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UP, UP AND AWAY
By Maggie Espinosa
Having danced with local tribe members in the Venezuelan rain forest and climbed among fig trees with three-toed sloths in Costa Rica, I thought anything enthralling required a lengthy excursion. I was proven wrong last week. Just up the pike in Long Beach, California sat the ride of my life...the Sanyo Blimp. Thanks to a personal invitation, I was able to experience a voyage that cannot be purchased at any price.
My sidekick for the ride was longtime friend, Jennifer, who jumped at the chance to participate in this landmark day. Arriving at the discreetly luxurious VIP lounge of the airport, the world seemed wonderfully fresh as we anticipated our magic carpet ride. We sank into comfy, black leather sofas while waiting for a white van marked "Sanyo Flight Operations." As noted on our instruction sheet, a crewmember pulled up promptly at 3:45pm.
A clean-cut man wearing a white polo-shirt reading "Sanyo Lightship" checked our identification to make sure it matched his list information. Lightship?...Star Trek episodes ran through my mind in rapid succession. "Why is the blimp called a lightship," I questioned the crewmember? With polite graciousness as if explaining it for the first time, our team member enthusiastically told us, at night the entire white balloon-like structure - or envelope - of the lightship is illuminated internally by two 1,000 watt light bulbs. The blimp is visible for miles in the night sky. As well as lightship, it is also properly termed airship or dirigible.
Jennifer, our four flight-mates and myself piled into the van and headed for the airship site. Rounding the corner, we caught our first glimpse of the surreal, colossal object. You could feel its immensity. It's presence commandeered the grassy lawn where it was anchored. The closer we got, the more gargantuan it became. This ship revivified air travel. After just one glance, we all knew we were leaving the mundane and entering the quintessential "high-life." Once on site, we were given a short safety briefing by the ground crew. We then ascended a four-step ladder and entered the airship's small cabin - more commonly known as the gondola.
Once on board, the five fellow voyagers and myself occupied the seats leaving only three empty in this tiny pod. The crew provided headphones and a voice-activated microphone so we could speak with each other and the pilot. Because most passengers have never been aboard an airship, we were encouraged to ask the pilot questions. A cocoon of warmth, the inside was rudimentary, housing only the instrument panel and 1950's-looking blue leather seats.
Steve Tomlin was proudly piloting our vessel for the next hour. With 15 years behind the "wheel," Tomlin has thousands of hours of flying experience. The Sanyo Blimp pilots are extraordinary. More people are qualified to land the Space Shuttle than land a blimp of its size - 165 feet long, 55 feet high and 46 feet wide. This lightship has many "firsts" to its name - the first helium-filled airship to fly into Mexico City and the first wedding aboard a blimp (over Las Vegas, naturally). Legend has it the word blimp came from a World War II military general. Trying to find out what material the airship was made from, he tapped his finger against the envelope, describing the sound he heard as "blimp."
In just moments we were 1,000 feet over the airport. The precipitous climb allowed for sweeping views. The atmosphere felt remarkably hushed. The bustle of society disappeared as Tomlin nonchalantly rested his arm outside the window. We savored every minute of this event. The golden moon rose over a balmy evening as it ushered in a theatrical sunset. Our eyes surged to the horizon in every direction making sure not to miss one second of this intoxicating flight. Before long the vermilion sky turned to black satin.
A conga line of white lights studded the quiet expanse of the illuminated Queen Mary ship as it cuddled the dock below. Panoramic windows allowed the shutterbug in me to immortalize this exquisite sight, all the while amassing mental souvenirs. The pleasing pace created a palpable feeling of calm as we lolled happily among the nocturnal heavens.
Our journey ended too soon as our pilot started lowering the aircraft. Hovering over the landing site, hand signals from Tomlin instructed the ground crew to catch ropes dangling from the envelope and pull the giant to earth. We descended the stairs feeling privileged to have flown on one of the 12 dirigibles airborne throughout the world today. As we walked back to the van, Jennifer and I took one last look over our shoulder to confirm that yes, we did just soar through the sky in a big, white blimp.
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