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Posted on 08/09/2015 12:36:34 PM PDT by EveningStar
CARSON – The Goodyear Blimp bobbles a few feet of the ground, awaiting one of its final takeoffs.
“We’re coming off the mast,” pilot Bill Bayliss announces, as the 192-foot blimp is freed from its mooring.
The Spirit of America will rise above the hustle-and-bustle of I-405 one last time on Monday, and cruise toward Tustin’s aging World War II blimp hangar.
Five days later, the blimp will emerge as five tons of museum exhibits, recyclable rubber and spare parts.
(Excerpt) Read more at ocregister.com ...
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“Then they’ll open a 25-foot-long seam on top of the envelope to release nearly 200,000 cubic feet of helium.”
Too bad they can’t reclaim it somehow.
end of an era..
Does seem odd, huh? There’s was a critical shortage of helium a couple years ago.
Yeah, just think how many people could sound like Donald Duck or Alvin and the Chipmunks with 200 MCF of helium.
it seems amazing that nobody wants to purchase the blimp
I have read that they are going to stop flying blimps. They are switching to what they call rigid (Zeppelin) airships, but which strike me as closer to semi-rigid (Norge, Italia).
Oh my! I fly over it all the time. It is on the 405 and 110 frwy’s. : (
Goodyear’s new ‘Wingfoot One’ isn’t a blimp
http://www.seattlepi.com/national/article/Goodyear-s-new-Wingfoot-One-isn-t-a-blimp-5711498.php
A story from a year ago about the new semi-rigid.
Had to read the whole story. It is being replaced. : )
Irritating they are going to waste that natural resource!
Once lost to the atmosphere, the He CANNOT be recovered . EVER.
Guess it’s having a bad year.
You know you are getting old when all the things that were familiar to you are being put away.........How many times I passed that thing tethered next to the freeway at night.
That is strange. I’m sure that there would be plenty of people willing to “dispose” of the helium at no charge for them. Even if it isn’t pure, it could be valuable for welding, for example.
WHERE IS THE EPA ON THIS? :) That stuff is unbreatheable!!!! :)
I still remember when they had a blimp base in Houston right off of I-45. Now, it is a Lowe’s and some other stores. Probably disappeared around 1997.
Bfitm
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