Goodyear Blimp take students, professors for ride

Earlier this month, the Goodyear Blimp circled about 1,000 feet over UCF. The big surprise, though, was that College of Sciences students and professors were inside the famous blimp.

Doug Grassian, public relations manager for Goodyear and a UCF alumnus, arranged for a group from UCF to ride in the blimp. Journalism instructor Rick Brunson and three of his students, Chelsea St. John, Maria Parada and Christy Phillips, were joined by Tom Messina, executive director of the UCF Alumni Association.

The COS group drove to Flagler County Airport in Palm Coast to board The Spirit of Innovation, one of three airships in Goodyear’s fleet. The 192-foot-long helium-filled blimp lifted off and ascended at a 30-degree angle before leveling off. The craft then cruised easily and breezily at about 1,000 feet at 35 mph for the 60-mile trip to UCF.

To read more about their ride with interviews from the students and professors, please read the article by UCF Today.