(May 10, 2009) -- This Zeppelin NT is coming to LB Airport.

Image: AirshipVentures.com

It's not a blimp (because it has an internal rigid framework that blimps don't have).

It's not an original Zeppelin but was designed and built recently in Germany by an offshoot of the Zeppelin firm that made the original Zeppelins using "new technology" (NT) described below.

The airship, named "Eureka," is owned and operated by a company ("Airship Ventures") operating out of northern CA's Moffett Field (about 10 miles north of San Jose), offering pleasure flights around the Bay Area.

Image: AirshipVentures.com

An airship is an aircraft getting most or all of its lift from a lighter than air gas...and the company says "Eureka" is "the largest airship in the world, at 246 feet in length, which is 15 feet longer than a Boeing 747, and dwarfs the largest blimp currently flying by more than 50 feet."

Image: AirshipVentures.com

It adds that "Eureka" is one of only three Zeppelins in the world and offers "the only airship passenger flight service in North America."

Airship Ventures will fly Eureka down to LB Airport for the Memorial Day holiday, arriving on May 20 (late afternoon/early evening, time approximate) and staying through at least May 25 (departure May 26) to offer L.A.-LB-OC area residents one-hour flights (details below).

Airship Ventures CEO Alexandra Hall tells LBReport.com she's very excited about flying down to the L.A. area...and "it's possible we may stay a bit beyond May 26 if we get massive demand."

The company website (AirshipVentures.com) says the Zeppelin NT ("New Technology") was designed and manufactured in Friedrichshafen, Germany by Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH "a modern-day offshoot of the historic Zeppelin company that manufactured the original Zeppelins...It took 18 months to build the Airship Ventures Zeppelin NT."

The Eureka Zeppelin NT has "modern engines, state-of-the-art avionics, and fly-by-wire flight controls [enabling it] to perform maneuvers similar to those performed by helicopters, including vertical takeoffs and landings. The Zeppelin NT uses non-flammable helium, features a tear-proof outer envelope, and has carried more than 80,000 passengers since August 2001 without a single incident."

The company website adds:

While externally Zeppelins and blimps look quite alike, and its not uncommon to hear people talking about Zeppelins when they mean blimps - there is, however, a significant difference. A blimp does not have an internal rigid frame. They maintain their shape due to the internal pressure of the lifting gas. Because there is no framework above the gondola, the engines have to be mounted directly to the sides of passenger cabin.

Today's Zeppelins have a light, rigid metal and carbon fiber framework that is covered with a synthetic canvas hull, inside of which is the lifting gas. This framework allows the engines to be located where they operate most efficiently -- on the sides of the hull and at the tail end of the airship, far from the gondola -- providing a quiet, vibration-free ride.

The old Zeppelins had completely rigid hulls with the lighter-than-air gas contained in separate giant gas bags inside the hull. Today's Zeppelin NT has a semi-rigid structural framework with three longitudinal beams (longerons) to hold the engines, tail and gondola. The fabric skin of the ship contains the lifting gas. Separate bags called Balonets are then suspended within this framework, filled with regular air that expand and contact to help the airship maintain its shape.

The old Zeppelins also carried passengers differently. Historic Zeppelins were much larger and were designed to accommodate passengers in many areas of the airship. The giant passenger Zeppelins of pre- 1940 had rooms built within the hull, and passengers could travel, dine and sleep within the massive structure. Passengers aboard the Zeppelin NT ride only in the luxurious cabin (gondola).

The Hindenburg was 803 feet long, and carried roughly 50 passengers and 50 crew. The Zeppelin NT is 246 feet long and carries one pilot, one flight attendant, and up to 13 passengers.

Another major difference, of course, is the lifting gas. The Hindenburg used hydrogen and, like today's blimps, the Zeppelin NT uses helium, an inert non-flammable gas.

...The Zeppelin Foundation was 100 years old in 2008. From the beginnings of building airships, the Zeppelin Company's multi billion dollar manufacturing empire was born, although only in 1997 did they start to fly airships again.

The website says the flights from LB Airport (from AirFlite) will run about an hour and travel at about 1,000 feet high, "giving passengers great views of famous landmarks and an opportunity to walk around the cabin and take pictures with 360 degree views."

Elaine Jumes, Guest Services Representative, says that on its passenger tours the airship travels at 35 mph (although it has a top speed of 77 mph, not used on tours). She says the Eureka flies at between 800 and 1,200 feet and can land, exchange passengers and take off again in under five minutes.

The company website says the Zeppelin's cabin "accommodates one pilot, one flight attendant, and 12 passengers with luxury features including oversized panoramic windows, an onboard restroom with window, and a 180-degree rear observation window and "love seat" that wraps the entire aft of the cabin," says the company website.

What's the flight experience like? According to the company website, "You only have to remain seated for take off and landing. Other than that, you will be able to walk around the cabin, sit in the large rear window seat, open the windows, take pictures and video and converse with the pilot and your fellow passengers. The Zeppelin is very quiet -- you won't have to wear ear protection like you do in a helicopter or a blimp. And yes, there is an onboard restroom (with a window for its own view!)"

So what happens if Eureka somehow gets a puncture? The company website says the "airship hull is full of helium gas under a very slight positive pressure to maintain the shape of the hull...[I]f there is a puncture, the gas exits slowly under low pressure, giving the pilot plenty of time to bring the ship down safely using the its highly maneuverable engines."

Ms. Jumes said the company is offering the public one-hour flights from May 23-25 (with some private events scheduled May 21-22).

Ms. Jumes said the cost for one person is $535.73 (includes airport fees and taxes) but the company has a sightseeing special for two-people (one person pays full fare, the second pays half fare) making the total for two $805.39.

The company website says "no other airships offer the opportunity for paid recreational passenger flights. Most are either rented by a corporation for promotional purposes, or wholly-owned by a owner/operator company. Thus, most only offer limited flights, exclusively to their own VIP guests. Airship Ventures [is] the only Zeppelin operator in North America, and the only company offering public airship flights."

Flights are conducted as weather permits.