Catching Up: Bristol, TN

Just catching up on some pictures I took a few weeks ago. The pictures above are of the Nascar and NHRA race tracks in Bristol, TN that I took as we got into town for the race. We have since covered the race in Martinsville, VA and are now en route to Boston for the Red Sox's Opening Day.

Blog Updates: Ask a Blimp Pilot

Well I've been busy updating the blog layout a bit today. You may notice we now have links to share Blimpin'Ain't Easy on Facebook and Twitter. I've also updated my map of places I've been to include all of the blimps I have been assigned to on one map. When you look at that, it really puts all of the traveling in perspective.
Finally, the new feature I am most excited about is "Ask a Blimp Pilot." One of my favorite parts of the job is hosting tours for the client. During these visits, I've been asked all kinds of questions about the airships, operations and our unique lifestyle. I thought I'd bring the same one on one experience to my blog visitors by offering a medium to submit questions. Just click on the red question mark on the right side of the page for the "Ask a Blimp Pilot" form and submit your questions. I will try and answer as many as I can in future posts. If you need a more personalized response, please include your email address. I hope you find this as fun as I hope it will be, and I look forward to your questions.

Tustin Hangers Video

I came across a video put together by the City of Tustin, CA about the historic blimp hangers there. There is a lot of history there both for military and civilians alike. I've had the privilege of visiting the hangers on a couple of occasions while our ships were getting their annual maintenance inspections. They are truly an impressive sight both inside and out. Still some of the largest all wooden structures in the world, they are over 17 stories tall and 1000 feet in length, covering 5 acres of space inside. It is amazing that it only took 9 months to build each of them. For more interesting facts and great archived video from the hangers' heyday, check out the video here.

Back to Work

I haven't updated lately because there hasn't been much going on. Our mechanics have been busy the past two weeks giving the ship its annual inspection in the hanger. I've been busy taking care of the administrative type stuff preparing for our upcoming events by booking all of our hotels and airports we'll be staying at. Our tour starts up again this week as we head to Greensboro, NC to cover the ACC basketball tournament. Always a nice place to visit, I'm looking forward to our stay there.