During EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced that it will donate its last-remaining blimp gondola frame to the EAA Aviation Museum as part of a new children’s exhibit.
The gondola frame is from Goodyear’s GZ20 model era of blimps that spanned nearly 40 years. It was previously used on the Europa, Goodyear’s blimp that flew throughout Europe in the 1980s, and on the Florida-based Stars and Stripes in the early 2000s.
In 2011, the company transitioned to a new technology semi-rigid airship platform that remains in place for its fleet of airships still today.
“As we celebrate our blimp program’s 100th anniversary, there’s no better way to honor its legacy than by inspiring the next generation of aviation enthusiasts,” said Michael Dougherty, Goodyear’s Chief Pilot. “We hope this exhibit sparks curiosity and dreams of flight on aircraft of all kinds in countless children into the future.”
“Goodyear’s blimp has been an iconic part of aviation for a century, so this donation is a great fit as part of our museum’s mission to tell the story of flight,” said Chris Henry, EAA Aviation Museum Manager. “Just as Goodyear blimps have brought fascination with flight, this donation will be part of a future exhibit that inspires those with aviation dreams.”
Along with the gondola donation, Goodyear is also offering fans the chance to take home a piece of the Goodyear Blimp.
The keepsake item includes a genuine piece of envelope that flew with the Spirit of Goodyear blimp across North America from 2000 to 2014, wrapped in a commemorative 100th anniversary box.
Christened by NASA astronaut and the first American woman in space Sally Ride in March of 2000, the Spirit of Goodyear went on to become one of Goodyear’s most decorated blimps. It holds the Guinness World Record for the longest continuously operated airship, and it was the first blimp to provide aerial TV coverage of a sporting event in high definition.
When the Spirit of Goodyear retired in 2014, Goodyear donated its gondola to the Crawford Aviation Museum in Cleveland but retained its envelope, which is now a piece of this limited-edition keepsake item.
The Spirit of Goodyear keepsake item is now available for purchase for $85 at the Goodyear Fan Store while supplies last. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the EAA Museum to contribute to the children’s museum build.
For more information: Goodyear.com, EAA.org/EAA-Museum
Thank you for mentioning that Goodyear’s new fleet are not BLIMPS, but they are AIRSHIPS, made by Zeppelin NT in Friedrichshafen, Germany.