Pick a Color

Oracal has 78 colors to pick from in this line of cast vinyl.

For our next branding we're using black and red.

But which red? Hmm!

Celebrity Endorsements

Would you buy Dienstgläser from this man?

Hugo Eckener, in an advertisement that appeared in an issue of "Die Woche" from September 1929, extolling the virtues of Zeiss binoculars.

A Banner Day

When does a banner make the most sense on an airship?

(compared to the decals we more typically apply)

When you get to use it more than once!

"For Tickets to FLY!" is now on the airship for the first in over 2 years, earning its keep.

The airship has been cleaned and prepped for the next brand which will go on later in September.

The banner is a great way for us to take advantage of the time between now and then to remind folks to FLY!

Video: FLOATING by the Exploratorium

Another awesome video from the Exploratorium.

This one, 20 minutes long, is best watched when you are in the mood to sit back and experience a tranquil state, appreciating the beauty of the salt ponds we so frequently fly over near Moffett Field.

As to the background music...

"The music you hear was created first by digitally 'resonating' the recordings of the Airship Eureka's engines and propellers. Naturally louder frequencies were then tuned to a chord. Next the sound was reverberated to remove most of the original track. What you hear is an auditory 'ghost image' of the original sound recording. The music was created by Wayne Grim."

I'd say that is pretty cool.

Video: NBC 1st Look - San Francisco by Airship

View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com.

The "1st Look" program from NBC New York came to San Francisco to cover some of the exciting experiences the region has to offer tourists -- including, no surprise, a memorable trip aboard Eureka...

Ellie, Our Airship Test Model in the Hangar

Hannes and Francis have headed up to the Cargo Airships in the North for Northern Operations Workshop that NASA and the state of Alaska are holding Aug 22-24 in Anchorage Alaska.

One of the presentations/demonstrations we will be making is of a concept airship we have developed...

"Ellie" in the hangar with Eureka

The model is helping us conduct studies on the hull form (based on a speed record holding submarine) as well as the performance characteristics of a unique thrust control mechanism. The hull form influences efficiency -- either via speed, or fuel consumption. The thrust control mechanism should be as much an improvement in control authority over the Zeppelin NT, as the NT was compared to the best that came before it (the Skyship).

We are examining the advantages these designs bring at a range of sizes, from small UAV, to a rigid design with a lifting gas volume of 20,000 cubic meters (the limit for commuter class airships), and sizes beyond (transport class airships).

Concept Rigid Airship - 20,000 cubic meters

Exploratorium Video - Science in the City: Airships

Thanks to the Exploratorium for creating this video segment about our airship...

"Take to the skies on board the zeppelin Eureka with pilot Andrea Deyling of Airship Ventures and get a crash-free course in lighter-than-air flight: What's the difference between an airship, a blimp, and a zeppelin? How do they stay aloft? How high and how fast can they fly? "

Airship as Projector Screen

Airfield Access Training

Brian Metzler sends us this picture of a recent airfield access training course. The meeting was held inside the hangar, and we needed a projection screen. The airship seemed to work just fine!

(Now wouldn't it be fun to screen a movie on the side of the ship in the hangar? Move that projector back further, and you would have a serious amount of space to work with.)

High Capacity Payload Mount

Rendering of new high capacity payload mount

The special missions team has been working on a new high capacity payload mount for Eureka. This new mount attaches to the seat rails in the rear of the gondola, and then extends through the floor to mount systems outside and below the gondola. Where the existing mounting point on the nose of the gondola can handle a single payload weighing some tens of kilograms, this new mounting point will not only give us the ability to carry an additional payload at the same time, but one that is much heavier -- up to a few hundred kilograms!

Early Rendering of Maritime Patrol use of Payload Mount

The original need for this came up during a study we were doing towards using the Zeppelin NT as a platform for maritime search and rescue. In that role, ideally we would carry a camera, radar, spotlight and loudspeaker system simultaneously. It also could be used to carry heavier camera systems in use for major studio movies, such as the largest and heaviest Red camera system with film pack, which currently exceeds the limits of our nose mount when used for film (rather than digital).

The designs have now been approved, development has started, and we expect to be flight testing the mount in September.

If you have interest in testing a payload with the new mount, or in the coastal patrol role of the airship, please contact our special missions group for more information.

US Open of Surfing

Eureka was above the crowds and the beach last week for the US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, California.

Our thanks go out to Mark of www.photopilot.com for capturing this awesome photo!

Back from LA

The airship is back from our recent trip to LA. We had a great time doing a mix of passenger flights, video coverage of the US Open of Surfing and some special missions payload testing (an atmospheric sensor).

Surf's Up!

Surf's up, and video coverage from the airship starts tomorrow (Thursday).

We're here for the US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach.

Huntington Beach pier looks ready for a great week of surfing competition!