On May 1st, Kentucky Oaks Day, I was invited on the ride of a lifetime. Not on a horse—on the Goodyear Blimp. They offered select media and guests the opportunity to experience this iconic airship as part of one of the biggest sporting events in America.
It’s always been a bucket list item of mine—I’d even Googled “how do you ride on it?” in the past, only to be disappointed to see there’s no way to buy tickets, but we’ll get to that later.
You better believe when this opportunity came, I jumped up and grabbed it.
Setting “Sail”
I met my group at Bowman Field, the smaller airport in Louisville, Ky. We watched a safety video and headed to a van that drove us across the airfield to the blimp, which was tethered to a tower for loading. We were the first group of the day to ride—me, someone from the airport board who had dreamed of riding the Goodyear Blimp for 40 years and “had to wait till he was 75” to do it, along with his friend, plus two men that worked at the airport control tower and were learning about the blimp’s flight path.
We had two pilots—the one flying, since it is literally a “hands-on” flight at all times, no autopilot—and another pilot, Joe Erbs, who was there to answer our questions.
“We like to be a part of the biggest events, whether it’s the biggest football games, the biggest horse races,” he explained. “We were at Coachella a couple weeks ago—the biggest music festival. We’re here to build our brand name; ultimately, we’re a flying billboard!”
The Flight
After takeoff, it was a steep climb (it felt like 45 degrees to me, but I was later told it was only 15 degrees) over SDF, Lousiville’s larger international airport. We could see the Ohio River and downtown Louisville in the far distance. But long before that, we reached our circling destination—Churchill Downs. Having been there many times, it was fascinating to study the barns, grandstands, infield, paddock and long chute for the one-turn races from the air.
Since it was only 9:45 a.m. and the Kentucky Oaks has been moved back to 8:40 p.m., the stands were still completely empty.
After some photos, videos, and conversation, it was time to head back. As we flew back over the big airport, a small jet went right underneath us. Since I had the blimp pilot and a small aircraft pilot to talk to, they said that’s a sight you don’t see everyday, and pointed out some features of the runways and planes I never would have noticed.
How Does the Blimp Work?
I had about a million questions for Erbs, starting with how many Goodyear Blimps are in the U.S.
“There are three in the country; this one based in Akron, Ohio. That’s where the Goodyear corporate headquarters are as well. Another is based in L.A., and one is in Pompano Beach, Fla. This blimp’s next stop is Philadelphia, Pa., for the PGA Championship, which begins on May 11.”
I knew the airship was lifted by helium, similar to a birthday balloon, because helium is lighter than air. But I learned a lot of new things while on board:
- An airship or dirigible is any ship that is lighter than air that can steer and propel.
- A blimp has no rigid frame. The Goodyear Blimp is a semi-rigid airship; without helium inflating it, it would look like a triangle.
- A rigid airship has a stiff internal frame, like a zeppelin.
- The small propellers that steer the Goodyear Blimp are run off engines that use regular fuel. They point up, down, or at an angle, depending on whether the blimp is ascending/descending, maintaining steady altitude, or parked and trying not to float away.
- The day I flew on it, the Goodyear Blimp contained 97.8% helium.
- The ship flew at a speed of around 32 knots (about 37 mph).
- Our maximum altitude was around 10,000 feet, since the cabin is not pressurized.
- It takes about the same amount of time to fly it from city to city as it would to drive, since there are no turns or stops.
- The Goodyear Blimp can fly cross-country in eight rest and refueling stops, which takes about 10-12 days. It can safely fly at night. A specialized ground crew of vans and trucks accompany it from the road.
- The ship can’t be flown in freezing temperatures.
Can You Ride on the Goodyear Blimp?
If, like me, your dream is to ride on the blimp one day, you may be wondering how to get on it.
“Luck is your best friend,” says Erbs. “We don’t sell tickets. You have to be an invited guest. We do donate rides to charity; they’ll auction off a ride and invite those guests. We do a lot of rides for big tire dealerships or local suppliers or customers of Goodyear. And then we’ll invite folks from different media outlets or influencers. Then like with the tower guys, we take care of the people who take care of us.”
There you go—I recommend making some airfield contacts if you live near one of the Goodyear Blimp bases, or start bidding on that charity auction!
Many thanks to Goodyear for inviting me on this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
This article about riding in the Goodyear Blimp over Churchill Downs is a web exclusive Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!
