(July 2, 2009, updated) -- The Zeppelin Eureka is making its second trip to So. Cal., offering flights from LB Airport for the next few days over the July 4th holiday weekend...including a special July 4th fireworks viewing flight.
[updated] This morning (Thursday, July 2) at 11:00 a.m., the airship hovered above Rainbow Harbor at 3,000 feet a former Navy SEAL Leapfrog parachutist made a drop from the airship, landing precisely in a specially designated drop zone in Queen Mary Events Park.
For video, click image below:
This is the Zeppelin's second excursion to L.A./LB area from its home base in the Bay Area...and from July 3-7, the public can take flightseeing rides from LB Airport (AirFlite FBO terminal) with one- and two-hour tours offered daily.
There's also a special two-hour July 4 fireworks flight that takes advantage of the Zeppelin's 360-degree panoramas to offer passengers stunning views of fireworks shows up and down the L.A. coastline.
One-hour flights are $495 plus tax per person; two-hour flights are $990 plus tax per person...and the July 4th fireworks flight is $1,200 plus tax per person.
In May, LBReport.com had an opportunity to take a ride with media outlets...and we described it at the time as a "graceful, visually overpowering, other-worldlylighter-than-air experience."
We weren't surprised to learn that Airship Ventures, which began offering passenger, charter and corporate flights from its home base near San Jose last year, says it's had about ten wedding proposals aboard...and recently had its first wedding.
Foreground left is Anaheim St. @ Redondo Ave., looking SW
Looking east: Rec Park, with Blair Field
Heading toward the Belmont Shore
Floating above the SE LB open-space/wetlands (2nd St/Studebaker, looking toward Studebaker/Loynes)
Naples Island and the Peninsula looking west
Looking east across 2nd St to PCH toward wetlands
Willow St. @ Grand Ave., looking east.
The Zeppelin, operated by privately-owned Airship Ventures, is the world's largest airship -- 15 feet longer than a Boeing 747, and dwarfing the largest blimp by more than 50 feet.
Airship Ventures, Inc., founded in 2007, is the only passenger airship operation in the U.S.
