To celebrate a century of the Goodyear Blimp this summer, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is sponsoring a contest that could net a trip in the iconic airship.
The blimp marks its centennial June 3, but its tour of more than 100 cities in its hundredth year began earlier this month at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. It was the 70th anniversary of aerial coverage for the college football game, starting with the blimp’s 1955 trip over the stadium.
The contest to be a blimp passenger runs through April 10 and will garner three blimp fans a certificate for two passengers to take to the skies. It also provides a $3,000 travel and accommodation voucher to help winners get to Carson, California; Pompano Beach, Florida; or Akron, the cities where Goodyear’s blimps are housed.
Goodyear said this is the first time it’s held such a contest. To enter, people can buy tires at Goodyear.com, through the company’s Auto Service or Just Tires networks or by filling out a form and not making a purchase.
Being a Goodyear Blimp passenger is to join an exclusive club; the company said only about 1,200 people ride in a Goodyear blimp annually. The experience feels like being at sea, with the airship gently rocking in the sky. The blimp works like a submarine, displacing air like a submarine would displace water.
Goodyear is also selling blimp merchandise to commemorate the airship’s birthday. And a website, goodyearblimp.com, will serve as a hub for information throughout the year, including blimp history and where the blimp can be spotted on its national tour.
