You know you’re in a small town when the when the story “most trending” is a visit from a small blimp. But we agree, it’s pretty cool and it’s been a while since we’ve seen one in Orange.
Carnival Cruise Line just launched its Carnival AirShip on August 29. The 128 foot long blimp (compared to the 200 ft. Goodyear blimp) started its 30 day promotional trip in Memphis, Tennessee and came down through Dallas and Austin before following I-10 out of San Antonio with stops in Galveston and New Orleans before continuing to the east coast. But Hurricane Florence and a few squalls in front of her brought the blimp to Orange where they stopped at the Orange County Airport long enough to regroup and allow hundreds of people to stop and take pictures.
With cruising speed of 35 miles an hour, the blimp will cruise at an altitude of about 1,000 feet over land and 500 feet above water. There’s also a ground crew that follows them along with a truck carrying a mast for the big balloon to hook up to when it lands.
While I was snapping a few photos for KOGT.com, a lady drove up and said, “Do you think it’s ok for me to walk up and take a picture?” I said, “Surely, they will let you take as many pictures as you want!” In fact if you post your pic with #choosefun the cruise line says they will make a donation to St. Jude Hospital and register you for a cruise for two.
-Gary Stelly, KOGT-
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