Goodyear's Newest Blimp Flew For The First Time Monday

Monday marked a milestone for Goodyear's newest blimp Wingfoot 3, which departed from the Wingfoot Lake blimp base where it was built.

The Akron Beacon Journal reports that that the flight began at just before 0900 local time in ideal weather conditions. The maiden flight lasted about five hours.

Most of the test flights will be conducted between the blimp base and Akron-Canton airport, according to Goodyear chief pilot Michael Dougherty, who is on the flight test team. The airship is restricted by the FAA to a specific flight authorization area for the test program, he said.

Wingfoot 3 was taken out of its hangar for the first time on June 21 for preflight testing, but wind and rain pushed the initial flight to Monday.

The airship, which still belongs to Zeppelin ... the company that built it for Goodyear ... is the last of three New Technology airships built by the company for Goodyear. It will be handed over to Goodyear at the end of the flight test program which is expected to last several weeks.

(Image of Wingfoot 1 provided by Goodyear)

FMI: Original report