Goodyear’s first state-of-the-art NT, or New Technology, airship based in Florida, goes by the name of Wingfoot One.
And now Goodyear’s second NT semi-rigid airship, which first flew March 12, has a name as well: Wingfoot Two.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. unveiled the name Friday morning as part of a media and community organization tour of the Wingfoot Lake blimp base in Suffield Township to showcase its newest aircraft.
The Akron tire maker held national contests to name its last two airships but opted not to go that route this time. The company likes the name Wingfoot because of its historic ties to Goodyear’s logo. (It may seem a safe bet that the third NT airship to be built will be called Wingfoot Three but Goodyear says it has not committed to a name.)
The people visiting from the local community organizations said they were thrilled to see the new 246-foot-long airship up close inside the hangar and to be able to get into the gondola and talk with a pilot.
“To be able to see a new blimp that will be flying over our community is amazing,” said Leslie Genovese, senior manager of corporate relationships for the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. Genovese said as she grew up in Canal Fulton she regularly saw Goodyear blimps in the sky.
“And now I live in Portage Lakes and often see the blimp flying and it’s something my daughter gets so excited when she sees a blimp,” she said. “It’s definitely something that stands out in our skyline. It’s a treat to see.”
Wingfoot Two is identical to Wingfoot One, which first flew in March 2014 after being built inside Goodyear’s Portage County blimp base. The NT airships, which are not true blimps because of their semi-rigid carbon fiber and aluminum skeleton, are longer, faster and quieter than the company’s old-style blimps and can also carry more people in the gondola. The actual manufacturer is Germany-based Zeppelin, which shipped over the parts to be assembled at the hangar.
“To me, the blimp is Akron,” said Rena Large, who works for the American Red Cross, as she looked up at Wingfoot Two.
Suzie Graham, president of Downtown Akron Partnership, said she was impressed with the new airship technology and also with the chance to get inside the Wingfoot Lake hangar.
“It’s incredible to see the inside of space we don’t normally have access to,” she said.
Goodyear expects the Federal Aviation Administration will shortly certify Wingfoot Two so that it can be pressed into service. The airship has flown a total of about 20 hours since its inaugural flight last month.
The new airship is flying perfectly, said Jerry Hissem, airship pilot. “It’s right on the money. It’s awesome.”
Hissem peeled back a covering to unveil the Wingfoot Two name on the gondola.
Goodyear expects Wingfoot Two will be put to work starting this spring. The hangar crew has not yet installed the high-definition LED light signs on the craft.
Wingfoot Two will be a familiar sight in Akron-area skies through 2017, when it will fly to its permanent base in California. It will succeed Goodyear’s last old-style GZ-20 blimp, the Spirit of Innovation.
Work is expected to start later this year on building the third and final NT airship at the Wingfoot Lake blimp base. The main part of the work will have to wait until after Wingfoot Two leaves; the hangar is not large enough to hold two airships.
Jim Mackinnon can be reached at 330-996-3544 or jmackinnon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him @JimMackinnonABJ on Twitter or www.facebook.com/JimMackinnonABJ.