By Karen House
- 1: Introduction
- 2: History of the Weeksville Blimps
- 3: Modern Operations
- 4: Blimp FAQ
- Download the full article
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Blimp FAQ
What’s the difference between a blimp and an airship?
All airships, which include blimps, use a balloon-like bag of gas to lift the airship. Non-rigid airships with no skeletal frame are known as blimps. The old-type “rigids” with metal frames, such as the Graf Zeppelin, were known as airships. The “semi-rigids” have a “keel” along the bottom to spread the cabin’s load. Almost all airships flying today are non-rigid, and therefore, blimps.
Can blimps explode or catch on fire?
It’s very unlikely. A blimp’s lifting gas is helium, which is inert and non-flammable and is stored in a separate compartment. Old airships like the “Hindenburg” were filled with hydrogen, which can explode.
Sizes?
Blimps generally range from 60 to 197 feet long. Goodyear’s “Spirit of Akron” is 205.5 long. The “Hindenburg” was a little more than 800 feet long.
What’s a ride like?
Smooth and “lofty.” Generally blimps fly between 500 and 2,000 feet up and go about 35 to 40 miles per hour.
What happens if someone shoots at a blimp?
Because the blimp is filled with a huge volume of gas under very low pressure, the gas would leak out slowly, giving the pilot a chance to land safely.
Do they have a bathroom?
Yes. Sometimes they even have “a loo with a view.”
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