# How do they move blimps from city to city? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 9, 2004, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-move-blimps-from-city-to-city/278977 "2004-12-09T19:09:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-move-blimps-from-city-to-city/278977/41 "2004-12-13T21:53:20Z")
> [@Hyperelastic](#): > > I swear I saw an article in a kids’ magazine about 25 years ago that showed the Goodyear blimp being deflated and packed into a shipping crate about the size of a station wagon, then trucked off to its next gig. Obviously, I have no link to support this. When the Goodyear \*Spirit of America \* airship [crashed and sustained significant damage](http://www.aht.ndirect.co.uk/news/2003/Spirit_Crash.htm) during a landing at the Carson CA base in 2003, it was shipped to Akron, OH for repairs. No details on how this was accomplished, but apparently it is possible. ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-move-blimps-from-city-to-city/278977/42 "2004-12-13T22:00:41Z")
> [@rfgdxm](#): > > Is there any type of aircraft that commonly and routinely is transported by ground? I would not have thought this was typical if the option of flying the aircraft was available. Powered parachutes, experimentals with folding wings, helicopters, hot air balloons, gyroplanes, sailplanes, hang gliders, trikes, some ultralights, etc. Blimps have a low tolerence for weather and altitude, and are slow and expensive to operate. Why would you think it’s unreasonable for someone to assume they are shipped by ground? Even though I know they aren’t shipped by ground, I can see how someone might think they are. ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-move-blimps-from-city-to-city/278977/43 "2004-12-13T22:29:58Z")
I can buy a blimp for a couple of million dollars. Talk about motivation! ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-move-blimps-from-city-to-city/278977/44 "2004-12-13T22:55:40Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > [The R-101 crashed when it hit a church steeple, the Macon in a storm off California.](http://www.pilotfriend.com/century-of-flight/Aviation%20history/coming%20of%20age/Hindenburg.htm) Thanks for the link, **Elvis** – apparently my memory (30 years or so back when I read up on this stuff) was faulty. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-move-blimps-from-city-to-city/278977/45 "2004-12-14T03:01:15Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > Given the amount of fuel it takes to keep an airplane flying vis-a-vis its payload, I suspect the question might be worth researching for air cargo transport and deluxe passenger service. Well, a full 747 gets something like 50 passenger-miles per gallon of fuel at around 600 mph. So if you’re out to beat this with an LTA, the bar is set rather high. ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-move-blimps-from-city-to-city/278977/46 "2004-12-14T03:07:44Z")
> [@Berkut](#): > > Powered parachutes, experimentals with folding wings, helicopters, hot air balloons, gyroplanes, sailplanes, hang gliders, trikes, some ultralights, etc. > > Blimps have a low tolerence for weather and altitude, and are slow and expensive to operate. Why would you think it’s unreasonable for someone to assume they are shipped by ground? Even though I know they aren’t shipped by ground, I can see how someone might think they are. Fair point. ---
**Author:** ![oh\_s](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b38774/32.png) [@oh\_s](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oh_s)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-move-blimps-from-city-to-city/278977/47 "2004-12-14T07:48:39Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > It’s rarely necessary to dismantle an airship for long-distance travel, since they generally have a pretty respectable range. As early as 1919, the British rigid airship _R-34_ made the transatlantic flight (in both directions) between the U.K. and U.S., thought it did almost run out of fuel on the westbound leg, flying against the prevailing winds. > > But it’s not unheard of to dismantle an airship for transport. In 1921, The Italian-made semi-rigid airship _Roma_ was bought by the U.S. Army, disassembled, transported across the Atlantic by surface ship, and reassembled. The next year, it flew into electric lines and exploded in Virginia, killing all but 11 of the 44 or 45 men aboard. ``` Airships are always deflated first, (sorry buts it's an Occupational Health and Safety issue). A good example is the old Graf Zeppelin. Hitler saw no military use in airships and so. She was deflatted and dismantled, and her parts sent to the Netherlands to make a German radar tower. The U.S. Navy put into service 15 airship squadrons but after the Macon, (the ZRS 5 with the swinging trapeze for the bi-planes held in the belly.) Crashed, America washed it's hands of them. Interesting point is the material used for the gas bags. They were made from Lead or Gold Beaters Cloth, which is not cloth but animal intestine soaked in brine and then stretched over a round wooden washboard. Not a pleasant job. Blimps today can be either flown or shipped it's just a question of time, logistics and money. ``` [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-move-blimps-from-city-to-city/278977.md?page=2)