AKRON, Ohio -- There’s a new gentle giant ready to float through the sky.
After a lengthy construction process, Goodyear has introduced its new airship: Wingfoot Two.
More than two years after Wingfoot One soared to the sky, Wingfoot Two joins this new technologically advanced fleet.
Like its predecessor, Wingfoot Two is 246 feet long, which is 52 feet longer than Goodyear’s old-school GZ20. It stands more than 57 feet high and weighs a total of 19,780 pounds without helium.
Its design allows for faster speeds, which top out at 73 mph. Prior blimps could only reach 50 mph.
App users can see a photo gallery of Wingfoot Two by clicking here.
Wingfoot Two also offers pilots more precise handling due to its three vector-able engines, which allows the blimp to hover in place and hold position.
Known as a semi-rigid airship, Wingfoot Two features an internal partial frame with its familiar golden Goodyear-lettered skin stretched across.
The cabin, which can carry up to 12 people, has seats similar to an airplane – but with much more leg room. Each side is flanked with wide windows, while the rear offers a special seating area with immersive views.
There’s even a bathroom on board. Yes, there’s also a window in there.
Wingfoot Two, which is now undergoing test flights in Akron, will be based in Carson, Calif. at some point in 2017. Meanwhile, Florida is home to Wingfoot One.
Next, a third airship – Wingfoot Three – will be built at Goodyear’s Wingfoot Lake hangar near Akron. Once complete, it will be remain based in Northeast Ohio.
Goodyear blimps first graced the skies in 1925.