Goodyear’s Brand New Wingfoot One Airship Makes Its EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Debut This Year.

If you think rigid airships are something from the past, it’s time to get a new picture of what a semi-rigid airship is all about. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company’s newest airship, Wingfoot One, will convince you that the rigid airship of the 21st century is a completely new animal.

Wingfoot One is the first of Goodyear’s new generation of semi-rigid airships. First flown in spring 2014, the airship was manufactured by Germany’s ZLT Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik and assembled by a team of Zeppelin and Goodyear engineers. It represents the first major structural change of a Goodyear airship in nearly 70 years.

At first glance it might appear similar to the Goodyear blimps that you have been familiar with. There are 2 engines driving shrouded propellers located on each side of the gondola. Like some previous blimps, these can be rotated to provide more positive control. The gondola propellers on Wingfoot One can be rotated through an arc of 120 degrees.

What you haven’t seen before on a Goodyear blimp is a propeller at the tail. This engine drives the prop through a transmission that can provide straight-line thrust or be tilted down a full 90 degrees. And what you can’t see at all is that all 3 engines are controlled through a computer system that allows them to work in harmony to provide precise control for takeoff, landing, and hovering. Of course, the spacious passenger gondola will provide an enhanced in-flight experience with sweeping, panoramic windows.

Wingfoot One is scheduled to arrive in Oshkosh on Tuesday, July 21, and will be on display and fly at the event through Sunday, July 26. AirVenture attendees will have the opportunity to see Wingfoot One perform in various air shows and meet the Wingfoot One pilots at a variety of events ranging from autograph sessions to forum presentations.

Goodyear will continue its participation as an EAA AirVenture exhibitor in 2015; this year they are part of the Goulian Aerosports booth (No. 488). In addition, there will be a special Goodyear store this year where AirVenture attendees can purchase Goodyear airship merchandise at Booth No. 2131.

(Image provided by EAA courtesy of Goodyear)

FMI: www.eaa.org