Aircraft Wiki
Advertisement

The Goodyear GZ-20 was a class of non-rigid airships (blimps) built by Goodyear for its own promotional use from 1969. It is the most iconic and best-known of the Goodyear Blimps.

History[]

The GZ-20 is a larger version of the GZ-19, with more powerful engines. The GZ-20's larger size allowed the GZ-19's Skytacular advertisement night sign to be enlarged into the Super-Skytacular. From the third GZ-20 (N2A Europa) onwards the type was also known as the GZ-20A.

The last GZ-20 (also designated GZ-20A), Spirit of Innovation, was retired on 14 March 2017, ending Goodyear's 92-year tradition of operating promotional airships it developed and built itself. The GZ-20s were replaced with German Zeppelin NTs that are also called Goodyear Blimps, despite technically not being blimps, but semi-rigid airships.

Survivors[]

Five GZ-20 gondolas survive, but without their envelopes.

  • Columbia (C-49) is at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.
  • Stars and Stripes (4116) and Spirit of Innovation (4119) are stored at the Wingfoot Lake Hangar in Suffield Township, Portage County, Ohio.
  • Spirit of America (4117) is on display at the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, California.
  • Spirit of Goodyear (4118) is on display at the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.
Goodyear Blimp America N3A

N3A America In California during the Los Angeles Summer Olympics on 30 July 1984. This color scheme was replaced in 1991.

Accidents[]

  • N10A Columbia was intentionally rammed by a vandal with an RC plane on September 30 1990, and made a forced landing.
  • N1A Stars and Stripes struck trees and power lines on 16 June 2005 in Coral Springs, Florida. The pilot and passenger were not injured.

Specifications (N2A Europa)[]

  • Crew: One
  • Capacity: 6 passengers
  • Length: 192 ft 6 in (58.67 m)
  • Diameter: 45 ft 11 in (14.00 m)
  • Width: 50 ft 0 in (15.24 m)
  • Height: 59 ft 6 in (18.14 m)
  • Volume: 202,700 ft3 (5,380 m3)
  • Empty weight: 9,375 lb (4,252 kg)
  • Gross weight: 12,840 lb (5,824 kg)
  • Powerplant: 2 × Continental IO-360-D, 210 hp (157 kW) each
  • Maximum speed: 50 mph (80 km/h)
  • Endurance: 23 hours
  • Service ceiling: 7,500 ft (2,285 m)
  • Rate of climb: 2,400 ft/min (12.2 m/s)
Advertisement