I was driving around Rochester this afternoon when I noticed a Goodyear Blimp overhead. After about 20 minutes I realized we were traveling the same path. So, I drove to the city railroad yard, parked the T and jumped out. I waved my hands and gestured for them to do a circle so that I could set up a shot of both the car and the blimp ... and they did! After getting a few shots .. it kept going off in the distance.

Neat!

I thought Goodyear retired the blimps?

Great pic!

I didn’t know Goodyear still had blimps either. But there it is. I wonder if they were taking pictures of me.

The Good Year blimp flies over my house a couple times a year.

I remember the time the blimp flew over my parents house in Bergen, NY. It must have been in the mid to late 70's. I remember it was very low in the sky, and I was thinking it came close to the water tower high on the hill behind our house. I have no idea where they were going, but were traveling west to east. That is so cool you were able to get a photo of your car with the blimp in the background.

Neat, check this link:

https://www.rochesterfirst.com/news/local-news/goodyear-blimp-spotted-in-downtow n-rochester/1381847829

TH

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the blimps were retired and replaced with something more like a dirigible - semi-rigid frame with internal gas bags.

Sorta like the Hindenburg without the hydrogen....

Several years ago the Goodyear Blimp was in the Seattle for the summer. One of their promotions was if you bought a set of their top line white stripe tires you got a free ride in the blimp.

My ex wife purchased a set for my El Camano then gave the ride to me for my birthday. The blimp was tethered at Pane Field in Everett not far from where we lived.

I made arrangements to take my flight early in the morning. So at 8 am I got on board and off we went. I was surprised how small the cockpit was. lots of windows for sightseeing. Was told not to move about quickly as it would make it difficult to navigate.

I was really surprised of the rate of assent. Once they unhooked the tether the throttles were opened and the nose seems damn near straight up motors were winding and the ride started. I forget the degree of accent but it was a good thing I was sitting down.

The ride lasted about 30 minutes out over Puget Sound then over Edmonds Wa and across the sound to Whidbey Island and then back to the airfield. There was no feeling of movement once we leveled off as just the motor and prop noise.

All in all it was a great way to start the day. It reminded me of a balloon ride we had except the motor noise.

just sayin'

brasscarguy

BCG, tell us more about you El Camano. It sound like the love child of a Camaro and an El Camino. Was it a Camaro with a tray or an El Camino with a trunk?

A made in Davenport WA had dirty big Cadillac he'd converted into a pickup by removing the trunk lid and chopping the turret. It caused quite a stir when he firs took it to lunch in town one day. His wife had the exact same car in the same colour, and the locals thought he had cut up her car!!!

Allan form down under.

Mark,

Great "photo op!"

Allan,

Both Chevy and Ford offered at UTE (Australian for pickup based on a car front with a pickup box) style pickup truck in the USA.

The Chevy El Camino was based on the full size Chevy 1959-60. Discontinued and introduced again 1964 based on the mid-sized Chevelle chassis. And it grew in size as the Chevelle chassis grew. Discontinued in 1987. General Motors offered the same basic truck with the GMC name plate.

(Thanks wikipedia: By Chevrolet pre-1978 - Chevrolet El Camino brochure, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8893065 )

BCG will need to add what year his El Camino was or if it was something other than a production version. They were also available with the SS package and big engines.

Respectfully submitted,

Hap l9l5 cut off

A Goodyear blimp landed at Watertown, NY airport at 5:30 PM Sunday. It could be the same one Mark saw in Rochester. It will be at Fort Drum today giving rides to select military personnel. It is in conjunction with a new Goodyear Tire center that opened on the base earlier this Summer.

That photo Mark is a shot of a lifetime !!! Enlarge and frame it, then put it on a wall for everyone to see.

Mark, what's up with the wind sock at a railroad yard, is it next to a airport? Just curious.Sam

Sam,
The windsock is in case of a hazmat incident in the railyard. Employees within view of the windsock would know where to position themselves so as to be upwind from the hazmat.
Most railyards have windsocks today.

I wondered that myself .. saw it as I was laying in the cinders waiting for the blimp to come around.