By
Dale Smith • Contributor - Business Aviation
July 1, 2025
No matter what someone’s level of interest in aircraft may be, they can generally tell what type of “airplane” is flying overhead by their reaction to the sound it makes. The sounds of a jet fighter or helicopter guarantee a good look skyward. At the same time, a light private airplane may only elicit a sideways glance, and a commercial jet might not garner any reaction whatsoever.
But the one sound guaranteed to earn long, often longing glances upward is the unmistakable thrum of a Goodyear Blimp as it passes overhead.
And that simple irresistibility is why Goodyear Tire & Rubber has operated its fleet of flying ambassadors since 1925. Like so many aviation innovations, the history of Goodyear Blimps starts with the dream of one man.
Goodyear’s first CEO, Paul Litchfield, was an aviation enthusiast who established the company’s first aeronautical department in 1910. He recognized significant potential in expanding the company’s role in the emerging aviation industry through rubber-coated fabrics and coatings for both airplanes and lighter-than-air aircraft. In 1912, Goodyear built its first balloon to fly in national and international competitions.
The program’s success led to the development of various coated balloon and blimp envelopes and, ultimately, to a contract with the U.S. Navy to build entire airships. At about this time, Litchfield came up with the idea of building company-branded blimps to market Goodyear across the country.
Of course, the first step in bringing that idea to fruition was building a dedicated base to manufacture and operate the company’s fleet. In 1917, Goodyear began constructing its Wingfoot Lake hangar in Suffield Township, Ohio. The massive 400-foot-long hangar was large enough to house not only the company’s blimps but also production of U.S. Navy airships. Between 1917 and 1925, Goodyear built some 25 blimps for the U.S. military.
The Wingfoot Lake facility is now the world’s longest continually operating airship base and remains the primary home of Goodyear’s Airship Operations.
In 1919, Goodyear built its first non-commissioned blimp and christened it the
Wingfoot Airship Express. Like all seagoing ships that came before, Goodyear continued the tradition of christening its airships to help guarantee luck in the open skies. Alas, the airship was lost in a crash later that year.
Along with the
Wingfoot Airship Express, the company also launched three smaller “pony blimps.” At just 95 feet long, the smaller blimps were shipped to airshows across the country to showcase Goodyear and the potential for everyday lighter-than-air travel.
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New book on the Goodyear GA-28A/B Convoy Fighter!
