Shipping Up to Boston

We're up in the greater Boston Area for the Deutsche Bank Championship this weekend and the New England Patriots game next weekend. I took a few pictures on the transit up here which was a very enjoyable ride up the Long Island Sound. It began with a trip up the East River past Manhattan and then directly over LaGuardia Airport. From there, I flew up along the coast of Connecticut and Rhode Island to the Newport area and then up to Mansfield, MA. A picture perfect transit day!

A Rare Opportunity

Last week there was a rare event of having all three Metlife Blimps in one location as we spent a few days in New Jersey. Check out the slide show of pictures above I took of the three returning to the airport and the movie below.

Pictures from the OC

Every once in a while, I find pictures that were taken while I was flying and sometimes they find me. I always get a kick out of seeing them though. Its fun to see the blimp through the eyes of someone else. Plus it reminds me that flying the blimp isn't a dream; I'm actually doing it. Check out some pictures that were taken of Snoopy 2 while we were at Orange County Airport by clicking here.
Thats me landing the ship and putting it on the mast for the night. Special thanks to Tom Bushey who took the photos and contacted me through the comments section to share them with me. You took some really great pictures Tom! I hope everyone enjoys them as much as I did.

Keeping Busy

Well I've been keeping busy with the golf tournament last week in Greensboro, NC. I flew my first Sunday which was kind of cool. On the other days we were flying exposure over the area. I was able to get a couple cool pictures of University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill on one of the days. On another day, I took a couple pictures of NASCAR driver Kyle Petty's camp for kids with special needs, Victory Junction. Really an impressive sight from above; the quick pictures I got of it don't quite do it justice. Now I'm up in New Jersey for a few days till we ship up to Boston!

Charleston, WV

A few photos from last week's stop in Charleston, WV on our way to Greensboro, NC.

Adios Ohio!

Its always nice being in a familiar place near friends and family, but it always must come to an end sometime. We left this morning from Akron, OH to start our transit to North Carolina. Before we left, we made sure to stop by a few landmarks for some pictures. First we went over to Wingfoot Lake to take a look at the Goodyear Blimp Hanger there. They are out of town but its an impressive facility nonetheless. After that, we flew down over the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH. As you can see they were beginning to pack up from this weekend's Induction Ceremony festivities. Always fun to visit the area but I didn't start doing this to stay in familiar places for too long. Lots of places still to see!

Beautiful Day in Akron

Its a beautiful day here in Akron,OH. I took this picture before the ship came off the mast today to provide aerial coverage for the golf tournament at Firestone Country Club. Masting here at Akron-Fulton Airport, its hard not to think about the huge airships that use to be built in that that blimp hanger many years ago.

Back on Snoopy 2

Well I'm back on Snoopy 2 again after a few months on our sister ship Snoopy1. We are now currently in Akron, OH for the Bridgestone Invitational which is a bit of a homecoming for me. I flew some exposure over the Akron/Cleveland area yesterday and it was truly a walk down memory lane. I spent almost 10 years living in the area so every landmark takes me back. Flying over my old alma mater, Kent State, downtown Akron and what is left of Geauga Lake amusement park all reminded me of the days when this was just a dream. I can remember one day in particular that I was stuck in traffic on I77 as the Goodyear Blimp flew over head. I said to myself, what a cool job; I wonder how I could get into doing that. Little did I know that a few years later I would be the guy flying a blimp over that same freeway.

Its amazing how life can come full circle on you like that. I believe there is no dream that can't be realized. It can be a long road that seems like its going nowhere at times. I mean just four years ago I was working in an office at an insurance company. A lot of people would have just been comfortable and stayed in what was a promising career. I had a dream though that I refused to let die. My adventurous spirit would not let me be happy in a cubical. I needed and wanted more out of life so I took some chances along the way to pursue the goal of flying for a living. Even in that though led to disappointment when life at the airlines was still not enough to make me happy. In that time of discontent, I recalled what I had always wanted to do, fly blimps. With some legwork and good timing, it all started to fall into place at this time last year and the rest is history.

In this rather long reflection on things, I guess the moral of the story is simple. Don't give up on dreams that you know will make you happy. Even what seems as the biggest long shot idea in the world can become reality. It happens everyday. It just takes a lot of work, persistence and faith that it will all work out. Stay confident in yourself and your decisions. Sometimes the road to one dream leads you to another more fulfilling one. Its not always obvious at the time, but when you look back it all makes sense.

I know I can't do this forever. Life on the road isn't easy. However, I am sure that this will lead me to yet another dream somewhere down the road. I just wonder if there was anybody on the ground yesterday looking up that thought, "I want to fly airships."

Go after your dream whatever it is; its worth every minute when you get there!