GOODYEAR BLIMP CRASHES IN FLORIDA

[Continental737]

Goodyear's GZ-20A airship N1A Stars and Stripes crashed last night shortly after takeoff from its airport at Pompano Beach, FL. It is thought that it was brought down by a thunderstorm. None of the crew was injured, but the blimp is in need of major repairs or possibly even replacement.
There is a way to save the blimp. When Spirit of America crashed in California in 2001, many people e-mailed the company asking for the blimp to be repaired. One year later, the blimp was back in the air, after being repaired at Winged Foot Lake Hanger. Send an e-mail to Goodyear asking for the repair of Stars & Stripes, and maybe they will decide to repair the airship.
EDIT: It appears that the blimp is being dismantled on-site.

In other news: a Sikorsky S-72 helicopter broke apart and crashed in the East River in New York City today. All 8 passengers survived, and 7 have been released. The pilot is in intensive care.

[metro752]

The Blimp was flying in a thunderstorm. There ain't no questioning whether it was or was not.


------------------------------
http://fsuniverse.com/meyer/paul_b752.jpg

[Piper_Pilot]

Who in their right mind would fly a blimp in a thunderstorm? Most GA pilots I know consider themselves grounded in a thunderstorm. Also, doesn't FAR/AIM regs states that in a thunderstorm all air vechicles are grounded?

[jcmissionary]

There are no FAR's prohibiting flight in thunderstorms. However, the PIC is required to review the weather before flight using FAA approved weather sources such as a briefer at an FSS, or a self-brief via Duats.

Also, the AIM is not regulatory in nature, which means that the AIM is not a set of laws, like the FARs. However, the AIM has a wealth of good information.

http://home.comcast.net/~jcmissionary/Newbanner1.jpg
J.C. Howell
PPL-ASEL
Instrument Rated
http://172pilot.blogspot.com

[beana5]

I fly a "BLIMP' also, on the Sim, and its the "Goodyear blimp Defender' Never been up in a real one. But if the flying characteristics of this Sim model,are believable, well ya better take a barf bag with you.SLOW MOTION, on the controls, The lag factor s high,the ride slow and "ROLLY" in most axis. Wind , forget it. You can run to a shelter from a lightning storm miles away, quicker than can a Big,Fat, Blimp even starts to think about turning. In still air,OK Wind above a breeze,Well,A student pilot can land a C150, by himself. The best Capitan of a Blimp needs help, lots of it. Its real fun to fly, once you get it going.Like being on a cloud.I would welcome the opportunity to go up in one. Its hard to think of them as a potential War bird,when we see them over sports stadiums, peaceful looking,but they once may have been. We should ask some axis subs,if you go down that deep in the oceans of the world.These"DIRIGIBLES" go back a long way in aviation.
VIN ;-)

[Continental737]

Flight Simulator cannot accurately support lighter-than-air vehicles. Also, remember that when a blimp turns, it only yaws. A blimp is never supposed to roll.
And yes, N1A did crash in a thunderstorm in Florida. It appears the blimp is being dismantled on site. I do not know if there will be a replacement envelope manufactured for the blimp or if we will have to wait a while to see another East Coast blimp. Ironically, the blimp that had been covering most of the events in New York recently was NOT Stars & Stripes, but was, in fact, Spirit of Goodyear from Akron. Th Akron based ship has been spending a lot of time in the Northeast and will now have to do the work of 2 airships while the Stars & Stripes is in for repairs. N602SK has been up in New York for the past couple of weeks, so I'd guess that it will stay here for a while longer.