Airship Ventures
| Commenced operations | November 21, 2008; 16 years ago (2008年11月21日) |
|---|---|
| Ceased operations | November 14, 2012; 12 years ago (2012年11月14日) |
| Operating bases | Moffett Federal Airfield |
| Fleet size | One Zeppelin NT |
| Headquarters | Mountain View, California, United States |
| Key people |
|
Airship Ventures Inc. was a private company that offered sight-seeing rides (which the company called "flightseeing") in a 12-passenger Zeppelin NT out of a World War II United States Navy hangar at Moffett Federal Airfield near Mountain View, California.[1] [2] [3]
As of December 2012[update] , their airship, built by Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH, is in a state of disassembly, but is still one of three zeppelins in the world. The ship was dedicated and christened Eureka at the 75th anniversary celebration for Moffett Field on November 21, 2008;[4] [5] its flight from Beaumont, Texas, where it was shipped, to the Bay Area was the first zeppelin flight in the United States in 71 years.[6]
At 246 feet (75 m) long, it was the largest airship in the world until the U.S. Army's LEMV had its maiden flight in 2012.
The company was owned by the husband and wife team of Alexandra and Brian Hall of Los Gatos, California.[7] Alexandra Hall previously ran the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, California,[1] and Brian Hall is the CEO of telecommunications software company Mark/Space.[8] Two of their pilots, Katherine "Kate" Board (who left the company to fly another Zeppelin NT in Germany) and Andrea Deyling, are the only female zeppelin pilots in the world.[9] [10]
Airship Ventures was based out of the Bachelor Officer Quarters in Building 20 in the NASA Research Park. The airship was stored in the World War II era Hangar Two, a former blimp hangar.
On November 14, 2012, the company announced that it was closing its doors and grounding flight operations due to a lack of long-term sponsorship.[3] [11] In mid-December the decision was announced to wind up the company and disassemble the Eureka, which was shipped back to Germany.[12] [13]
See also
[edit ]- Deutsche Zeppelin Reederei (DZR), both the historic and current German Zeppelin passenger transport company
References
[edit ]- ^ a b Anthony Ha (2008年05月09日). "Look, up in the sky: Zeppelin company Airship Ventures raises 8ドルM". Venture Beat.
- ^ "Zeppelin revival over skies of San Francisco". USA Today . 2007年06月22日.
- ^ a b Stacy Finz (2012年11月15日). "Airship Ventures ends operations". San Francisco Chronicle . Retrieved 2013年02月25日.
- ^ Daniel DeBolt (2008年11月28日). "Moffett Field's serendipitous 75th anniversary". Mountain View Voice . p. 6.
- ^ George Raine (2008年10月19日). "Bay Area firm to offer 500ドル zeppelin rides". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ "Airship Ventures Zeppelin Successfully Crosses Atlantic:Zeppelin to Embark on Historic Cross-Country Flight". Marketwatch (press release).
- ^ Cody Kraatz (2008年11月26日). "Zeppelin provides a backdrop for Moffett's 75th anniversary". Sunnyvale Sun. p. 25.
- ^ Webby, Sean (October 26, 2008). "Majestic airship lands at Moffett Field". The Mercury News. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
Brian Hall first thought of the idea after flying in one over a World Cup soccer match in Cologne. For the founder and CEO of Mark/Space, a Los Gatos software company, modern zeppelins played into many of his interests — high technology, history and aeronautics.
- ^ Airship Ventures: People-Pilots, retrieved 2008年11月30日, archived at the Internet Archive 2011年6月19日.
- ^ "Airship Ventures Announces First American Female to Earn Zeppelin Pilot Qualification" (PDF). Airship Ventures. 2012年05月30日. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013年12月20日. Retrieved 2013年02月25日. (pdf)
- ^ "Airship Ventures Ceases Operations" (PDF). Airship Ventures. 2012年11月14日. Retrieved 2012年11月15日.[permanent dead link ] (pdf)
- ^ Claudia Cruz (2012年12月12日). "Airship Ventures Says 'Goodbye'". Mountain View Patch. Retrieved 2013年02月25日.
- ^ Daniel DeBolt (2013年02月22日). "Former Airship Ventures employee loved her work". Mountain View Voice. p. 7.
External links
[edit ]
- Official website
- Official website as archived in September 2012, prior to cessation of operations
- NASA Welcomes Airship Ventures Zeppelin To Moffett Field 2008年10月23日