The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved the Zeppelin series selected by Goodyear to replace its blimp fleet.
FAA approval of the LZ N07-101 series follows certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency in August. The new series – from which Goodyear ordered the first three airships in 2011 – replaces the LZ N07-100 series. The blimps are manufactured by Germany’s ZLT Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik.
The first of the new series, Wingfoot One, undertook its maiden flight March 17. Parts for the second Goodyear Zeppelin have already begun arriving at Goodyear’s airship hangar in Wingfoot Lake, locatedin Suffield, Ohio. Assembly is scheduled to begin in January for a launch at the start of the 2016 season.