Chronicles of the Hood Blimp

Our correspondent, Jeff, from New Jersey sends in this report

2008-08-20T15:39:00.000-04:00

Blimp Blimp Blimp o'er Joisey

Sorry, no pics, I was stricken with paralysis by the blimpieness of it.

About an hour or so ago, I sighted the Hood Blimp over my house in Moorestown NJ, apparently on its way to buzz Philly. Although I love blimps, I’d never heard of the Hood Blimp, and googled it. Love your blog! Since Im on a blimp flightpath and usually hear their distinctive whhrrrr before I see them (if the windows are open), I shall try to get a pic next time.

Jeff

Photographer couple shoots Hood Blimp on Cape Cod

2008-08-19T05:32:00.000-04:00

Possibly the coolest Hood Blimp shot ever. Definitely the coolest non-flight shot.

Sara drinks wine, photographs blimp, blogs about it

2008-08-16T06:42:00.000-04:00

Ooh, and she even linked here. As any quality Hood Blimp post should, really.

Hood Blimp season shortened due to fuel costs

2008-08-16T06:37:00.001-04:00

Great story, aside from the little blip of second-referencing "Bradbury" without mentioning his whole name first. It's Leigh Bradbury, and he's the dude who was piloting when the blimp crashed in Manchester-by-the-Blimp.

Click here for bigass blimp picture.

Video of a ride in the Hood Blimp

2008-08-16T06:06:00.000-04:00

From Salem News. Definitely worth watching, even for those who aren't obsessed with the blimp.

Someone's blog post about the Falmouth Road Race mentions the Hood Blimp, so I'm linking to it

2008-08-12T06:31:00.000-04:00

Blimpy goodness over this way.

Some people with radio scanners are trying to stalk the blimp

2008-08-10T06:47:00.000-04:00

Will they succeed? Find out here.

MIT likes the blimp

2008-08-04T06:21:00.000-04:00

Also has other non-blimp photos of Boston/Cambridge that are really gorgeous.

Multimedia message

2008-07-29T19:16:00.000-04:00

Multimedia message

2008-07-11T21:22:00.001-04:00

First sighting of the year!

2008-07-01T12:14:00.002-04:00

I saw it over South Boston and the South End this morning. I tried to follow it to get a closer shot, but I lost it. Here's what I did manage to get:

Possibly the crappiest video ever, but I swear, that white amorphous blob over there is the Hood Blimp.

The Blimp Returns

2008-07-01T06:16:00.000-04:00

The Hood Blimp Is Back

The Hood Blimp Is Back
Beloved New England icon returns to New England for 2008 Season

New England’s most recognizable and beloved floating icon is back in the sky for the 2008 season.

The Hood Blimp will be flying across New England from June 20 through August 20 this year, visiting beaches, events, festivals, Red Sox games and more throughout the region.

About the Hood Blimp

The American A-60 Plus Lightship is a revolutionary airship designed specifically for aerial observation purposes. The stability, airborne duration and maneuverability of the Lightship offer an excellence observation platform.

Manufactured with the latest materials and techniques, the most striking feature of the Lightship is that the entire hull can be internally illuminated providing a dramatic nighttime sight.

Type:	American A-60+ Lightship

Volume:	68,000 cubic feet of Helium

Empty Weight:	2,770 pounds

Dimensions:
Hull
	Length:	128 feet
	Height:	44 feet
	Width:	36 feet
Gondola
	Length:	13 feet (cabin 9 feet)
	Height:	5 feet
	Width:	9.5 feet (cabin 6.3 feet)

Passengers:	3, plus pilot (maximum capacity 5)

Envelope:	Composed of an outer structural skin with separate inner disposable gas-tight bladder (similar to a tire and inner tube).

Illumination:	Features a special internal illumination system comprising of two 1,000-watt light bulbs that cause the airship envelope to glow during nighttime operations.

Engines:
	Power:	Twin 80-horsepower Limbach engines
	Fuel Capacity:	74 gallons
	Fuel Consumption:	4 gallons per hour (cruise)

Performance:
	Cruising Speed:	32 miles per hour
	Maximum Speed:	53 miles per hour
	Maximum Rate of Climb:	1,600 feet per minute
	Maximum Rate of Descent:	1,400 feet per minute
	Range:	425 miles
	Airborn Duration:	15 hours (on station)
	Turning Circle:	750 feet diameter
	Lifting Gas:	68,000 cubic feet of helium

Operating Personnel:
	Minimum Flight Crew:	1
	Total Crew:	12 (including crew chief, port noseline, starboard noseline and gondola crew)

Television Broadcast Capacity:
	Mounting to accommodate gyro-stabilized camera for television and video photography.

For all press-related inquiries, contact:

Lynne Bohan
HP Hood LLC
(617) 887-8321

or

Sarah Barow
HP Hood LLC
(617) 887-8455

Blimp?

2007-10-24T20:49:00.001-04:00

That's not the right blimp!

Multimedia message

2007-10-13T23:02:00.001-04:00

Multimedia message

2007-10-13T23:00:00.001-04:00

Multimedia message

2007-10-13T22:57:00.001-04:00

October blimp schedule

2007-10-01T05:39:00.000-04:00

1: Transit to Maine
2: Fryeburg Fair
3: Transit to Boston
4: Rest and maintenance
5: Rest and maintenance
6: Topsfield Fair
7: Topsfield Fair
8: Tufts Health Plan 10K, Boston Common
9: Rest and maintenance
10: Rest and maintenance
11: Transit to New Hampshire
12: Exposure
13: UNH vs. Iowa Homecoming Football Game
14: Boston Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk
15: Rest and maintenance
16: Rest and maintenance
17:
18:
19:
20:
21:
22: Rest and maintenance
23: Rest and maintenance
24:
25:
26:
27:
28:
29: Rest and maintenance
30: Rest and maintenance
(Someone needs to tell The Lightship Group that October has 31 days)

Hmm. The dates of the American League Championship Series and the World Series are mysteriously left blank. It's a sign, I tell you!

Where you can expect to see the blimp during September

2007-09-01T07:39:00.000-04:00

1: Hampton Beach
2: Gloucester Schooner Festival
3: Sox vs. Toronto 7:05
4: Sox vs. Toronto 7:05
5: Transit to NYC
6: Rest and maintenance
7: Rest and maintenance
8: Mets vs. Houston 1:10
9: Mets vs. Houston 1:10
10: Mets vs. Houston 7:10
11: Transit to Boston
12: Rest and maintenance
13: Rest and maintenance
14: Sox vs. Yankees 7:05
15: Sox vs. Yankees 7:05
16: Sox vs. Yankees 2:05
17: Transit to Connecticut
18: Exposure
19: Transit to Boston
20: Rest and maintenance
21: Rest and maintenance
22: BC vs. Army football, Harvard vs. Brown football
23: Big E in Springfield
24: Big E in Springfield
25: Transit to Boston
26: Rest and maintenance
27: Rest and maintenance
28: Sox vs. Minnesota 7:05
29: Sox vs. Minnesota 7:05
30: Sox vs. Minnesota 2:05

Ode on a blimp

2007-08-16T20:40:00.000-04:00

Poem and video by Molly.

Bad blimp. No blimp cookie.

2007-08-14T10:22:00.000-04:00

Residents who were just finishing dinner reported that the blimp could be seen just above the tree line in Somerville, Medford and Saugus, and police dispatchers were swamped with emergency calls from frightened residents worried about how low the craft was flying. Some weren't even sure what it was.

"Hello, FAA? There's some big white poofy thing that says HOOD flying around near my house."

Also, this discussion thread about the news headline is pretty funny. They mentioned to include an "Oh, the humanity!" but no one posted the corresponding image. Oh well.

The blimp gets jiggy on the Smoot bridge

2007-07-31T21:22:00.001-04:00

This was taken on July 31, 2007, through the windshield of a vehicle while traveling east on Mass Ave between Cambridge and Boston.

BLIMP BLIMP BLIMP BLIMP BLIMP

2007-07-22T22:12:00.001-04:00

BLIMP BLIMP BLIMP BLIMP BLIMP
Originally uploaded by eeka

BLIMP

2007-07-13T12:17:00.001-04:00

BLIMP
Originally uploaded by eeka

Over Fenway on July 12. This was taken from pretty much directly under it. I really need to get a camera with a zoom.

The blimp in action

2007-07-02T21:45:00.000-04:00

The blimp makes its first Sox appearance of the year

2007-07-02T21:43:00.001-04:00

BLIMP BLIMP BLIMP BLIMP BLIMP BLIMP
Originally uploaded by eeka