Boeing Does Digital Skywriting Right

These guys have style.

Last week Boeing took a 787 out for a 19 hour test flight, and wrote the following "digital message" in the "virtual sky" over a good section of the US.

You can find more details at the FlightAware web site.

Video: Airship Adventure over Orange County

Airship Adventure Over Orange County from Rob Elliott on Vimeo.

This past weekend we did a 2nd test flight over Orange County, Irvine, the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks and Lake Irvine areas. Rob Elliot created this video of his experience on that flight.

This particular flight departed from Long Beach Airport and was a 2 hour tour.

To really do it the OC way, you can imagine this would be best done from the former MCAS El Toro facilities at Orange County Great Park. In that case it could be a choice of a 45 minute tour north (including Lake Irvine) or a 45 minute tour south (out to the sea).

Thanks for sharing!

Where is Eureka Today?

Call Center White Board

On the 28th, San Diego, Montgomery Field...

News 8 flies over San Diego in giant Farmers Airship

We arrived in town Thursday for the Farmers Insurance Open, and San Diego CBS-8 was there to cover it. Watch the full video for actor Robert Hays, a private pilot and well known from the movie "Airplane", angling for a chance at the helm...

Dodger Stadium

Avalon Harbor

Avalon Airport, Santa Catalina Island

John Wayne

Strawberry Farms Golf

Native Species Seed Farm

Boy Scout Camp

Santiago Creek flowing into Irvine Lake

The Sinks

The little grand canyon of orange county.

Orange County Great Park

Tustin Hangars

Los Alamitos

Plotting Course for Irvine Ranch

We are doing a test flight over Irvine Ranch today. Look for us in the skies over Orange County.

WW2 Newsreel: Blimps Fly in Formation

 Airship Al sent us this neat WW2 era newsreel showing blimp training at Moffett Field.

Making Shot Bags

Shot Bag Production Line

It is 2012, and Matthew is ringing in the new year with a set of new shot bags.

The materials are in, and the blanks have been cut. In this cottage production facility, they can make a few dozen a day. Each shot bag is 10kg (about 22 pounds).

AeroShell Time

Keeping Time in the Maintenance Trailer

Santa Monica Pier

Beach Party

RGB Complex

Red, green, blue. Not the real name, but that will do.

Pasadena City Hall

Shadow Time

Camera Test

We are out today over Pasadena and surrounding area to conduct a pre-game camera and downlink test.

Here is the video monitor for the pilot.

Cemetery

Hospitality Area

Check out the mini football field - 50 yard line only?

Rose Bowl Stadium

Purdy: There is, too, a local team in the Rose Bowl

Two for two?

Check out the San Jose Mercury News today.

Columnist Mark Purdy gives us a shout out as the "local team" in the upcoming Rose Bowl this Monday.

Mark had the chance to speak with Will Spivey, mechanic/inspector (and former defense for San Jose State Spartans), and Ben Travis, Pilot for the story.

As to who will end up on top - Wisconsin Badgers or Oregon Ducks - we shall soon know!

Will Spivey, mechanic/inspector for Airship Ventures, with a camera adaptor ring that is used when the zeppelin hovers over sporting events providing TV coverage. At Moffett Field in Mountain View Wednesday Dec. 21, 2011.
The crew that flies the zeppelin will be flying over the Rose Bowl game on January 2nd providing TV coverage.
(Photo by Patrick Tehan/Mercury News)

Morning Paper

A good way to start the day - a cup of coffee and Eureka on the front page of the paper. We are here in Long Beach thru the middle of next week offering passenger flights and to provide aerial tv coverage of the Rose Bowl.

Palos Verdes Lighthouse

Collapsed Section of Road

Coastal Batteries

Look closer at the hills for ww2 era coastal defense positions

Terminal Island

An intermediate level federal penitentiary near Long Beach.

Presenting on Flight Training and Simulation

Francis Govers, Airship Ventures Special Missions Manager presenting a session on LTA pilot training and flight simulation.

Roger Munk and George Spyrou

Alan Handley reading a tribute to Roger Munk and George Spyrou, airship pioneers gone west in 2010, to whom the conference has been dedicated.

Upper Platform L30

Zeppelin Tail Gunner

From a model of the great war airship L30.

Fokker D-VIII at Museum of Flight

Aachen Model Airship Regatta

The DGLR (Germany Society for Air and Space Travel) held an airship workshop in Aachen, Germany last month.

To coincide with the event, a group of European airship modelers held an "Airship Regatta" at the same time. Past events have taken place all over Germany, as well as in the UK and Italy.

If you would be interested in seeing a similar event take place in the United States, either to participate with a design, or as a spectator to watch the airships compete, let us know via a comment to the blog.

Airships to the Arctic

A Full House for Airships to the Arctic at the Edgewater Hotel

A number of us (Joanne, Francis and myself) are in attendance this week at the Airships to the Arctic conference in Seattle. Earlier today we presented our experiences and lessons learned during the "Farmers Airship Covering Communities" coast to coast tour this past summer. Tomorrow Francis (special missions manager) will be doing a presentation on airship flight simulators and our LTA pilot training program.

The conference is a gathering of airship operators, airship vendors, government agencies, and commercial customers looking at the challenges and opportunities of operating airships in the arctic, with a particular focus on Alaska and the northern territories of Canada.

Flight of the Mini Macon

View of the Test Flight from Above

Last month, a 20 foot working model of the Macon built by Jack Clemens was flown in our hangar at Moffett Field.

There was nice coverage by the San Jose Mercury News as well as other local news outlets.

After two prior attempts -- one was destroyed by his pet cat, one drifted away on a test flight -- this was the 3rd model that he had made, and fortunately for all of us, it was a success.

Hats off to Jack and his mini-macon!

Comic Art - Eureka!

Over the holiday weekend one of the followers of our facebook page posted the story of their airship flight using a cool web site/tool called "Pixton". Pixton lets you create your own comic strips online with pictures you upload, and characters you create and then arrange to tell a story.

Be sure to check out the whole story online!

Grand Theft Airship?

The new video trailer for Grand Theft Auto V by Rockstar Games features appearances by an airship. You can spot it in the background over the city several times. A few of those times, it looks like it could be the Goodyear Blimp. A few other times, it looks long and slender, like it could be Eureka. As both airships sail the skies of LA, could be either! But we have our favorite.

Check out the video and see which airship YOU think it is!

Scan for it at the following points -- 00:17 over the golf course, 1:04, 1:09, and 1:11 above the city.

Wall Street Journal Holiday Charters Ad

If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, look for our holiday charters ad in the Wall Street Journal today!

Flight School

Juergen teaching airship structure basics to a class of pilots, inspectors and engineers.

Quote for the Day

"These are not the world's slowest aircraft, they are the world's fastest ships."

 -- Chuck Myers, veteran military pilot and president of AeroCounsel

26,347 Nautical Miles

This diagram illustrates the Oakland, California to Oakland, California round-the-world trip this aircraft took back in 1997.

Grumman Loo with a View

The original loo with the view, this lavatory also has a shower!
Clearly we need to get our engineers working to meet this challenge!

Grumman Albatros

Reid Dennis took this floatplane around the world. Here she is on display at the Hiller Museum benefit gala.

Ben is Back

Pilot Ben Travis reporting for flight duty.