a bit OT- midair between blimps/rigids?

[patrick mitchel]

Judging from the film footage of blimp ops during WW2 at New Jersey, I was
wondering if there were any midairs between airships/zepps? Don't seem to
have run across any on the web or in print...Pat

[Dudley Henriques]

"patrick mitchel" > wrote in message
...
> Judging from the film footage of blimp ops during WW2 at New Jersey, I
was
> wondering if there were any midairs between airships/zepps? Don't seem
to
> have run across any on the web or in print...Pat

I believe there might have been when one of the blimps was performing
aerobatics out over the ocean. I think he was doing a whale roll, into a
3/4 inverted hissout, followed by the extremely difficult gasbag
Immalmann . I think he collided with the other blimp at the top .
When the MIR was released, the investigative board had asked the pilot
why he didn't see the other blimp. I believe the answer was, " I really
don't know. It happened so damn fast!!!!!!!!!"

Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot/ CFI Retired
For personal email, please replace
the z's with e's.
dhenriquesATzarthlinkDOTnzt

[patrick mitchel]

Dudley Henriques > wrote in message
ink.net...
>
> "patrick mitchel" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Judging from the film footage of blimp ops during WW2 at New Jersey, I
> was
> > wondering if there were any midairs between airships/zepps? Don't seem
> to
> > have run across any on the web or in print...Pat
>
> I believe there might have been when one of the blimps was performing
> aerobatics out over the ocean. I think he was doing a whale roll, into a
> 3/4 inverted hissout, followed by the extremely difficult gasbag
> Immalmann . I think he collided with the other blimp at the top .
> When the MIR was released, the investigative board had asked the pilot
> why he didn't see the other blimp. I believe the answer was, " I really
> don't know. It happened so damn fast!!!!!!!!!"
>
> Dudley Henriques
> International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
> Commercial Pilot/ CFI Retired
> For personal email, please replace
> the z's with e's.
> dhenriquesATzarthlinkDOTnzt
>
Okay, they're slow and yeah, they oughta see eachother, that doesn't stop
ship from hitting each other and some of them are only doing 15 kts or so.
As an aside, I witnessed a slow race where the goodyear blimp and I think it
was the fuji blimp (one of with the vectoring thrusts engines) were out over
the water just off Long Beach, Cal. where they were trying to maintain their
position. The goodyear blimp must have dumped some ballast in the process as
it was pointing severly nose down while the other blimp with the vectorable
thrust was sitting there level. A funny picture, one craft sitting there 90
degrees out in attitude and them both hanging motionless. Pat

[Dudley Henriques]

"patrick mitchel" > wrote in message
...
>
> Dudley Henriques > wrote in message
> ink.net...
> >
> > "patrick mitchel" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > Judging from the film footage of blimp ops during WW2 at New
Jersey, I
> > was
> > > wondering if there were any midairs between airships/zepps? Don't
seem
> > to
> > > have run across any on the web or in print...Pat
> >
> > I believe there might have been when one of the blimps was
performing
> > aerobatics out over the ocean. I think he was doing a whale roll,
into a
> > 3/4 inverted hissout, followed by the extremely difficult gasbag
> > Immalmann . I think he collided with the other blimp at the top .
> > When the MIR was released, the investigative board had asked the
pilot
> > why he didn't see the other blimp. I believe the answer was, " I
really
> > don't know. It happened so damn fast!!!!!!!!!"
> >
> > Dudley Henriques
> > International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
> > Commercial Pilot/ CFI Retired
> > For personal email, please replace
> > the z's with e's.
> > dhenriquesATzarthlinkDOTnzt
> >
> Okay, they're slow and yeah, they oughta see eachother, that doesn't
stop
> ship from hitting each other and some of them are only doing 15 kts or
so.
> As an aside, I witnessed a slow race where the goodyear blimp and I
think it
> was the fuji blimp (one of with the vectoring thrusts engines) were
out over
> the water just off Long Beach, Cal. where they were trying to maintain
their
> position. The goodyear blimp must have dumped some ballast in the
process as
> it was pointing severly nose down while the other blimp with the
vectorable
> thrust was sitting there level. A funny picture, one craft sitting
there 90
> degrees out in attitude and them both hanging motionless. Pat

I guess you could make a case for a mid air between airships. I don't
remember hearing about one, but it's possible that it has happened. They
are fairly blind topside and at angles above horizontal amounting to a
vector that creases the underside of the bag as viewed from the gondola.
FYIW; That little ditty about the blimp aerobatics was taken from an
actual life experience. I was in a preflight brief with the Blue Angels
back in 75 at the Reading Airshow in Pa. when the Goodyear Blimp came by
our window. We broke each other up for the next five minutes relating
what an aerobatic demonstration by the blimp would look like :-)
Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot/ CFI Retired
For personal email, please replace
the z's with e's.
dhenriquesATzarthlinkDOTnzt

[B2431]

>From: "patrick mitchel"

>Okay, they're slow and yeah, they oughta see eachother, that doesn't stop
>ship from hitting each other and some of them are only doing 15 kts or so.
>As an aside, I witnessed a slow race where the goodyear blimp and I think it
>was the fuji blimp (one of with the vectoring thrusts engines) were out over
>the water just off Long Beach, Cal. where they were trying to maintain their
>position. The goodyear blimp must have dumped some ballast in the process as
>it was pointing severly nose down while the other blimp with the vectorable
>thrust was sitting there level. Pat

Goodyear's blimp didn't dump ballast. I don't think their blimps even have
ballast. Their blimps are close to neutral buoyancy and they use the engine
power to gain or lose altitude using the elevators.

Other people's blimps tend to use thrust vectoring by rotating the engines.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

[patrick mitchel]

B2431 > wrote in message
...
> >From: "patrick mitchel"
>
> >Okay, they're slow and yeah, they oughta see eachother, that doesn't stop
> >ship from hitting each other and some of them are only doing 15 kts or
so.
> >As an aside, I witnessed a slow race where the goodyear blimp and I think
it
> >was the fuji blimp (one of with the vectoring thrusts engines) were out
over
> >the water just off Long Beach, Cal. where they were trying to maintain
their
> >position. The goodyear blimp must have dumped some ballast in the process
as
> >it was pointing severly nose down while the other blimp with the
vectorable
> >thrust was sitting there level. Pat
>
> Goodyear's blimp didn't dump ballast. I don't think their blimps even have
> ballast. Their blimps are close to neutral buoyancy and they use the
engine
> power to gain or lose altitude using the elevators.
>
> Other people's blimps tend to use thrust vectoring by rotating the
engines.
>
> Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired
They weighed us when we went for the flight in the 80's . When we flew the
approach pattern for landing was just like any other airplane
upwind,crosswind..... I still don't know how else the goodyear blimp ended
on its nose, unless from the distance I was looking , I mistook nose up with
nose down. Then again, with the fins on the tail, that would throw out the
perspective error. Pat

[B2431]

>From: "patrick mitchel"

> They weighed us when we went for the flight in the 80's . When we flew the
>approach pattern for landing was just like any other airplane
>upwind,crosswind..... I still don't know how else the goodyear blimp ended
>on its nose, unless from the distance I was looking , I mistook nose up with
>nose down. Then again, with the fins on the tail, that would throw out the
>perspective error. Pat

I'm jealous :)

Maybe they had a passenger my size, think big, who moved to the back of the
gondola.

Dan, U. S. Air Force, retired