How do you get a ride on a Goodyear blimp?
It's not that easy. You can't just buy a ticket and show up at Wingfoot Lake.
Blimp rides are not for sale. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.'s airships maintain busy schedules, providing television coverage for sports and entertainment events and making high-profile appearances.
Few passengers get to take rides.
'The majority of blimp flights are reserved for Goodyear customers, by invitation for specialcircumstances or for those who purchase a blimp certificate at a charity auction,' the Akron company explains in its media kit.
Akron-based Wingfoot One, christened in 2014, has provided video of the NBA Finals, World Series, Stanley Cup Finals, Daytona 500, PGA Championship and College Football Playoff National Championship. Wingfoot Two (2016) is headquartered near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Wingfoot Three (2018) takes flight near Los Angeles.
Obviously, space is limited on blimps. The gondolas normally seat eight passengers and two pilots. Passengers need invitations, and the demand is high. Corporate partners, media members and charity auction winners are among the common recipients.
Your best bet may be to win a blimp ride at a charity event. Goodyear directs the public interest in blimp flights toward nonprofit groups in the communities near its airship bases.
'Goodyear donates passenger flight certificates to charities across the U.S. to auction, which turns thepublic's interest in flights into funds that directly benefit the charities,' the company notes.
Nonprofit charitable organizations can submit a request for a 'ride certificate' at Goodyear's website. The Akron company said it has helped groups raise more than $1.5 million over the past five years through auctions or raffles of blimp flights.
Local history: Akron runaway balloon caused panic in sky
Requests will be considered if Goodyear determines that a nonprofit group's mission and reputation are consistent with its own, and the charitable organization:
∎ Holds current Internal Revenue 501(c3) designation documentation or similar.
∎ Is willing to provide Goodyear with adequate promotional placement within its materials.
∎ Provides the required information through the request form.
Groups should submit ride certificate requests about four to six months before an event date. A committee will review each request, and it could take four months to make a decision.
Even if approved, the flights are dependent on good weather and other commitments, so it could take awhile to land a flight.
Until that day arrives, prospective riders will just have to admire the blimp from the ground.
Mark J. Price can be reached at mprice@thebeaconjournal.com
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: How do you get a ride on a Goodyear blimp in Akron?
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