{"id":110425,"date":"2025-12-27T16:12:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T16:12:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/110425\/"},"modified":"2025-12-27T16:12:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T16:12:15","slug":"its-just-like-your-dopey-friend-inside-the-goodyear-blimps-devoted-fan-base","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/110425\/","title":{"rendered":"‘It’s just like your dopey friend’: Inside the Goodyear Blimp’s devoted fan base"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When Lauren Richeson created the Goodyear Blimp Fan Club on Facebook in 2009, she expected only a few family members and friends to join. But like the blimp itself, the club began to slowly and steadily take off.<\/p>\n

\u201cDays would be where I\u2019d have to approve 100 people to get in one day,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s been quite overwhelming to see how many people across the world are interested.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fan club has 12,500 members and counting and is more lively than ever as the Goodyear Blimp celebrates its centennial this year. <\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The Goodyear Blimp flies over Los Angeles as the sun sets.<\/p>\n

(Juliana Yamada \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\"People <\/p>\n

People take selfies and make their way around Goodyear Blimp Wingfoot Three during the Toys for Tots event in December at the Goodyear Blimp Base Airport in Carson.<\/p>\n

(Ronaldo Bolanos \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Richeson created the Facebook group when she lived in Torrance, where she and her husband would often see the blimp en route to its base in nearby Carson. Now, the full-time artist lives in a part of Florida where sightings are few and far between, so on trips to California she always makes time for one special stop.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s certain things that I go back to L.A. for, like my favorite restaurant, the favorite places to shop that I don\u2019t get here in Florida, and seeing the blimp is one of those things,\u201d Richeson said. \u201cSo when I get to see the blimp, I\u2019m a happy camper.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wingfoot Three, the blimp based in Carson, has two siblings: Wingfoot One in Suffield, Ohio, and Wingfoot Two in Pompano Beach, Fla. A fourth blimp is based in Europe.<\/p>\n

Goodyear\u2019s first branded blimp, Pilgrim, made its inaugural flight on June 3, 1925, and the famous airships have graced the skies ever since, photographing and filming Super Bowls, World Series, Olympics and more. The blimp even made a cameo in the Beatles\u2019 1965 film \u201cHelp!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The Goodyear Blimp undergoes annual maintenance and inspection at a hangar in Tustin. <\/p>\n

(Juliana Yamada \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

In classic Southern California fashion, Wingfoot Three doesn\u2019t sit in a hangar like its siblings but hangs out in the open, turning heads on the 405 Freeway, which runs right along the base. A small crew of pilots, camera operators, mechanics and base staff perform upkeep and safety checks, but every so often, the blimp must escape the South Bay sun and undergo maintenance in a hangar in Tustin, about 30 miles south.<\/p>\n

Part of its appeal is its sheer size: 246 feet long from nose to tail. In theory, the scale should be menacing \u2014 some larger 737s are about 140 feet long \u2014 but the bubble-like shape softens the airship into a gentle giant, and with nickname \u201cBlimpy\u201d adopted among many fans, it\u2019s basically begging for a set of cartoon eyes.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The Goodyear Blimp, which is 246 feet long, undergoes annual maintenance and inspection at a hangar in Tustin. <\/p>\n

(Juliana Yamada \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just like your dopey friend,\u201d Richeson said.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, fans got to see the blimp up close at the base\u2019s annual Toys for Tots drive, at which children raced to the carnival games and adults lined up for walking tours around Blimpy. <\/p>\n

Susan Gutierrez Turner couldn\u2019t wait a second longer. Once alerted of her place in the 4 p.m. tour group, she darted to the start line, exclaiming that, despite being a resident of Southern California since 1972, she has never seen the blimp up close.<\/p>\n

She melted into a crowd led by Goodyear staff, directing the fans around the entirety of the blimp \u2014 tiny planets orbiting a sun, pulled in by a gravitational force of awe and admiration.<\/p>\n

\"Two <\/p>\n

Airship mechanic Angel Gonzalez and manager of airship maintenance Jim Crone prepare to reattach the door frame onto the Goodyear Blimp.<\/p>\n

(Juliana Yamada \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Necks craned, cameras flashed and questions flew; many about the maintenance of the airship and the helium inside (not to be confused with hydrogen, which is extremely flammable). Others about its ridership capacities \u2014 a rare and coveted experience among blimp fans.<\/p>\n

1\/3 <\/p>\n

Chief Mechanic Steve Dien scrapes residue off of a water ballast valve during an annual maintenance inspection.\u00a0 (Juliana Yamada\/Los Angeles Times) <\/p>\n

2\/3 <\/p>\n

Manager of airship maintenance Jim Crone, airship mechanic Angel Gonzalez, and airship mechanic Angel Ruiz review documents while working on one of the side doors.\u00a0 (Juliana Yamada\/Los Angeles Times) <\/p>\n

3\/3 <\/p>\n

Chief Mechanic Steve Dien works on the inside of the gondola.\u00a0 (Juliana Yamada\/Los Angeles Times) <\/p>\n

\u201cI want to go on this new one so bad, it\u2019s killing me,\u201d said Cheryl Ritz, a South Bay native who\u2019s ridden twice on old models of the blimp. \u201cIt\u2019s the best thing I\u2019ve ever done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each tour group maintained its distance from the blimp, anchored down by only its nose and threatening to move if the wind kicked up. In fleeting moments, when the blimp would begin to budge, you could almost hear faint cheers for stronger gusts.<\/p>\n

But one tour group\u2019s dream is a tour group leader\u2019s safety concern, so they traced the edge of the blimp\u2019s swing radius, staying out of reach of the resting giant. <\/p>\n

Throughout 2025, the three U.S. blimps marked the centennial with a 100-city-plus tour. And there to witness them at each stop \u2014 and in between \u2014 have been members of the fan club.<\/p>\n

\"The \"The \"The <\/p>\n

The Goodyear Blimp hovers over various areas while touring Southern California. (Juliana Yamada\/Los Angeles Times) <\/p>\n

They track the blimp\u2019s routes, strain their necks and snap up photos to later post on the Facebook group, which is usually active on a daily basis. The stream of posts is host to photos nostalgic for the 2017 Goodyear Toys for Tots drive-through, documentation of a blimp-shaped dark chocolate treat, and the smiles of countless fans, standing next to the blimp as one would when taking a photo with a Hollywood celebrity.<\/p>\n

But most of the photos shared capture the blimp with striking-but-identical sky-blue backsplashes, and yet the amazement never ceases. Comment sections overflow with exclamation points and emojis, the emotion palpable through the screen. <\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The Goodyear Blimp\u2019s nose approaches the mast at the Goodyear Blimp Base Airport in Carson.<\/p>\n

(Juliana Yamada \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\"Ground <\/p>\n

Ground handler Eddie Duran watches as water is released from the water ballasts on the Goodyear Blimp prior to takeoff. Water is used as a weight stabilizer for the airship. <\/p>\n

(Juliana Yamada \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cMy husband would say that I have a childlike wonder about a lot,\u201d Richeson said. \u201cThe Goodyear Blimp is probably one of those things.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fan passion isn\u2019t confined to visual offerings, but also tantalizing debates. One of the most common, according to Richeson, is whether the Goodyear Blimp is really, well, a blimp. <\/p>\n

The current models are technically semi-rigid airships rather than non-rigid ones that make up a blimp, but Goodyear reminds people<\/a> that \u201cwhile it may no longer be a dictionary-definition blimp, it will always be the Goodyear Blimp.\u201d<\/p>\n

The blimp even posted a heartfelt confession about its rigidity on Instagram, on which its account has amassed almost 200,000 followers. The not-so-micro influencer maintains an active social media presence, throwing out sassy remarks like \u201cAre you guys even paying attention or am I flying for nothing\u201d on X<\/a> and collaborations with rapper Ice Cube on Instagram.<\/a> <\/p>\n

\"Head <\/p>\n

Head pilot Taylor Deen goes through a pre-flight checklist before doing passenger flights on the Goodyear Blimp.<\/p>\n

(Juliana Yamada \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\"Pilot-in-training <\/p>\n

Pilot-in-training Fayth Rascon-Ryn prepares to land the Goodyear Blimp.<\/p>\n

(Juliana Yamada \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

The blimp might be booked and busy for its centennial, but it has still managed to hop on the year\u2019s hottest trends, debuting an edited green-and-pink \u201cWicked\u201d look, all while lovingly trolling its fans for constant requests to ride the blimp.<\/p>\n

Goodyear offers passenger rides through charity auctions, sweepstakes, corporate partnerships and other invitations, but the opportunities are rare, with only 0.0006% of Americans able to claim they have flown in the famed blimp. According to John Tamura, a SoCal resident who met Richeson in 2024 and joined the fan club soon after, it can be a lifelong dream for blimp fanatics.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople always ask, \u2018What is it gonna take to actually get on that blimp? Do I have to sell my life, or donate a lot of money?\u2019\u201d Tamura said. \u201cThat\u2019s how fervent they are about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Besides the handful of fans lucky enough to snag a guest invite, some admirers found their way to the sky through routes that required a bit more training.<\/p>\n

Goodyear Blimp pilot-in-training Fayth Rascon-Ryn grew up near the Carson base and would drive past the airship all the time. Though she didn\u2019t always know she\u2019d end up on the other side of things, she\u2019s now on the inside looking out \u2014 often at fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really fun, especially if we\u2019re flying low enough and we\u2019re in these areas where people are stopping, I can see them wave, I can wave back,\u201d Rascon-Ryn said.<\/p>\n

For Nick Sintora, president of the L.A. chapter of the National Gay Pilots Assn. and a member of the Facebook group, growing up in Southern California meant the blimp was intertwined with his memories of the area. Now, as a flight instructor, Sintora flies in planes over and around the blimp all the time, and he hopes to one day perhaps mix business with pleasure as a pilot for the blimp.<\/p>\n

1\/4 <\/p>\n

Ground crew members Fabian Ochoa, Charles Shankle, and Eddie Duran finish preparing the Goodyear blimp before the flights of the day.\u00a0 (Juliana Yamada\/Los Angeles Times) <\/p>\n

2\/4 <\/p>\n

Pilot-in-training Jack Branger and head pilot Taylor Deen complete a pre-flight routine before flying.\u00a0 (Juliana Yamada\/Los Angeles Times) <\/p>\n

3\/4 <\/p>\n

Goodyear crew members Eddie Rodriguez, Steve Dien, Eddie Duran, Fabian Ochoa, and Brandon Challman prepare for the Goodyear blimp to land.\u00a0 (Juliana Yamada\/Los Angeles Times) <\/p>\n

4\/4 <\/p>\n

Crew chief Brandon Challman carries bags of shot towards the gondola as the Goodyear blimp touches down.\u00a0 (Juliana Yamada\/Los Angeles Times) <\/p>\n

Blimp pilots, Sintora said, share one mission: to excite the masses. \u201cBringing that joy to people really appeals to me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

And if he ever does sit in the pilot\u2019s seat, one gets the sense that his experience will be like Rascon-Ryn\u2019s. People on the ground will look up and wave. And he\u2019ll wave back.<\/p>\n

Avery Fox contributed reporting to this story.<\/p>\n