Zeppelin Rides Make a Comeback in California

The unique experience and spectacular views of zeppelin rides are being brought back to life by a company called Airship Ventures, located in San Francisco.

Ever since the crash of the Hindenburg in 1937, there hasn’t been a zeppelin in American skies, although blimps can be spotted somewhat frequently.

Airship Ventures, brainchild of Brian and Alexandra Hall, a couple from Silicon Valley, is bringing the zeppelin back to America by offering airship tours over San Francisco. Their zeppelin took to the skies last Saturday, flying over the Golden Gate Bridge as crowds watched in awe.

Airship Ventures is aiming to recreate some of the success that zeppelin ride companies have enjoyed in Tokyo in the Alps, right here in America.

A zeppelin, however, is different from a blimp. A zeppelin has a rigid structure, whereas a blimp does not. Airship Ventures new Zeppelin NT (NT stands for New Technology) is 246 feet long, making it 15 feet longer than a Boeing 747 and it carries a $13 million price tag.

Modern zeppelins are kept afloat by nonflammable helium, as opposed to flammable hydrogen, which is what was used to fuel the Hindenburg. This new zeppelin is one of just three in the entire world; the other two are located in Germany and Japan.

Airship Ventures is offering zeppelin rides that give passengers breath-taking views of San Francisco, the Big Sur coastline, Napa and Sonoma wine country and more. Tickets for a one-hour ride start at $495 per person and the cabin has room for 12 passengers and two crew members.

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