**Updated to add information from Marion County Airport Manager Mike Grawe.
DUNNELLON, FL (352today.com) – The Marion County Airport had a special overnight guest this week.
The famous Goodyear blimp made a pit stop landing at the airport in Dunnellon on Wednesday and departed on Thursday.
Airport manager Mike Grawe said X35 served as transition site for the blimp’s enroute maintenance and refueling, as well as a scheduled overnight for the crews which consisted of about 20 team members.
“The pilots and maintenance personnel stayed in the local area and complimented their visit in Marion County,” said Grawe.
According to the Goodyear blimp’s website, there are currently three blimps in use in the United States and a fourth based in Europe. Goodyear has operated an airship base in Pompano Beach, Florida, since 1979, which is where the flight originated.
Based on the tail number of the craft that landed in Marion County, this blimp is known as Wingfoot Two. Goodyear’s website says all the modern Goodyear blimps were built at Wingfoot Lake in Suffield, Ohio.
Unlike planes, the blimp travels at a very slow speed. The blimp website says it typically cruises at about 35 mph in a zero-wind condition.
Wingfoot Two most recently appeared at the Orange Bowl on Saturday, December 30, floating high above Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Grawe says after the blimp left Marion County, it headed to Marianna, Florida, for fuel only and then toward Louisiana.
“In Louisiana, they would conduct a crew change and the airship would continue to their destination of Houston, Texas, to cover the 2024 College Football National Championship game,” said Grawe.
Grawe says the blimp crew welcomed the airport staff on board for tour of the gondola while it was on the ground.
“The Goodyear blimp is always an exciting visitor! The crewmembers are extremely friendly and anxious to show their pride in this world renown program,” said Grawe.
Grawe says the Marion County Airport slogan for this year has been ‘Everything Aviation’ and welcoming the blimp certainly aligns with that mission.
“Due to our enormous airfield size and capabilities, combined with a fairly remote location, we are able to support some of the most unique aviation platforms,” said Grawe.
Grawe said X35 supports skydiving, parachuting, powered parachute flight training, fixed-wing, rotor-wing, light sport, military helicopters, governmental programs, experimental & home-built aircraft, sanctioned-drone operations as well as the standard private and commercial aircraft. He added that it’s home to over 100 aircraft.
Grawe said the blimp has landed at X35 in the past and he adds with the airport’s recent site improvements, the blimp crew plans to use the Marion County Airport more frequently in the future.
Maybe you’ll catch a glimpse of it next time it has a stopover.