CARSON, Calif., Feb. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Goodyear
Tire & Rubber Company (NASDAQ: GT) today revealed plans
for major facilities upgrades at its Airship Operations base in
Carson, renewing its commitment to
the Goodyear Blimp's presence in the Los
Angeles area.
The improvements will include an inflatable hangar for the new
Goodyear Blimp Wingfoot Two, which is scheduled to arrive in
Southern California by the end of
the year. The company has flown its iconic blimps for more than 90
years and has operated its base in Carson since 1968.
Since 2014, Goodyear has been transitioning from its 1970's-era
GZ model blimps to a new state-of-the-art fleet of blimps. The new
blimps feature an entirely new design with capabilities including
faster speeds, quieter engines, advanced on-board avionics and
larger passenger capacity. Wingfoot One (christened in
2014) and Wingfoot Two (2016), currently operate in
Florida and Ohio. Wingfoot Two will replace the
Spirit of Innovation (2006), which is scheduled to retire in
March.
"At Goodyear, we honor tradition and drive toward innovation,"
said Paul Fitzhenry, senior vice
president, Global Communications. "We are proud to usher in this
new era of our world-renowned brand icon and look forward to
operating the new blimp in our Carson base."
New Facilities to Meet Needs of Modern Blimp
The new
hangar will be the first on the Carson airship base, which Goodyear opened in
1968. The hangar will be built out of 73 miles of partially
translucent polyester fabric and will be almost nine-stories tall
and longer than a football field. Construction of the hangar is
expected to be completed in seven months and erected on the
property in July.
Additional facilities updates will include an enlarged mooring
circle for ground handling, a new masting system, plus a new
maintenance building.
Editor's note: multimedia content from today's event are
available to view or download here:
DOCUMENTS: https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/zPi0f
PHOTOS: https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/vEata
VIDEO: https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/CTgd0
About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
Since
1917, Goodyear has built more than 300 lighter-than-air vehicles
for public relations and defense applications, many built at the
company's Wingfoot Lake hangar near Akron, Ohio.
Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. It
employs approximately 66,000 people and manufactures its products
in 48 facilities in 21 countries around the world. Its two
Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio
and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg strive
to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the
technology and performance standard for the industry. For more
information about Goodyear or its products, go to
www.goodyear.com/corporate.
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SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company