Photo courtesy of Paula Lively, Flickr.com

You’ve been kidnapped and taken afloat in a giant blimp. Slipping out of your restraints, you manage to knock out your kidnapper. Bam!

How do you land the blimp!!?

This guide is for you!

It’s also for Cameron, who is 4 years old and asked me how blimps land. I didn’t have an answer till now.

What You Need
Blimp
Ground Crew
A Bunch Of Ropes

How To Land A Blimp
1. Notify the ground crew of a landing.

2. Cause the blimp to go from neutral weight to positive weight by pumping in normal air.

3. Once close enough to the ground, release the ropes for the Ground Crew to grab.

4. Finish landing with the help of the Ground Crew.

Bonus Trivia
After you hop out of the blimp, the media and your screaming fans may ask, “Hey, is that dirigible a blimp or zeppelin?” How will you know the difference? And what is a dirigible? Read on to find out!

Blimp
A blimp is a lighter-than-air steerable airship. It is lighter than air because it’s filled with helium. The general rule is, if a blimp loses helium it will also lose it’s shape. The Goodyear Blimp is an example of a blimp.

Zeppelin
Zeppelins have a rigid structure which doesn’t collapse when the airship loses it’s internal gases. The Hindenburg was an example of a zeppelin. The closest thing to a zeppelin in the air these days is a Zeppelin NT, which is not a proper zeppelin as it has a semi-rigid structure.

Dirigible
An airship, especially one with a rigid structure.

EXTRA MYSTERIOUS GHOST BLIMP BONUS

If you’re not all blimped out, please read this creepy real life story about the infamous Goodyear Ghost Blimp directly from the Goodyear site. It’s only a quick paragraph but it’s a chilling story.