EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company’s newest airship, “Wingfoot One,” will make its inaugural visit to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015 later this month.
The 63rd annual Experimental Aircraft Association fly-in is July 20-26 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh.
“Wingfoot One” is the first of Goodyear’s new generation of semi-rigid airships. First flown in spring 2014, the airship was manufactured by Germany’s ZLT Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik and assembled by a team of Zeppelin and Goodyear engineers. It represents the first major structural change of a Goodyear airship in nearly 70 years.
The new airship features advanced on-board avionics and flight control systems with the capability to travel at faster speeds and hover in place. The spacious passenger gondola will provide an enhanced in-flight experience with sweeping, panoramic windows.
“Wingfoot One” is scheduled to arrive in Oshkosh on Tuesday, July 21, and will be on display and fly at the event through Sunday, July 26. EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015 attendees will have the opportunity to see “Wingfoot One” perform in various air shows and meet the “Wingfoot One” pilots at a variety of events, ranging from autograph sessions to forum presentations.
Goodyear will introduce two additional semi-rigid airships to the skies over the next two years as it phases out its two remaining GZ-20 models based in Pompano Beach, Florida, and Carson, California.