competitions

[04:27.16]at Pebble Beach, California.

[04:30.92]One of the blimps is also expected

[04:33.24]to appear at the music festival Coachella,

[04:37.12]at WrestleMania, and at the Academy Awards.

[04:42.84]Some people, however, might wonder

[04:46.04]whether the blimp will survive

[04:48.20]another 100 years.

[04:51.44]They point to improving drone technology

[04:54.76]and note that the Goodyear Blimp

[04:57.80]crew at Daytona required 20 people.

[05:02.44]But blimp pilot Kervern is not too worried.

[05:06.52]She said, "There's nothing like it in the world."

[05:10.36]I'm Anna Matteo.

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Words in This Story

blimp –n. a large airship that is lighter than air because it contains bags of gas such as helium

tour–n. a trip involving many stops often to promote a performance or a product

aerial –adj. from the air

bird's eye view –idiom how things look from high above

pack –n. a group of things, such as race cars that are close together involved in a common purpose or event

steering –n. the equipment involved in turning a vehicle

propeller –n. the moving device that lets a ship or certain kinds of aircraft move

reclining –adj. a seat with a back that is able to be adjusted for comfort

iconic –adj. something that is widely recognized and symbolic

symbol –n. a picture or thing that is closely associated with or represents another thing or quality

fleet –n. the total number of similar vehicles used by a company or military group