Ashikaga Posted November 1, 2005 Share Posted November 1, 2005 When I was a kid there in Houston (1962-64) we would go and sit in the parking lot of then Houston International Airport (now Hobby) at night and watch the Goodyear Blimp fly by. I remember seeing the light bulbs on it switch from the words "GoodYear" to the flying shoe logo. Does it still fly around Houston? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
west20th Posted November 1, 2005 Share Posted November 1, 2005 When I was a kid there in Houston (1962-64) we would go and sit in the parking lot of then Houston International Airport (now Hobby) at night and watch the Goodyear Blimp fly by. I remember seeing the light bulbs on it switch from the words "GoodYear" to the flying shoe logo. Does it still fly around Houston?Not much I don't think. It used to live in it's hangar in Spring. About 5 years or so ago Goodyear moved it's home back to Akron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted November 1, 2005 Share Posted November 1, 2005 No, it is long gone. The Goodyear blimp America used to be hangared at I-45 and Holzwarth Road in Spring, across the freeway from Spring High School. I used to live down the street from it. In the early 90s, it was moved back to Akron, Ohio, and has since been replaced by a 192 foot blimp, the Spirit of America. The blimp base is now another strip shopping center. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pineda Posted November 1, 2005 Share Posted November 1, 2005 I think Lowe's and Home Depot share the blimp base's former footprint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted November 2, 2005 Share Posted November 2, 2005 The old glass atruim is still there though. But the old Base and hangers them selves are all gone now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ V Lawrence Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 No, it is long gone. The Goodyear blimp America used to be hangared at I-45 and Holzwarth Road in Spring, across the freeway from Spring High School. I used to live down the street from it. In the early 90s, it was moved back to Akron, Ohio, and has since been replaced by a 192 foot blimp, the Spirit of America. The blimp base is now another strip shopping center. Yeah, it moved to Akron in 1992. I don't mean to brag, but I got to take one of the last rides on that same Goodyear Blimp before it left. I still don't understand why they moved though. It was a fun ride, and you got to see different cool things up there that you couldn't see in an airplane. Like when they would fly over Hakeem Olajuwon's old house, and you'd get do see his backyard swimming pool with a basketball court painted at the bottom of it Does anyone know why they moved in the first place? (other than the fact that our football and baseball teams played in a dome) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 Its hangar is where Planet Ford is. I remember as soon as they took down the hangar, Planet ford was built. like a mushroom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
57Tbird Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 Speaking of blimps... This thread reminded me of a gigantic structure I remember seeing as a very young boy when my parents would take me to Galveston in the mid-40's. It was a landmark I always looked for in the distance on the way there and back. Don't know if any of you might remember it. It had an interesting history...HITCHCOCK NAVAL AIR STATION. Hitchcock Naval Air Station was a World War II naval air station for lighter-than-air craft Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucesw Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 I do remember seeing that several times in the 50s and being told it dated to the War, but didn't know it was still in use. Only the hangar remained that I can recall. I don't know why we went that way; we never went to Galveston since we had our own beaches at Brazosport, but it was always a treat. The original tower for Channel 11 when it was based in Galveston and called KGUL-TV was just a couple of miles away as I recall. Pictures are from the Hitchcock Public Library site, which says the four towers are still standing. I haven't been that way in many a year. Speaking of the Goodyear blimp, I remember when the CAM moved into its new building at Montrose and Bissonnet. Six artists were commissioned to design light shows to be displayed on the side of the blimp which cruised over Montrose and the Museum district every evening for about a week. You'd hear the airship droning overhead and go outside and look up to watch all the pretty colors! I wonder if there are any pictures -- undoubtedly somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barronracing74 Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 I actually drove out ot the old WWII Blimp Base yesterday because they are building a motocross track right behind it. Ant those towers are still standing strong . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphod Posted December 7, 2005 Share Posted December 7, 2005 i was with my uncle helping them move and we all stopped at a shipley's donuts on the east side of 45 in spring and on the walls were a bunch of pictures of the old spring blimp base. I remember in the woodlands hearing that low whirring blimp propeller noise, its sort of different from anything else you hear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashikaga Posted April 25, 2006 Author Share Posted April 25, 2006 I do remember seeing that several times in the 50s and being told it dated to the War, but didn't know it was still in use. Only the hangar remained that I can recall. I don't know why we went that way; we never went to Galveston, since it was considered sinful, and we had our own beaches at Brazosport, but it was always a treat. The original tower for Channel 11 when it was based in Galveston and called KGUL-TV was just a couple of miles away as I recall. Pictures are from the Hitchcock Public Library site, which says the four towers are still standing. I haven't been that way in many a year. Speaking of the Goodyear blimp, I remember when the CAM moved into its new building at Montrose and Bissonnet. Six artists were commissioned to design light shows to be displayed on the side of the blimp which cruised over Montrose and the Museum district every evening for about a week. You'd hear the airship droning overhead and go outside and look up to watch all the pretty colors! I wonder if there are any pictures -- undoubtedly somewhere. HoustonFreeways.Com has an aerial photo of the Goodyear Blimp landing strip and hangar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 Why did we ever get the blimp in the first place? What advantage did we have over Akron, the home of tires? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highway6 Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 Its hangar is where Planet Ford is. I remember as soon as they took down the hangar, Planet ford was built. like a mushroom. It was next door to planet ford.. not the same location. They were both in existance at the same time.. for a brief while. I remember going with the parents to buy a ford aerostar from there in the early 90s and seeing the blimp and hangar still there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nonenadazilch Posted February 9, 2019 Share Posted February 9, 2019 In the mid-1980's, the band "Genesis" used the blimp hangar as a staging area for rehearsals before their performances at the Summit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gurgis Posted February 28, 2019 Share Posted February 28, 2019 I remember seeing the blimp occasionally overhead from SW Houston. It was often seen around sunset, and the illuminated display / billboard on both sides had messages, and I suppose, advertisements. I also remember driving by the hanger in Spring. Sometimes the blimp was parked outside next to it, or floating nearby. Great memories! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firebird65 Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 On 4/26/2006 at 12:55 PM, Highway6 said: It was next door to planet ford.. not the same location. They were both in existance at the same time.. for a brief while. I remember going with the parents to buy a ford aerostar from there in the early 90s and seeing the blimp and hangar still there I realize I'm replying to a 13 year old post, but I just came across something today definitive on this topic. I am looking at a July 10, 1992, Houston Post story on Goodyear putting the blimp base up for sale. There is an aerial photo of the base and it clearly shows the base is south of Meadowedge Lane. In fact, the hanger is backed up to Meadowedge and Holzwarth in the northwest corner of the site. Highway 6 is right. It is not on the same location as Planet Ford. Planet Ford is on the north side of Meadowedge. The Lowe's Home Improvement Store is on the site where the blimp base used to be. If you go to Google Maps and look next to the Lowe's, the hanger's foundation is still there... at least in the current satellite photo I'm looking at in March 2019. Switching to StreetView, you can't see the foundation from the roadways because there are trees and hedges lining the streets. But you can catch a glimpse as you pull into the Lowe's from Holzwarth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddawg Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 On 11/2/2005 at 10:58 PM, DJ V Lawrence said: Yeah, it moved to Akron in 1992. I don't mean to brag, but I got to take one of the last rides on that same Goodyear Blimp before it left. I still don't understand why they moved though. It was a fun ride, and you got to see different cool things up there that you couldn't see in an airplane. Like when they would fly over Hakeem Olajuwon's old house, and you'd get do see his backyard swimming pool with a basketball court painted at the bottom of it Does anyone know why they moved in the first place? (other than the fact that our football and baseball teams played in a dome) On 4/26/2006 at 12:35 PM, H-Town Man said: Why did we ever get the blimp in the first place? What advantage did we have over Akron, the home of tires? At the time, Goodyear had 3 blimps, one based in Akron, the one in Spring, and one in Los Angeles. The blimps were often sent to big football games in outdoor stadiums to provide "overhead coverage" for ABC primarily, and advertising for Goodyear. The three bases were to provide strategic locations around the country for these events. After some years of this, Goodyear decided to consolidate the bases and returned the Houston and LA blimps to Akron. Soon afterward, they all just kinda disappeared from view. I lived in Spring at the time, just a few miles from that base, and enjoyed watching the blimp in the skies all the time, especially at night. But it would definitely get my dog to barking!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennyc05 Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 I got a chance to ride the blimp last year it was cool experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 On 3/2/2019 at 10:26 PM, Firebird65 said: I realize I'm replying to a 13 year old post, but I just came across something today definitive on this topic. I am looking at a July 10, 1992, Houston Post story on Goodyear putting the blimp base up for sale. There is an aerial photo of the base and it clearly shows the base is south of Meadowedge Lane. In fact, the hanger is backed up to Meadowedge and Holzwarth in the northwest corner of the site. Highway 6 is right. It is not on the same location as Planet Ford. Planet Ford is on the north side of Meadowedge. The Lowe's Home Improvement Store is on the site where the blimp base used to be. If you go to Google Maps and look next to the Lowe's, the hanger's foundation is still there... at least in the current satellite photo I'm looking at in March 2019. Switching to StreetView, you can't see the foundation from the roadways because there are trees and hedges lining the streets. But you can catch a glimpse as you pull into the Lowe's from Holzwarth. Thanks for the correction Firebird. I was spotting it with my eyes as a very small child (like 3 or 4), and then remembering it when I was 15 (2005). Edit: For those that are curious the Hitchcock Air base towers are a cool site. Won't be long until the march of sprawl wipes it off the map too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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