Goodyear GZ-20
| GZ-20 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Spirit of Innovation | |
| Role | blimp (non-rigid airship) |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Goodyear Aerospace |
| Introduction | 1969 |
| Retired | 2017 |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary user | Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company |
| Number built | 6 |
The Goodyear GZ-20 was a blimp (non-rigid airship) class introduced in 1969 in the United States by Goodyear as its signature promotional aircraft, the Goodyear Blimp. The design is a development of the GZ-19 class, featuring a larger envelope to carry the "Super-Skytacular" night sign and more powerful engines. The GZ-20s were an active member of Goodyear's airship fleet until 2017.
The GZ-20 was introduced as part of a US$4 million expansion program by Goodyear in 1968 that included the construction of a new GZ-19 Florida-based airship (Mayflower N1A), replacement of the California-based GZ-19 with a GZ-20 (Columbia N4A), adding a third airship to the fleet (GZ-20 America N3A) and constructing a new airship base at Spring, Texas as home to the new blimp.
In 1972, a third GZ-20 was built to be the first Goodyear Blimp stationed outside the United States. Christened Europa N2A. her structural elements were freighted from the Goodyear factory in Akron Ohio to the Royal Aircraft Establishment in Cardington, Bedfordshire, England on an Aero Spacelines Mini Guppy to be erected there but based at a new facility near Rome.
In 1978, the GZ-19 class was discontinued after the loss of Mayflower N38A. It was replaced by the GZ-20 Mayflower N3A.
As of 2017, All three of Goodyear's GZ-20As have been decommissioned.
The blimp received a Guinness World Record for the longest continuous operated airship with fourteen years of service.
Goodyear Airship Operations started production of Zeppelin NT semi-rigid airships beginning in 2013 at the cost of approximately US$21 million per airship. Goodyear's first Zeppelin NT first took flight on March 17, 2014.
After 14 years in the skies, on February 23, 2014, Spirit of Goodyear was retired in Pompano Beach after the 2014 Daytona 500. The Spirit of Goodyear's gondola was donated to the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.
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