Following its appearance at the 24-hour endurance race of Le Mans, the Goodyear blimp is now continuing its journey across Europe.
The famous Goodyear advertising airship stopped in Metz on Tuesday. The company had invited journalists to see the aircraft, which was built in partnership with Germany's Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH, and take a short flight aboard it.
However, poor weather conditions meant the presentation had to be postponed until Wednesday morning.
The blimp is mainly used as an advertising platform at sporting events, but can also carry up to 12 passengers. The airship is 75 metres long and 17.4 metres high, filled with helium, and can reach speeds of up to 125 kilometres per hour.
It is technically capable of remaining airborne for as long as 24 hours.
There are currently four Goodyear blimps, three based in the US and one in Europe.
While members of the press have been invited to Metz on Wednesday morning for a closer look at the Blimp, the airship continued its European tour in the afternoon. Its journey across Europe is also taking it over the Grand Duchy.
Goodyear has warned, however, that the schedule and route may change depending on weather conditions.
Anyone hoping to find out whether the airship passed nearby was able follow its route on Flightradar. The Goodyear blimp's registration number is D-LZFN.
The first prototype of a Goodyear blimp was tested over Chicago in 1917. Since 1955, the airships have been used not only as advertising platforms but also as aerial relay stations for live broadcasts and as camera platforms for capturing footage from above.
One of their most prominent assignments in the US was at the 1967 Super Bowl. Six years later, a Goodyear blimp made its first appearance in Europe at the Le Mans race.
The airships have also been used beyond major sporting events. In 1989, the Columbia was covering baseball's World Series in San Francisco when a powerful earthquake struck the region. Its role quickly changed, as the airship became an "eye in the sky", helping emergency teams on the ground.
The Goodyear blimp made its major return to Europe in 2020, once again at the 24-hour endurance race of Le Mans, where it has continued to appear regularly ever since.
