Wingfoot One winning name for Goodyear's new blimp
ERJ staff report (TP)
Akron, Ohio – Wingfoot One has been selected as the name for The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company’s newest airship.
It was selected from nearly 15,000 names submitted in an online public contest that started four months ago.
The name was submitted by Akron resident Charlotte White who will receive a day of activities with Wingfoot One. The other nine finalists who submitted names will receive a set of Goodyear tires.
Goodyear’s use of the Wingfoot trademark dates back to 1901 when the company first used it in advertising to promote the launch of its new Straight Side tire. Inspired by a statue of the Roman god Mercury in his home, Goodyear co-founder Frank Seiberling conceived of the idea of using the Wingfoot trade mark as a symbol of the company’s global ambitions.
The new blimp is in the final stages of flight testing and will be officially christened in a ceremony to be held next month. After the christening, Wingfoot One will travel the US and take its place as a fixture over the country’s biggest sporting, news and entertainment events.
Wingfoot One is a semi-rigid, Zeppelin model LZ N07-101 assembled at Goodyear’s
Wingfoot Lake airship hangar.
During its long operational history, Goodyear has built more than 300 lighter-than-air vehicles, including two large rigid airships – the USS Macon and USS Akron. This is the first semi-rigid airship to be built in the 95-year history of Goodyear’s Wingfoot Lake hangar. The new airship model replaces the previous “GZ-20A” model that flew for 45 years.
This article is only available to subscribers - subscribe today
Subscribe for unlimited access. A subscription to European Rubber Journal includes:
- Every issue of European Rubber Journal (6 issues) including Special Reports & Maps.
- Unlimited access to ERJ articles online
- Daily email newsletter – the latest news direct to your inbox
- Access to the ERJ online archive