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New Blimp's Message to Shine Bright and Sharp

19 June 1998

New Blimp's Message to Shine Bright and Sharp

    SUFFIELD, Ohio, June 18 -- When Goodyear's newest airship
arrives at her home base in Pompano Beach, Fla., she'll carry a brighter,
sharper message.
    Stars & Stripes, christened today by Salma Gibara, wife of Goodyear
Chairman Sam Gibara, features a new era of sign technology that revolutionizes
its messaging capabilities during day and night operations.
    Light-emitting diodes will replace the "Super Skytacular," which for
nearly 30 years lit up the night sky with the company's name and text messages
that informed the public, promoted awareness in safety and advertised for
charitable organizations.  The new technology was first installed in 1996 on
the Spirit of Akron.
    Not only increasing the night sign's resolution and brilliance, the new
sign provides color animation during evening and text messaging capabilities
for daytime applications.
    "When you have a highly successful operating system like the 'Super
Skytacular,' you don't want to change it unless there is an appreciable
improvement," said Tom Riley, manager of global airship operations.  "We
needed a system that provided a significant leap forward in technology and yet
be able to withstand the rigors of airshipping."
    Technicians and operations personnel for the improved sign were looking
for increased resolution, easily obtainable replacement parts and decreased
weight.
    Brian Krause, airship engineering supervisor, has monitored the project
from its beginning three years ago and remains enthusiastic about its
capabilities.
    "We gained over 400 pounds of lift with the new sign which allows heavier
loads and greater flight distances," Krause said.  "The old sign was much
heavier, requiring seven pieces of equipment to be installed for each flight.
The new sign uses only one piece _ a small hand-carried laptop computer."
    The improved night sign capabilities can be attributed to the 3,780 light
boards that hold 82,656 LED lights on each side of the blimp.  Visible up to a
mile away, the new sign features 256 colors and graphic imaging.
    "With its computer technology, the new night sign is essentially a large
computer screen with the ability to showcase scanned logos, caricatures,
designs, pictures and other high-quality images," Krause said.
    Prior to the use of LED technology, technicians would spend hours creating
animations such as those used in Goodyear's most recent advertising campaign
"Serious Freedom."  Now, those materials can be scanned in minutes.
The new night sign was first installed on the Spirit of Akron in 1996.