Blimpin' Ain't Easy

On To New Adventures....

2011-03-25T17:31:00.007-04:00

What I failed to mention in my previous post is that I have decided to step away from airships for a while. Last Thursday was my last flight. It was very fitting that it was in the blimp I started on about three and a half years ago, Snoopy 2. Its been an amazing experience doing what is probably one of the greatest jobs in the world. I've seen three quarters of the county from 1000 feet and stayed in so many places I probably would have never otherwise known existed. The view was amazing and I'm fortunate enough to now be apart of a group of people who are proud to have been involved in airships. Its really a unique fraternity of people whose friendships I will always cherish.

What's next for me? Well during my blimp flying (you have a lot of time to think up there), I developed a dream so far from my personality that most people don't believe it when I tell them. That dream is to one day own and operate a small organic farm. To make a long story short, I was fortunate enough to get an internship helping out on a biodynamic community supported agriculture farm (CSA) in Pennsylvania. For those who haven't heard of CSA's, they are basically a subscription service where people pay upfront for a seasons worth of fresh produce that they pick up at the farm each week. Its great because the consumer gets amazing fresh produce each week and the farmer has the capital he needs in advance to operate through the season. I just started this week and though it is a lot of hard work, I'm learning a lot and really enjoying it.

I'm not going to say I'm not going to fly another blimp sometime down the road, but if I don't, at least I know I'm happy doing what I'm doing. Thanks for being faithful readers both those that I know personally and the many that I don't. I've enjoyed sharing all of my many experiences with you all.

Perhaps if I have some time I'll start a sequel blog, "Farmin' Ain't Easy."

Spring Break Galveston, TX

2011-03-24T17:22:00.000-04:00

We arrived with Snoopy 2 in Houston, TX about two weeks ago after a long transit from Tucson, AZ. With stops in Deming, NM, Fort Stockton, TX and San Antonio, TX, we eventually made it to Houston after some windy weather passed. Since it was spring break, I took the ship down to Galveston to fly along the coast to catch the attention of the many vacationers on the beach. I don't know if the pictures do it justice, but the beach was packed. From the air it looked like a pretty nice resort town that was just getting revved up for summer.

The Pima Air and Space Museum

2011-03-04T22:00:00.001-05:00

On one of our days off this week, a few of us decided to check out the Pima Air and Space Museum here in Tucson. Its an absolutely huge place with hundreds of aircraft on the museum grounds. They also offer tours of the "boneyard" across the street on the grounds of the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. We decided to bypass the tour of the boneyard to spend more time in the museum which we needed to see all of the aircraft. Everything from old military classics to random rare civilian airplanes can be found amongst the 300 airplanes on the 80 acres of property. Above are some of the pictures I took. When I'm done with editing the video I shot, I'll post it as well.

Airplane Graveyard

2011-02-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we've been near Tucson, AZ covering the Accenture Match-Play Championship. On our way into town the other day we flew over an airplane graveyard located at an airport called Pinal Airport. As you can see in the videos and pictures, there are a ton of airliners there. I think I counted 30 747's alone plus dozens of 737's, DC-10's, DC-8's and regional jets from all over the world. Really a neat perspective to check out the airplanes from. Some of them looked like they were getting scrapped for parts and scrap metal but I imagine some of them may just be there for storage.

Golf at Pebble Beach

2011-02-22T01:25:00.002-05:00

The first golf tournament I've flown in well over a year and a half was at the picturesque Pebble Beach Golf Course in Monterey, CA two weeks ago. We had perfect weather for the whole weekend as you can see in the video and pictures. We were even fortunate enough to see a pod of over 50 dolphins out in the ocean, just off the coast.
I quickly was reminded how flying coverage for golf is by far the hardest thing we do in airships. It takes more mental concentration then most people realize to get all of those aerial shots you see on TV. After doing two days of golf in Pebble and another two this past week in Pacific Palisades, I'm starting to feel back into the golf groove.
We're now heading to Tucsan, Arizona for another golf tournament this week so I'll get plenty more practice.

Changing Blimps

2011-02-11T00:00:00.001-05:00

I've been way behind on blog entries lately. I recently changed blimps and have been trying to catch up with a bunch of things. I spent my last flight on the DirecTV Blimp in Miami, Fl last month and then caught a flight to Phoenix, AZ to catch up with Snoopy 2. It sounds like I'll be on the Metlife blimp for the next few months. Its always good to be back on Snoopy 2! Its the airship I started my flying with so it always seems like a homecoming being back on the crew.

The video of Miami above is a reminder that not everywhere in the country is covered in snow in January. Below are some pictures and video of the Phoenix area. Check out this really random thing one of my fellow pilots spotted while flying around one day. In the middle of a residential area there is an airplane sitting in an empty lot next to a golf course. It was by far one of the most random things I've ever seen from the air.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-11T00:01:00.001-05:00

I spent New Year's Day above the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Florida. It was Alabama vs. Michigan State in what I hoped was an entertaining game. Unfortunately, the marching bands were the only entertainment we had to watch that day as Alabama crushed the Spartans 49-7. Both marching bands were quite impressive though. I especially enjoyed "BAMA" spelled out before the game.

Bowl Season Begins

2010-12-22T21:18:00.003-05:00

I flew my first college bowl game last night, the Beef Beef O' Brady's Bowl in St Petersburg, Florida. It was Southern Mississippi vs Louisville in the Tampa Bay Rays baseball stadium, Tropicana Field. A pretty nice night to be up flying around over all. I took a little bit of video of the stadium and of downtown St. Pete but to be honest there really wasn't a lot to look at up there. We do so many games up in the Northeast during the summer that I think we get spoiled with the scenery. Of course I'll sure take the weather down here over the sights any day.

Miami Heat?

2010-12-20T13:57:00.000-05:00

The only heat in Florida last week was the NBA team. Very unseasonably cool lately. The video below is of the night time skyline of downtown Miami that I took as I flew over the Cleveland Cavs vs Miami Heat game at American Airlines Arena. It was a quick stay in Miami and then off to Tampa the next day for multiple events in the area.

Texas Catch Up

2010-12-12T22:40:00.000-05:00

Its been a rough couple of weeks but I finally have a second to catch up on the blog. We were in Houston, Texas on Thanksgiving weekend for a Houston Texans football game. I flew the game and took a little bit of video while we were overhead. Right next door to the football stadium is the world famous Astrodome. Even though its no longer used for football or baseball, its still an impressive structure.

Walking Around New Orleans

2010-11-27T11:58:00.000-05:00

On the Sunday morning before the game, I decided to walk around down in the French Quarter of New Orleans. I check out Bourbon Street, walked around to St Louis Cathedral and finished up near the French Market. New Orleans is definitely a city with a personality all of its own.

My favorite part about being there though is the food. I took in a couple of Man vs. Food destinations while I was there. First I went to the Acme Oyster House near Bourbon Street but stayed away from the 15 Dozen Oyster Challenge. I did sit right in front of the Oyster Challenge Board with Adam's name on it though. Very tempting but I doubted I could beat the 42 and a half dozen record that was currently in place especially with all of the other Cajun delicacies I was eating up there.

Another great place to eat that was on my Man vs. Food tour is Mothers. Its a very casual restaurant that has some of the most delicious food I have ever eaten. Their Po'boys are by far some of the best I have eaten. They make just about everything in house and it shows in the quality.

It was a short but enjoyable visit to New Orleans. Now its on to Texas for some NFL Football.

Back and in the Bayou

2010-11-26T11:57:00.001-05:00

After a couple weeks away on vacation, I went back to work last week and have been trying to catch up ever since. My first event back was also my first college football game as we covered the LSU Tigers vs Mississippi in Baton Rouge, LA. Tiger stadium is probably one of the larger venues in college football and was really quite impressive to see fill up with the purple and gold colors of the Tigers. After the game, we did a rare post game transit down to New Orleans so we could cover the Saints game on Sunday. It was dark flight down there with not much but swamp area and a few roads between Baton Rouge and New Orleans but a good flight for the most part.

World Series

2010-11-03T18:34:00.001-04:00

I did my first World Series Game on Sunday night as I flew over game 4 in Arlington, TX. It was a long way to get there but we made it. I've got some video and pictures of the pregame festivities which included the giant American flag in the outfield and the two former Bush presidents throwing out the first pitch. A fun night overall for my last night of baseball for the year.

Ghost Blimp

2010-11-02T18:37:00.001-04:00

I probably should have posted this on Halloween but I'm a little bit behind on things. One of my favorite views of the blimp is when we are flying above the clouds and the shadow appears on them. It makes the shadow look like a kind of Ghost Blimp that is following us along our journey. I tried to add some spooky sounding music courtesy of YouTube to add to the mood.

Fall In Full Swing

2010-11-02T09:51:00.001-04:00

You can tell Fall is here when the leaves start changing and blimps start heading South for the Winter. Being the ultimate snowbirds, we won't be back up North until probably April. As we were doing our transit South towards Dallas for the World Series, I took some video of the leaves changing. There is nothing quite like seeing the leaves change from a blimp. In fact, many years ago the Weather Channel had a blimp that followed the changing of the leaves through Autumn as it flew across the country.

I started noticing the changing of the season in mid September when some of the tree tops in the valleys in the Northeast started to turn yellow and orange. Eventually as the days get shorter, the rest of the trees have caught up to the vivid yellows, oranges and reds you see in some of the video and pictures. It was beautiful scenery for the long trip South!

NLCS Games 1 and 2 in Philly

2010-10-22T18:12:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, I flew over the first two games of the National League Championship in Philadelphia. It was quite windy aloft but we were able to get both events in without any issues. There definitely is a vibe you feel during the baseball playoffs that you just don't get during a regular season game. Some of the highlights in this video include the giant American Flag in the outfield for the opening ceremonies and the fireworks at the end of the video celebrating the Phillies' game 2 win. Check out the excitement in the crowd when they are cheering. Its amazing how the stadium comes alive when Philly is playing well during the game.
Also I added some of my own original music to this video. I put this together a while back in Garage Band and thought I'd share it since it seemed to fit the tranquil mood of flying at night.

Conan Blimp Flyby

2010-10-21T13:37:00.000-04:00

For those who can't get enough of the Conan Blimp, we did a little flyby of the ship while it was sitting on the mast the other day. They've been busy in New York covering the American League Playoffs at Yankee Stadium this week. We were on our way up to Boston to cover some events in between National League Playoff games in Philadelphia.

Buoyant in Baltimore

2010-10-13T01:44:00.000-04:00

We spent a short time in Baltimore, Maryland last weekend. Here is some video and a few pictures from my flight. Highlights include the Baltimore Inner Harbor, the Ravens Stadium and Fort McHenry.

Conan Blimp in Philly

2010-10-04T20:00:00.000-04:00

On our way to cover the big Philadelphia Eagles vs Washington Redskins game on Sunday, we saw the new Conan Blimp flying exposure over the stadium area. I had enough time to take a few snapshots and some video of it before we had to get to work over the game. Its always fun taking blimp to blimp pictures since we're normally only being photographed from the ground. Hopefully we'll be crossing paths again soon.

Keep an eye out for the Conan Blimp through the next month as they provide aerial coverage for the baseball playoffs on TBS.

Sabres Game

2010-10-02T15:45:00.005-04:00

Well I didn't get to see the Bills game from above last weekend in New England due to the weather but I did get to catch a Sabres preseason game in Philadelphia last night. Its rare to get to see your hockey team in an opponents arena especially when you travel full time for work. The pure chance that they are playing in the same town you are in on a night off just about never happens. Lucky for me, Buffalo began their home and home series against the Flyers on the road to wrap up the preseason. Since it was a bit of a special occasion I sprang for some good seats in the lower level behind the Flyers' bench.

The Sabres ended up loosing the game 3-1 but it was an entertaining experience overall. I made sure to get there early so I could walk around the arena and get a Philly Cheese steak for dinner. I immediately felt like an outsider in my Sabres shirt as I was surrounded by a sea of orange and black. The Flyers fans are definitely hardcore hockey fans from dressing in team colors to the constant heckling of the Buffalo players. I only had the courage to let out a "Lets Go Buffalo!" once after it looked like they might tie up the game on the power play. The Philly fans around me didn't give me too hard of a time though for it though.

Its just a shame I couldn't see a Sabres win. Oh well, hopefully I'll catch another game this season when they count!

Ready for Some Football?

2010-09-24T15:26:00.001-04:00

Football season is back in full swing, and we'll be providing aerial coverage for both NFL and college games all over the country. I did my first NFL game of the season in Charlotte this weekend as we watched the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Carolina Panthers. Check out my pictures and video of downtown Charlotte as we flew over the game.

I'm excited to do this weekend's football game as we are in the Boston area to cover the Bills vs Patriots game in Foxboro. Hopefully the Bills can pull out a win as I cheer from 3000 feet above the stadium!

3 Blimps Cross Paths

2010-09-23T18:15:00.000-04:00

On our way down to North Carolina last week for the college football game at Duke and the NFL game in Charlotte, we stopped at Soleburg Airport in New Jersey for the overnight. On our way out to the ship in the morning, we found out that in addition to the Metlife Snoopy 1 blimp being there, the Goodyear Blimp, "Spirit of Innovation" had arrived the previous night. The DirecTV Blimp and the Goodyear Blimp are both much larger airships then Snoopy 1. With comparable size, they both also have large electronic signs on their port sides. The main difference between the two being that our sign is larger and can show full motion, full color, TV quality video both during the day and at night. Its not often you get three airships in one place, let alone three. Soleburg is such a great, airship friendly airport. Most airports barely have enough room for one blimp, but here there is enough room for all of us to moor and operate safely with room to spare.

Quick Highlights of US Open

2010-09-22T20:04:00.000-04:00

Here is a short video highlight of the US Open Tennis in Flushing, NY. It finished up only a little over a week ago but it already seems like forever ago. Most of the video is from the opening ceremonies and the pre-match festivities for the women's final. The opening of the American Flag over the court was by far one of the cooler things I've seen from a blimp.

Tennis Anyone?

2010-09-18T11:23:00.006-04:00

Well we had a busy, crazy couple of weeks covering the US Open Tennis in Flushing, NY. Despite challenges with the weather, Hurricane Earl threatening the East Coast and the normal challenges that go into being apart of a live television broadcast, it went pretty well. I'll have video posted of the tennis and more of New York City soon once I get it all edited. These are a couple of pictures from the pre-match festivities.

We're currently catching our breath down in North Carolina covering some college and NFL football this weekend and then its back up north!

How the Other Half Live

2010-09-14T11:57:00.002-04:00

On our trip down from Boston to New York, we decided to take the scenic route along the Rhodes Island shoreline and across the Long Island Sound to the southern coastline of the Hamptons on the eastern side of the island. These areas have some very expensive houses and extraordinary scenery. We picked a picture perfect day to do it as well. Check out the video above for a little relaxing journey along the coast.

3 Year Anniversary

2010-09-10T20:48:00.008-04:00

Well today marks 3 years of blimping for me. Its pretty insignificant when compared to the 20 plus years some of my contemporaries have been doing it for, but its a milestone for me. I met up with my first operation not too far from here in Soleburg, NJ when I met up with Snoopy 2 for the first time. Since then, I've logged over 1600 hours in 5 different airships, three different types and traveled I don't know how many thousands of miles across the country and back. Its been quite a trip so far and its not quite over yet. I spent the day flying 10 hours over New York City and the US Open Tennis. I'll have lots of video and pictures to come soon. The above picture is of two blimps I'm very familiar with, Snoopy 1 and my current ride, DirecTV, taken in Miami during Super Bowl week this year.

Connecticut Castle

2010-09-09T17:46:00.010-04:00

Flying the blimp, we often come across some unusual sites that catch our attention. On our way down to New York to begin the US Open Tennis, we flew over a castle being built in the middle of nowhere Connecticut. Its straight out of a fairytale with a moat and everything! I can only imagine how much something like this takes to build, but its going to look amazing when its completed I'm sure.
After a little research on the internet, I found out it has been under construction for the past 8 years or so. Its located in Woodstock, Conn and is owned by a man by the name of Christopher Mark. To see more pictures of it from the ground, check out his myspace page here.

Baseball and Tennis in Cincinnati

2010-08-27T00:00:00.000-04:00

Here is a little video of my flights while we were in Cincinnati. The first part is from the Reds baseball game on August 14th. The second half of the video is from the Western and Southern Financial Group Masters Men's Tennis Final on August 22. The tennis stadium is located across the highway from King's Island Amusement Park so I made sure to get some shots of that as well. It was a nice little warm up for the next two weeks since we will be providing the aerial coverage for the US Open Tennis Tournament in New York City.

10 Days in Cincy

2010-08-25T23:09:00.002-04:00

We just spent some time in Cincinnati, Ohio for a bunch of events. We managed to do two baseball games, two football games and even some tennis. Lots going on there along the Ohio River. Above are a couple of cool pictures I took while I was there. My favorites are of downtown before a Reds game where the sky was a creepy red color as the sun set.

Yankee Game Video Part 2

2010-08-23T00:00:00.000-04:00

Here is part two of my Yankee game flights. On August 8th, we took the Hudson River route to and from the stadium which gave us plenty of photo opportunities. Some of the landmarks include the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the George Washington Bridge, Ground Zero, Madison Square Garden and the Statue of Liberty. See how many more landmarks you can pick out in the video! Literally everywhere you look, there is something famous to see. No matter how many times I fly over New York, its always an awe-inspiring experience.

Yankee Game Video Part 1

2010-08-21T23:06:00.000-04:00

Above is some video footage I took over Yankee stadium on August 6 during the Red Sox and Yankees' game. The view of Central Park and Manhattan from overhead the stadium as day turns into night is always a beautiful view. I was fortunate enough to get to see it twice in one weekend. Part 2 will be posted shortly once I finish editing it.

Yankees Games Photos

2010-08-14T12:26:00.002-04:00

We spent last weekend over the Yankees vs Red Sox games in New York. Above are some photos from Friday and Sunday night. Overall both nights went really well with nice weather prevailing all weekend long. We're now in Cincinnati for a couple weeks doing a little bit of everything. Baseball, football and even tennis here in the Queen City over the next week will keep us plenty busy.

Saturday Afternoon Over Fenway

2010-08-05T21:32:00.003-04:00

I spent last Saturday over Fenway Park in Boston for the Tigers vs Red Sox game. There were great views of the stadium and of the downtown skyline along the river. Always lots to check out when flying over Boston. Enjoy some of the highlights!

Red Sox Baseball

2010-08-04T23:49:00.003-04:00

We spent last weekend doing the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers series. It was a fun afternoon over Fenway Park on Saturday with the Red Sox coming back from behind in the bottom of the 9th to win. Above are a few pictures I took from over the stadium. I also have some video to finish editing that I will post soon.

Detroit Montage

2010-07-18T08:57:00.003-04:00

This little video montage is from my flight last week over the Detroit Tigers game in Detroit, MI. Some of the highlights included seeing an F-18 do an aerial demonstration over the boat races, the downtown skyline of Detroit, Ford Field and of course Comerica Park, home of the Tigers. It was a fun day over the ballpark taking in my first flight over the city of Detroit. We could even take a peek into Canada as we flew around since the Canadian city of Windsor, ON is just across the river. It may just be the proximity to Canada, but I never realized how similar Detroit is to Buffalo.

A Weekend in the Motor City

2010-07-14T23:41:00.003-04:00

Here are a few pictures I took while in Detroit this past weekend. A few of them are of some cool clouds around sunset and the others are of the Detroit Tigers game I flew on Sunday. I'll have some more video to post later on this week from the flight once we get to New York and I get a chance to edit it all together.

Sweet Home Chicago

2010-07-11T09:40:00.004-04:00

I finally finished my video montage of last weekend's visit to Chicago, IL. You'll see all of the tourist sights in this video including Wrigley Field, Naval Pier, the Chicago Skyline, etc. Chicago is a fun town to visit. The view from the air is hard to beat but there is a lot to explore on the ground as well. The view from the 96th floor of the Hancock Building was impressive even for a guy who's seen the city from a blimp.

Chicago Preview

2010-07-08T14:06:00.004-04:00

We just finished up our 4th of July weekend stay in Chicago and were able to make the hop to Detroit without any issues yesterday. While I was in Chicago I was able to get a ton of video footage from the air and the ground. It will probably take me a little while to get that done though so I have posted a few preview pictures here until I can get the video edited and posted. Some of the highlights include the fabulous Chicago skyline, Navy Pier and of course Wrigley Field. We were able to get two out of the three Cubs games in during our visit, and we had a blast doing them.

A Walk Back in Time Part 3

2010-07-07T07:44:00.002-04:00

This is the final video of my tour of the Old Bethpage Village Restoration. In this video I concentrate on the agricultural side of the museum. Enjoy!

A Walk Back in Time Part 2

2010-07-03T00:58:00.003-04:00

I just finished editing the second part of my three part series of videos from my recent visit to the Old Bethpage Village Restoration Museum. In this installment, we continue touring the various buildings that make up the village and learn a little more about life on Long Island in the 1800's.

A Walk Back in Time

2010-06-30T07:00:00.000-04:00

I recently visited the Old Bethpage Village Restoration Museum located on Long Island just a short walk from our hotel. It features buildings from the 1800's that were relocated to the site from all over Long Island. It feels a lot like walking back in time as the workers there are also dressed in clothing from the time period to add to the historic atmosphere. I spent over two and a half hours exploring the grounds and shooting video which made for an enjoyable afternoon.
Above is the first part of a series of videos I am putting together from my trip there. I decided to spice it up with a little bit of voice over work that kind of makes it feel like a show you'd see on PBS. Its my first attempt at this type of a video so hopefully you still enjoy it. Oh and if your internet connection can handle it, check it out in HD.

A Trip Around Citi Field

2010-06-28T11:44:00.003-04:00

It was a hazy day on Sunday afternoon for the game. The air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. We spent most of our time over the same spot we were at on Friday night due to air traffic. However we did get a short break where we were able to get overhead the stadium for about an inning or so. I took the opportunity for a quick video tour around Citi Field.

Mets Game Highlights

2010-06-28T08:28:00.000-04:00

Catching up with our busy schedule, we've been in New York for a Mets home stand this past weekend as Major League Baseball wraps up interleague play. Friday night's game against the Twins gave me an opportunity to try out my new camera and shoot some video. We were about 2 miles north of the stadium the whole night due to LaGuardia Airport's traffic flow but I still was able to get some good shots. Above is a little montage of the night and is even available in HD.

Back East

2010-06-16T23:38:00.003-04:00

Above are a few pictures from the transit we just finished back east to New York. We'll be spending the next week doing some baseball games in New York and Boston. The first couple of images are of Fermilab, a particle accelerator laboratory used for molecular experiments. Also there is a picture of Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio that I took as we passed by and a unique heart shaped pond out in rural Northwestern Ohio. Luckily we had a tailwind most of the way on the three day transit, but it still ended up being a couple of long flying days to get here.

Prelude to the Dream

2010-06-09T13:22:00.004-04:00

As we arrived near New Weston, Ohio on Monday, the crews were already busy getting the dirt track ready for the big event tonight at Eldora Speedway. For those who aren't familiar with the yearly charity race, Nascar star Tony Stewart puts on this race each year to benefit multiple children's hopsitals. Tony and other Nascar greats such as Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch will go back to their roots and race on the dirt track for their favorite charities. Weather permitting, we'll be providing the aerial view of the track on the pay per view telecast tonight. A great event to get to be apart of. No matter who comes in first for the race, the kids are the true winners.

St Louis Fireworks Over Busch Stadium

2010-06-05T16:54:00.001-04:00

Here is a little video montage of the fireworks display over Busch Stadium last night after the Cardinals game. It was really a cool site from the air with the Gateway Arch in the background as you can see.

Gateway to the West

2010-06-05T15:45:00.013-04:00

I took a few pictures and some video of the arch and Busch Stadium while flying over the St Louis Cardinals game last night. The Cards ended up beating the Milwaukee Brewers 8-0. There were some thunderstorms to the north that I thought might be a factor in sending us home early, but fortunately they never made their way down. We were able to fly the entire game and even stuck around after the game for the fireworks display. There is nothing quite like watching fireworks from the blimp and having the Gateway Arch in the background made it even more picturesque. It was another great night to be flying the DirecTV Blimp!

From Philly to the Midwest

2010-06-04T10:55:00.003-04:00

Here's a little update on what I've been up to the past week. We spent a couple of days in Philadelphia last weekend to cover the USA Soccer Team's final exhibition match before they left for South Africa. They begin playing in the World Cup Tournament there later this month. Then we began our first trip of the season to the Midwest, destination St Louis. Unfortunately we hit some weather en route and ended up having some unscheduled days off in Ohio. While in Ohio, we happened to overfly my old office in Canton that I worked in for a few years after college on our leg to Cincinnati. I also got a few hazy pictures of downtown Cincinnati as we waited for the crew to put up the mast that are pictured below.
We had some weather set backs on the way but we made it to St Louis, MO in time to fly over some Cardinals baseball games tonight and tomorrow afternoon.

Subway Series

2010-05-23T23:44:00.005-04:00

I flew over the Yankees vs. Mets game on Saturday night as we provided the aerial coverage for Fox. It was my first time flying over the Mets' stadium, Citi Field. Overall a nice night for flying. Luckily we were able to beat the low clouds and rain that came it shortly after we landed for the night. We have one more game this week in New York and then its off to Chicago for the weekend!

Yankees Win!

2010-05-18T15:22:00.003-04:00

I finally was able to fly my first baseball game above Yankee Stadium last night as I watched the Yanks beat the Red Sox in a come from behind win in the 9th. A really great game to be apart of and we had the best seats in the house. While I was up there, I took a few pictures of the stadium before and during the game. The bare concrete area next to Yankee Stadium is all that is left of the old Yankee Stadium. Also I took a few shots of the New York skyline and Central Park from our location above the Bronx. It was a fun night to be up in the blimp and the Yankee win was the icing on the cake.

Darlington Race

2010-05-08T14:15:00.012-04:00

I flew my second Nascar Nationwide Race last night, the Royal Purple 200, in Darlington, South Carolina. A great night for racing under the lights at the track they say is, "The Track Too Tough to Tame." Its been really hot down here with highs during the day into the 90's, and it stayed warm up in the gondola all night. With a lack of air conditioning, we had the windows all open trying to get as much air flow as we could up there. Over all though it was a good show despite the heat.
I was able to take a few pictures and shoot some short videos while I was up there. You may notice the egg like shape of the track which makes it one of the more unique tracks on the Nascar schedule.
Tonight is our last Nascar race for a while as we begin covering baseball. Next stop on the tour, New York City.

Front Page

2010-05-01T23:32:00.004-04:00

We made the front page of The Progress-Index today, the local newspaper here in Petersburg, VA. Included in the article was a picture of me in the gondola. Its not often you pick up the paper and see yourself on the front page. Needless to say, it really made my day. Yet another really unique experience that goes with the job. If you'd like to read the article, it is online and can be found here.

My First NASCAR

2010-05-01T14:46:00.007-04:00

I had the pleasure of flying the Nascar Nationwide Series race last night, the Bubba Burger 250, at Richmond International Raceway. It was my first Nascar event and was a lot of fun up there watching them race "under the lights."

The power of the race cars is amazing. You can actually feel it in the pedals of the ship when you are flying over the track as they pass. Also as you may be able to notice in the short video at the bottom, you can actually hear the roar of the engines over our two prop engines, even with our headsets on.

After the race, I encountered some serious headwinds on the way back to the airport last night, but over all it was a great night at the races.

Up and At'em Early

2010-04-28T07:13:00.001-04:00

Airborne at sunrise out of Mobile, AL enroute to Virginia for this weekend's NASCAR.

Down in New Orleans

2010-04-21T23:04:00.003-04:00

We made it to New Orleans for our weekend coverage of the Zurich Classic Golf Tournament. Here is a photo of downtown New Orleans from a distance as we were making our way to the airport for landing. Overall it was a pretty nice day for a transit. We're just hoping the weather stays nice all weekend.

Goodbye Texas

2010-04-21T22:57:00.002-04:00

Well we got pretty wet in Fort Worth, TX but NASCAR eventually ran the Sprint Cup Race on Monday. We were able to be apart of that as well as another obligation we had in Dallas on Monday night. Since, we have left and are heading to New Orleans to cover some PGA Golf this weekend. We stopped in Shreveport, Louisiana on our way down for the overnight. The picture is of downtown Shreveport that I took while we were waiting for the crew to set up the mast.

Snoopy Update

2010-04-09T13:56:00.004-04:00

Since my transfer to the DirecTv Starship at the beginning of the year, its been a while since I've flown one of the Snoopy blimps. Even living in the airship world, its hard to keep track of where everyone is in the country. Luckily, MetLife has updated their blimp page with some outstanding, cutting edge content including a "Blimp Tracker" and Twitter page. Now its easy to find out what's going on with Snoopy 1 and 2 as they provide aerial coverage for the PGA all spring and summer long. You can find the Blimp Tracking page here along with other new content including their Twitter link.

Opening Night of MLB

2010-04-05T19:23:00.018-04:00

I had the privilege last night of flying over Major League Baseball's Opening Night, featuring the New York Yankees vs. the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. It doesn't get much better then that for my first baseball game in the blimp. Complete with a fighter jet fly over and fireworks, the magic was in the air. As the short video shows, I had a great seat in the DirecTv blimp for a fun night of baseball. Its just a shame that the Yankees lost. Oh well, we still have a couple of games to fly here this week. Hopefully they can get a couple wins over the Sox.

Travels to Boston

2010-04-03T20:33:00.002-04:00

We made it up to Boston without a hitch courtesy of the gorgeous weather. We will be covering the Celtics game Sunday afternoon and the Yankees vs Red Sox Opening Night baseball game in the evening. As a Yankee fan, I'm looking forward to flying the ball games this week.

The picture above is of the Chesapeake Bay as we crossed over into Maryland.

The pictures below are of Soleburg Airport in Readington, NJ which served as one of our overnight stops on the way up north. It has a huge blimp friendly field that is by far one of the best airports we moor at with respect to having room to operate.

Catching Up: Bristol, TN

2010-03-31T21:52:00.003-04:00

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

2010-03-16T01:44:00.009-04:00

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

2010-03-11T11:13:00.005-05:00

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

2010-03-08T16:21:00.006-05:00

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.

Onward to Daytona

2010-02-11T13:30:00.005-05:00

With the Super Bowl in the books, we cruised up the coast from Miami to Daytona for Nascar's big Super Bowl week. We'll be providing aerial coverage all week for all of the big race events including the grand daddy of them all on Sunday, the Daytona 500.

Welcome to Miami

2010-01-31T07:36:00.004-05:00

Well we made it down to Miami this week to provide aerial coverage for tonight's NFL Pro Bowl and the many festivities building up to the Super Bowl. Some of the highlights on the way down included a pass by the Goodyear Blimp hanger in Pompano Beach and a great view of all the preparations going on down in South Beach and at the stadium for Super Week. Its going to be a crazy week here on the Direct TV Blimp with plenty of flying (weather permitting of course). We'll keep our fingers crossed for a nice sunny week in Southern Florida!

Big Blimpin' in Orlando

2010-01-21T12:42:00.005-05:00

I've reached the next milestone in my blimp career this week. I've completed my training to fly our largest ship, the A-170. My first "solo" flight was a transit down from Gainesville to Orlando, Florida earlier this week. I also did my first camera event in the big ship last night as we provided aerial coverage for the Orlando Magic NBA basketball game. It was the first of three events we are covering here in Orlando before heading to Miami for the up coming NFL festivities over the next two weeks.

Above is a picture of Orlando's downtown skyline and below is a picture I took at sunset just before landing earlier this week.

The Sunshine State

2010-01-13T15:36:00.004-05:00

Well there has been plenty of sunshine in Florida since I arrived here a couple weeks ago but it sure has been cold! Not the most comfortable blimp flying weather by any means, but you bundle up and make the best of it. I'm now on the Direct TV Blimp getting use to flying the big airship again. Above are a few pictures from around Orlando as we flew around last week. The highlight was flying high above the Disney World resorts. I was quite surprised at how small the Magic Kingdom looked compared to the other parks. Despite it being unseasonably cold, there still were plenty of people walking down Main Street.

A San Diego Afternoon

2009-12-17T16:26:00.005-05:00

I enjoyed a nice flight yesterday around the San Diego area. The grounds people at Qualcomm Stadium are busy getting the lines painted for Sunday's Chargers game. Of course, we'll be providing the aerial coverage on CBS for that game. There were also a lot of kite surfers out by Crystal Pier enjoying the waves. An absolutely beautiful day to be at the beach. Finally as I was flying along the coast, I thought I'd try to get a good "Shadow Blimp" riding on the Pacific Railroad tracks. I think a couple of them came out kind of cool. No matter how many flights I do, there is always something fun to see and sometimes even take a picture of it.

Return to San Diego

2009-12-09T17:54:00.007-05:00

View Flight Plot from Sunday in a larger map
We ended our month long stay up in Northern California to return to San Diego for some events. I did the flying on Sunday to finish the second leg of the two day trip, taking Snoopy from Santa Maria, CA to Brown Field south of San Diego. It was an enjoyable trip down the coast mainly which made for a very smooth ride especially with the scattered cloud cover we had most of the day. Above is the approximate route I took to give you an idea of the distance traveled and some of the places I past by on my way down. Below is a picture of downtown Long Beach, looking down Ocean Boulevard.

Track Me Across the Country

2009-12-05T23:17:00.007-05:00

Google has a program called Latitude which takes the approximate GPS location from your phone and plots it on the map. I've decided to add a spot on the page so you can track me on my journeys to answer the often popular question...Where is Keith? Be sure to come back often to check it out on the right side column of my blog and track me all across the country on my blimpin' adventures!

Cruising Around the Bay

2009-11-20T04:02:00.001-05:00

I did another flight around The Bay Area this week in the ship. It had a bunch of highlights that I documented in the above pictures.

I started off in San Francisco which is always picturesque. I included some pictures of the California Academy of Sciences building which has a "living roof" garden on top of it. Reading more about it, you wonder how many more of these types of roofs will work their way on top of modern buildings. After some time over downtown I worked my way down the 101 past San Francisco International Airport in time to watch a heavy 747 take off.

Finally as I worked my way down towards San Jose, I caught up with the Airship Ventures Zeppelin NT airship just in time to watch them land. If you aren't familiar with their operations, they are still the only company in the United States offering passenger rides in an airship. I really like the shadow of the enormous airship against the hanger as it lands. Even from a distance, its an impressive aircraft.

After a quick trip over San Jose, it was time to wrap up the day and head back to Livermore Airport for a landing at sunset. In summary, another great day in the life of an airship pilot!

Raiders Game

2009-11-19T03:38:00.003-05:00

I flew over the Oakland Raiders game on Sunday as they took on the Kansas City Chiefs. We provided the aerial coverage for the CBS telecast in case you happened to see it. If not, here are a couple pictures of the stadium during the game.

Flight Over The Bay

2009-11-12T01:36:00.003-05:00

I spent my Monday flying over the San Francisco Bay area. It is by far my favorite place to fly around with so many landmarks and great scenery everywhere you turn. It was a day I wished that the work day didn't have to end. After all you can't beat the view from my office, so who could blame me?

Beautiful Transit

2009-11-10T15:17:00.003-05:00

Heading from Santa Maria, CA up to Livermore, CA last week gave me some great scenery to check out. I had never done this transit before and it was every bit as wonderful as I had heard. A cloudy morning broke up into a nice clear day with a healthy tailwind all the way north. We even had some time to cut over to the coast and check out the infamous Pebble Beach Golf Course. I think even those who don't love the game of golf can't deny how beautiful this picturesque golf course really is. The remainder of the trip included a lot of vineyards and rolling hills with a landing just after sunset to cap off another fun transit to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Heart Attack Grill

2009-11-05T13:50:00.004-05:00

If you're not dieting, in Phoenix, AZ and looking for a great burger with a unique atmosphere I suggest you check out the Heart Attack Grill. It is a hospital themed burger joint complete with waitresses dressed as nurses and hospital gown bibs for patrons. This is the ultimate anti-health food establishment. Here you can get a Single, Double, Triple or Quadruple Bypass Burger with each burger patty weighing in at a half pound. There is also all you can eat Flatliner Fries which are fresh cut potatoes deep fried in real lard! I had a single bypass burger with the fries and a regular coke (no diet cokes served here!) It was by far one of the better burgers I have eaten and the fries were amazing! Real lard may get a bad wrap but its delicious.

Oh and a couple more notes about the Heart Attack Grill....If you weigh over 350lbs, you eat free! Also if you eat the Quadruple Bypass Burger, you get rolled out to your car in a wheelchair. This establishment sticks to its theme in every way. If you've got a good sense of humor and enjoy indulging in a good burger and fries, I suggest you go admit yourself to the Heart Attack Grill.

Catching Up on the West Coast

2009-11-05T13:27:00.005-05:00

Its been a while since I've updated the blog but the time sure has gone fast. Since my last post we've finished the golf season down in Atlanta and are now into doing football every Sunday. We've also taken Snoopy 2 from the east coast to the west coast for the winter via Nashville, Houston, Phoenix, Oakland and San Diego. Taking the airship across Texas, through the desert and over the mountains into California is always a challenge. Its also one the of the most fun transits we do. With proper planning, some patience with the weather and a few long days for the entire crew, we completed yet another west coast transit (the 3rd such transit I've been a part of).

Above are some pictures I took of Nashville, TN while we were there to cover a Tennessee Titans game back in September. I've also flown the games we covered in Phoenix, Oakland and San Diego over the past month in case you caught any of our aerial shots from those games.

Kickoff the Football Season

2009-09-14T01:32:00.003-04:00

Well the NFL season kicked off this weekend and so did our aerial coverage for Metlife in Snoopy 2. I had the pleasure of flying over an exciting game in Baltimore on Sunday. The Ravens went on to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 38-24 in beautiful downtown Baltimore. Check out the couple of pictures I took of the stadium and the inter harbor.

A Day Walking Around Beantown

2009-09-02T23:45:00.003-04:00

For the day off, a couple of us decided to go up to Boston for the day. We took in all of the sites along the Freedom Trail including the USS Constitution, Paul Revere's house, the Old North Church, The Custom House Clock and the United States' oldest tavern, The Bell in Hand. We even made it over to the "original" Cheers for some dinner. All and all, a nice day taking in the sites.

NYC in the Summertime

2009-08-18T13:44:00.003-04:00

I did some flying last weekend over Manhattan. In the pictures you will see a number of New York landmarks including the Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, Time Square, Central Park and of course the MetLife Buildings. Always a pleasure to get to fly above NYC during a beautiful summer day!

A Milestone Accomplished

2009-08-09T01:42:00.002-04:00

Well I just caught up on my logbook tonight and realized that I have now flown over 1000 hours in airships. Kind of a cool, notable accomplishment. Of course many of the pilots I have worked with probably have over 10,000 hours in airships. Like in just about everything no matter how long you've been doing it, there is always more to learn from your peers. I'm just fortunate enough to get to learn from such experienced pilots.

Indy is Quite Friendly

2009-08-01T23:07:00.003-04:00

We are in Indianapolis,IN this week for the Senior Open Tournament. On our way back from flying over the tournament today, the camera guy spotted the above message written in what looked like golf balls at the local driving range. It was one of the coolest things I've had the opportunity to see from the air. When I got back on the mast at the airport, I was sure to show all of the crew the friendly message that was laid out for us. I don't know if you may find your way to my blog here but in case you do, thanks from all the crew! We always appreciate the hospitality we receive across the country. That one is going in my favorite blimp memories for sure!

The Windy City

2009-07-31T00:15:00.003-04:00

I flew the transit down from Chicago to Indianapolis this week. On my way down I had the opportunity to fly past downtown for a few pictures. You can really take in all the sights flying down along the coast of Lake Michigan. The highlights include the building formally known as the Sears Tower, Soldier Field which is home of the Bears and the site which use to be Meigs Field Airport. I had the opportunity to fly into there for a memorable day in downtown Chicago back when I was still in college. Within the following year, the mayor of Chicago took advantage of post 9/11 fears and sent in trucks overnight to begin tearing up the runways at the airport. It was a landmark that held a special place in the heart of any pilot who had the opportunity to fly into there. It is now just a park.

Breweries, Bicycles and Baseball Stadiums

2009-07-21T23:16:00.004-04:00

Well after catching up with Snoopy 2 in the Quad Cities we made our way to Milwaukee, WI to do a few flyovers and some other engagements this past week. Included in the highlights are the downtown skyline, Miller Park baseball stadium, the Nascar track and the Miller Brewery. Also included in the pictures are some of the bicycle race I flew over today and the Boerner Botanical Gardens.

Hartford Connecticut

2009-06-26T22:01:00.003-04:00

I'm over on the Direct Tv blimp this week doing exposure over the Hartford area before the nearby golf tournament. Here are a few pictures of downtown as well as some pictures of a huge nearby garden park area. I'm not sure what it is called but it looks quite impressive from the air. It caught my eye as we were flying around yesterday morning.

Practice Round of US Open

2009-06-17T03:14:00.004-04:00

I had the unique opportunity to walk around the US Open practice round at the Bethpage Black Golf Course today. It really gives you an appreciation for how talented these pro golfers are. The course is quite long and hilly,the fairways are tight and there are plenty of bunkers to get stuck in. Truly a beautiful course as the pictures show. I missed Tiger but did get to see a few other familiar faces throughout the day. It was a new perspective to be so close as I'm use to seeing it all from high above the course. However, I still wouldn't trade my seat at the golf events with anyone.

An Update....The Season Is In Full Swing

2009-06-11T19:50:00.004-04:00

Its been a while since I've updated so I thought I'd get everyone up to speed. I've been doing a lot of bouncing around between blimps, filling in for vacations. Some of the pictures include the Maryland coast above the clouds as I flew the Horizon Blimp up to New Jersey, and pictures from transitting Snoopy 1 between events which include the Longaburger Basket building in Newark, OH and some pictures of Harrisburg, PA. I'm currently in Long Island with Snoopy 1 for the US Open.

The M Resort Opening Fireworks Display

2009-03-29T14:49:00.006-04:00

I was fortunate enough to get to fly over the Grand Opening of the M Resort earlier this month on March 1st. As you can see, the fireworks display was quite impressive from the blimp. For fun and to drown out the engine noise, I added Kool and the Gang's "Celebration" as it truly was quite the celebration as Vegas welcomed another casino into the neighborhood.

Viva Las Vegas

2009-03-01T18:06:00.004-05:00

I shot a little video going up The Strip as well. The classic punk band, the Dead Kennedys version of Elvis' "Viva Las Vegas" accompanies the video.

Back in Las Vegas

2009-03-01T18:03:00.003-05:00

We returned to Las Vegas this week for the big opening of The M Resort tonight, March 1. I took a few pictures while flying up The Strip the other night. I also took a few pictures of the M Resort and Downtown Las Vegas.

Nascar and Oscars

2009-03-01T17:48:00.003-05:00

Though the M Lightship is based in Las Vegas, it does travel upon occasion to California. I took a few of these pictures of California Motor Speedway in Fontana, Ca while we were flying over the NASCAR festivities last weekend. We also had a chance to swing by the Oscars in Hollywood last Sunday before heading back to the field for the night. Goodyear was there also providing aerial coverage for the big awards show.

Flying the Big Blimp

2009-03-01T17:33:00.004-05:00

Well I haven't had any time to do any updates lately because I've been busy getting some experience on one of our big airships. It it an A170 model for The M Resort Spa Casino in Las Vegas. The M Lightship is 179 feet long, 55 feet high and 46 feet wide with a 170,000 cubic feet envelope. Being so large, the airship still only cruises at a top speed of around 30 to 35mph with no wind. Also as you can see in the picture, it also has a huge LCD screen on the side of it for advertisements which measures 70 feet wide by 30 feet high.

Flying Around Phoenix

2009-01-29T01:20:00.003-05:00

Its been beautiful here in Phoenix so far this week. Hopefully it stays that way all the way through the weekend for the FBR Open. I took a bunch of pictures while I was flying around on Saturday. Some highlights include the stadium the Chicago Cubs play in during spring training, some pictures of the golf course at TPC Scottsdale and numerous pictures of the desert and mountain landscape. Another beautiful Arizona afternoon!

Desert Pictures

2009-01-26T20:46:00.003-05:00

We left California for the Arizona desert this week to begin our golf season coverage. I took a few of these pictures near Blythe, CA which is about the halfway point between LA and Phoenix. From now through March, we'll be in a new city every week providing aerial coverage of the PGA Tour Golf Tournaments.

San Diego Fun

2009-01-12T02:08:00.002-05:00

These pictures are from our time here in San Diego. Included are a bunch from the Holiday Bowl Parade which featured a number of inflatable balloons. I had a first class seat watching it from the air. I even found the end of the parade where they deflated the inflatables. So quickly the large characters disappear!

San Francisco

2008-12-15T11:36:00.003-05:00

San Francisco is one of my favorite places to fly around. Its just great scenery everywhere you go. I can see why Airship Ventures decided to bring a Zeppelin to the area for aerial tours. I was able to get a few pictures of it over the bay while I was up flying around the other day. Its a truly impressive aircraft. I also snapped a few other pictures of downtown, the Golden Gate Bridge and a few other land marks. One more week here and then back to Southern California!

Watching Goodyear Video

2008-12-01T03:33:00.010-05:00

Just a little video montage of the Goodyear Blimp landing and climbing out of their base in Carson, CA. I was flying some exposure along the 405 when I saw them coming in for a passenger exchange. A rare blimp to blimp video.

Flying the Coast Video

2008-12-01T03:15:00.009-05:00

A little video from my transit from San Diego to Long Beach. As you can tell, I had some fun playing around off the coast. The camera moved a little bit in my one shot but it gives you an idea of my perspective from the gondola anyway. Christopher Cross's "Sailing" is the accompanying music which sets the laid back mood that the whole trip had that day.

Day Off Hike

2008-11-22T17:00:00.003-05:00

I took advantage of a day off this week and went hiking up in LA in Griffin Park. It was a really challenging 4 hour hike I took that tested me physically and mentally. As you can see from some of the pictures, it was worth the effort to get to the top. I was able to get a good picture of the "Hollywood" sign and downtown through the smog. The air quality was kind of low due to the smoke from the fires in the area last week but its getting better. Its kind of amazing that such an area of hiking trails and nature sits right in the middle of this vast area of developement that is Los Angeles.

Sunsets and Goodyear

2008-11-22T16:23:00.003-05:00

We've spent this week in Long Beach. Here I just have a couple of pictures of a pleasant sunset from a flight earlier this week. Also I saw the Goodyear Blimp flying around and took a few pictures of them as well. I have some short video of it flying as well from the air that I'll try and upload soon.

Transit from San Diego to Long Beach

2008-11-22T16:17:00.003-05:00

To this date, I think this has been my favorite transit I have flown. There is nothing quite like floating up the coast of California. I have a bunch of pictures of the coast line that begin with San Diego and move up through the Laguna Beach area. I also have some short videos I'll try and post later from the transit. Also be sure to check out the cool "blimp shadow on the cliff" picture I took.