Impressions from Zeppelin flight

Zeppelin flight

Recently, I had the opportunity to fly on a Zeppelin NT, the kind of Zeppelin I had blogged about before. The 6+ hour flight was a once in a lifetime opportunity because it could not be booked. It took as from Bonn Hangelar (EDKB) to Friedrichshafen (EDNY). Our journey started with a detour over Cologne, then following the Rhine up to Karlsruhe, taking a turn to Stuttgart and from there down south to Lake Constance (see the rough route we took on the right).

From Lake Constance with love: A new Goodyear Blimp

A new Zeppelin (Zeppelin NT with NT as in "New Technology"), the next generation of Goodyear Blimps, it scheduled for its first flight today. It is the first of three. The components have been built in my current home town Friedrichshafen and been shipped to Goodyear to Ohio. There, the semi-rigid airship has been assembled.

BTW: Zeppelin flights in Germany can be booked at Zeppelinflug and you can learn more about the Zeppelin history at the Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen.

Two whales in the air: Zeppelins over Friedrichshafen

Yesterday I got the sudden chance to climb up a church tower in Friedrichshafen. It was also the rare opportunity to see two Zeppelins side by side (taken with my mobile phone). One had just departed with new passengers, the other was approaching the Zeppelin landing site.
What can also be seen close to the center is the runway of Friedrichshafen Airport, on the left of it the Zeppelin hangar and the Friedrichshafen Messe (expo & fair). The open space in the foreground on the right will be home to the new headquarters of ZF.

Zeppelin: There are no whales in Lake of Constance

The Zeppelin NT is built in Friedrichshafen where I live. I can see the Zeppelin almost daily on its way from and to the airport (FDH). However, riding the zeppelin here in Germany is different from that one with home base in the San Francisco Bay Area: There are no whales.

The video below is a short report about the recent trip of Airship Ventures' zeppelin north to the Seattle, WA, area, supporting a whale watching mission. After watching it, I feel ready for the weekend...

Bringing fun, a Zeppelin, the Bay Area, and Europe together

The following is a new commercial for a Danish retailer. It brings together all kinds of cliches (in a fun way), the Zeppelin from Airship Ventures, a look at the Golden Gate Bridge, and a European audience. My wife and I already watched it a couple of times and always found new funny details.

BTW: We are in Germany and use a different washing detergent, but have a Zeppelin overhead most days...

Friedrichshafen, Dornier, Herschel, Planck, Hubble, Zeppelins, and Codernauts!

In the past I have written a couple times about Zeppelins and their role in Friedrichshafen and the connection to the Bay Area (my former home). Today, it is time to extend the Zeppelin stories to Dornier, one of the many spin-offs of the early Zeppelin company. Dornier went through several mergers/transitions and many assets are now part of EADS / Astrium (still following me?).

Tomorrow, an Ariane 5 will carry two satellites, named Herschel and Planck, into space (follow the live video stream). Parts of it have been developed and built at Astrium in Immenstaad (Friedrichshafen) and many in the Friedrichshafen area are following that event with excitement.

What's missing? The link to Hubble which is undergoing repair again. The Faint Object Camera on Hubble was built by Dornier with its roots in Friedrichshafen and the Zeppelin. Both Hubble and Herschel are/will be used to look deep into our Universe. And that reminded me about something (very) old: Codernauts! Enjoy the video.

Zeppelin NT Review in "Road & Track" (no DB2)

I wrote in an earlier post that I follow the adventures of the Zeppelin NT airships. They are built where I live now and can be seen in the Lake Constance region, in the SF Bay Area, and in Tokyo.

The US magazine "Road & Track" has a nicely written Road Test of the Zeppelin NT in its newest edition (April) with pictures and a video. Enjoy!

Zeppelin, Bay Area, Lake of Constance

You may wonder why I am following the adventures of Airship Ventures and their Zeppelin airship. At the time we preparing our move from the SF Bay Area to the Lake of Constance area, this particular Zeppelin was planned and built. I saw it both floating over Friedrichshafen where Zeppelins are a common fixture as well as over the Peninsula (SF Bay Area). It's the connection between my two worlds. Moreover, Zeppelins are quiet, help you to get a distance from the earthy problems and remind you about how to tackle your daily IT issues: Get some distance, try to get the bigger picture and let your ideas float...