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The fleet of Goodyear airships is known
around the World for always appearing at
special events and major sports games. Some
our readers may not realize that jobs opportunities
are at times available for blimp operational
and support teams. In fact, each Goodyear
airship has a team of highly qualified specialists
dedicated to it. Each member is in charge
of safely operating various types of equipment,
much of which is specially designed for
the airship program. In all, four pilots,
16 ground crewmembers and a public relations
manager support and maintain each operation.
As special ambassadors of the company, each
associate comes in contact with thousands
of people each year.
A custom-designed bus serves as a flight
center and communications headquarters.
It is equipped with all the administrative
aids necessary for operation and a special
mast for landing in an emergency. A tractor-trailer
rig serves as a mobile maintenance facility
and is equipped with a machine shop and
a night-sign and TV equipment lab as well
as a generator to provide power while in
the field. The trailer also carries the
main mast, spare parts, and supplementary
equipment. A passenger van rounds out the
rolling stock and is used for ground liaison
work and crew transportation. All vehicles
have two-way radios for communication with
one another and the blimp.
Crew members serve dual roles. In addition
to landing and launching the airship during
flight operations, they serve as electronics
technicians, airship and vehicle mechanics,
riggers and administrative assistants.
Each operation travels with a fleet of
ground support vehicles including a large
bus, a tractor-trailer rig and a passenger
van. The bus serves as a rolling administrative
office and the ground crew's transportation.
The tractor-trailer rig houses shops where
electronic technicians and a mechanics can
perform repairs in the field when necessary.
The van is used as a command car, a passenger
shuttle and utility vehicle. The airship
and all the vehicles are linked by private
two-way radio communications. With these
ground-support vehicles, the crew is almost
self-sustaining in the field in regard to
operation and maintenance. Moving from city
to city, the caravan travels by highway
as the blimp flies to its next engagement.
Personnel are selected for their communications
skills as well as professional abilities.
It's A
Team Effort
Each modern blimp is staffed with an air
and ground crew consisting of 4 pilots,
a public relations manager, and at least
16 ground crew, including aircraft mechanics,
electronic technicians and riggers. With
three specially equipped ground-support
vehicles, the crew is almost self-sustaining
in the field in regard to operation and
maintenance. Moving from city to city, the
caravan travels by highway as the blimp
flies to its next engagement.
A custom-designed bus serves as a flight
center and communications headquarters.
It is equipped with all the administrative
aids necessary for operation and a special
mast for landing in an emergency. A tractor-trailer
rig serves as a mobile maintenance facility
and is equipped with a machine shop and
a night-sign and TV equipment lab as well
as a generator to provide power while in
the field. The trailer also carries the
main mast, spare parts, and supplementary
equipment. A passenger van rounds out the
rolling stock and is used for ground liaison
work and crew transportation. All vehicles
have two-way radios for communication with
one another and the blimp.
Chief Airship
Mechanic
Goodyear requires that the blimp be kept
at the top of its performance curve. This
falls to the chief airship mechanic and
his staff. The chief airship mechanic has
one of the most important responsibilities
in airship operations: the mechanical integrity
of the blimp. The chief airship mechanic
holds FAA licenses that allow for the performance
of necessary duties. Airframe and Powerplant
(AP) and Inspection Authorization (IA) are
required. An AP license recognizes the knowledge
required for aircraft repairs and the IA
provides the authority to inspect and then
approve the blimp's air worthiness.
While on tour with the blimp, an
airship mechanic might log as many as 70
hours in a single week maintaining the blimp
in top condition. Accomplishing that feat
is not always easy. A big difference between
working on a blimp and an airplane is in
the way the blimp is in constant motion,
even while on the mast. It is not unusual
to see a mechanic, wrench and oil rag in
hand chasing the blimp as it rotates about
the mast, floating just out of reach into
the wind. Routine maintenance requires that
at each 50-hour mark on the engines a specified
set of items be completed. Considering a
Goodyear blimp can fly as many as 200 hours
a month during a summer tour, it can really
keep the mechanics busy.
Chief Airship
Rigger
The Chief Rigger and his assistants have
one of the most unique jobs in the world
- repairing and maintaining blimp fabric,
cables and valves - the chief rigger is
the supervisor of this work. By its very
uniqueness, being an airship rigger is not
a wide-spread occupation. It is the riggers
responsibility to change the major control
cables when necessary, inspect and repair
fabric, and to make certain that the air
and helium valves are set to open and close
at the proper pressure. Riggers paint the
envelope every year with a special paint
that helps protect the Dacron fabric from
ultra-violet radiation from the sun.
Included in the normal maintenance are
regular test patches, intentionally cut
from the blimp's fabric, which are then
analyzed to determine the current integrity
of the envelope. These tests are a very
important part of Goodyear's constant attention
to safe operation of its airship fleet.
Unlike the mechanics, the riggers usually
have the luxury of working on the blimp
while it is standing stationary in the hangar;
a big advantage over out of doors maintenance.
Riggers learn their trade while on the job
with Goodyear. The knowledge and skills
are passed down from the older, more experienced
riggers to the new hires in a generational
tradition as old as airship operations itself.
The Chief Rigger and riggers report completed
jobs to the licensed chief airship mechanic
for inspection and sign-off.
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Ground
Crew Chief
Providing a link between the Chief Pilot
and crew is the Ground Crew Chief. The Crew
Chief helps the Chief Pilot keep track of
crew hours, work schedules and manpower
needs of the operation. Responsibilities
include overseeing crew training, setting
up watch schedules (there is always someone
assigned to watch the blimp, it is never
left alone) and making sure that the Chief
Pilot's directives are carried out.
The Crew Chief is the primary ground-handler
for the blimp. This on the job, learned
skill is critically important to safe operation
of the airship. Each crew person relies
on the crew chief for landing instructions,
usually given by hand signals, on when to
pull the nose of the ship and when to let
go. The pilot communicates with the crew
chief through a wireless radio headset.
He listens and watches carefully as the
crew chief indicates the ship's weight and
balance before each take off.
Organizational skills and a wide variety
of airship experience and knowledge is a
must. It is helpful to know, in general
terms, what each crew person's job requires
for successful execution.
Chief Radio &
TV Technician
The Chief Radio & TV Technician's duties
are almost self-describing. They cover all
electronics, avionics and electrical systems
associated with the blimp and its ground
support equipment. It also includes programming
the blimps day and night sign messages.
A primary responsibility for the technician
staff is keeping the two-way radio communications
in top operating form so that blimp and
ground crew have constant communications
between them.
This group is responsible for installing
the TV receive equipment and radio communications
at stadiums and other remote locations for
live television events. This can be a physical
challenge depending on the stadium set up.
Some stadiums require the more than 100
pounds of equipment be carried up as high
as five stories. The Goodyear blimps provide
hundreds of hours of public service messages
on its blimps electronic signs. The technicians
duties include making certain the latest
files are programmed and run at the appropriate
time. These important messages can include
simple text, but can also involve complex
animation and video. The more involved animations
can often require several hours of manipulation
by a technician to result in the desired
look. When people look up at a Goodyear
blimp and see an electronic version of the
American flag waving on high, they can be
certain one of Goodyear's technicians spent
many hours preparing it to flutter in the
breeze, just like the real thing.
Chief Pilot
Operating a Goodyear blimp is a demanding
effort that requires the skills, talents
and dedication of a number of people to
fill the specialized positions. Positions,
such as airship mechanic, electronic technician,
rigger and pilot, all require particular
training to adapt to the unique demands
of lighter-than-air. No one knows this fact
better than each operation's Pilot-in-Charge,
more commonly called the Chief Pilot. The
Chief Pilot's duties are nearly all encompassing:
tracking crew and pilot work hours, monitoring
airship maintenance, approving financial
expenditures of the operations, coordinating
daily and cross country operations, as well
as interviewing and hiring new personnel.
One of the most important responsibilities
for the Chief Pilot is interviewing, selecting
and then overseeing the training of new
pilots. Each operation carries a staff of
four pilots and each one undergoes a six-month
training period. With a Goodyear flight
instructor aboard, a student pilot's flight
training includes hundreds of take-offs
and landings and flight time over a variety
of Goodyear blimp projects such as live
network television, electronic sign and
cross country journeys. Before taking the
Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA)
practical flight exam, each pilot completes
more than 500 hours at the blimp's controls.
New pilots must undergo a comprehensive
Goodyear lighter-than-air (LTA) flight training
program that can last up to six months.
Following successful FAA testing, the pilot
receives an LTA airship rating. If you want
to be a Chief Pilot on an airship operation,
there are a few qualities that are a must:
excellent organizational and flying skills,
the patience of a teacher, and the mind
of an auditor. The pilot-in-charge on each
operation is responsible for the crew, equipment.
Based on weather conditions and other circumstances,
the decision to fly on any given day belongs
to the pilot-in-charge.
Let's Take
A Ride
This week's streaming video feature takes
us to Pompano Beach, Florida, where Goodyear
operates one of its airship bases. We'll
fly along with Capt. Marty Chandler - the
pilot of N3A, The Spirit of Goodyear. He'll
demonstrate the aircraft's operation and
provide you with an idea of what an airship
pilot's like is all about. You'll also see
how the ground support team serves a very
important role ensuring safe airship operations.
Enjoy your flight!
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