Goodyear Carson

Goodyear's blimp base in Carson, California opened in January 1968, and covers 27 acres. It has been home to at least nine Goodyear blimps since then, but with just five different names: the Columbia, the Eagle, the Spirit of America, the Spirit of Innovation, and now, Wingfoot Two. Wingfoot Two is the second of this latest generation of Goodyear’s blimps, and was delivered in 2017. Unlike all the previous models, the 250-foot-long Wingfoot series is a semi-rigid airship, and therefore, not a blimp, but a dirigible. Visible to travelers on the busy 405 freeway, the base is one of three dedicated blimp bases operated by Goodyear in the USA. Another is near Miami, and covers Goodyear’s promotional activities in the southeastern USA, and the other at Wingfoot Lake, Ohio, near Akron, the corporate base of Goodyear. Unlike those, however, there is no permanent hangar to protect the new $20 million airship at Carson. Instead, Goodyear brought a 337-foot-long inflatable hangar to the site, possibly the largest inflatable structure in the country. It is only occasionally used, however, as it is affected by the wind and weather, too, like the airship.