here are some shots of a few of the airships i've worked on .... also 
some trivia ....

the mcblimp became the metlife blimp when mcdonald's cancelled its 
airship program. the ship was then destroyed in a texas thunderstorm 
while it was tethered to the mast. this ship, german made wdl, was 
identical to the gulf oil blimp that crashed in new york last week. i'll 
post pictures of gulf when i can get access to a scanner again.

the replacement metlife ship (a more modern skyship 600) finished the 
remainder of it's contract and was repainted as the pink floyd division 
bell and was destroyed on the mast in a thunderstorm earlier this summer.

airship shamu is shown here in a snowstorm in louisville, ky.  helium 
contracts and looses lift when it is chilled, so the crew is busy pulling 
ropes over the bag, or envelope, to prevent the snow from sticking. a 
fire truck sprays water on the tail fins to knock the ice off. the 
mechanics are trying to remove weight by taking off the thrust vectors 
and engines. the crew saved the ship from collapse, but only after 48 
hours of continous duty in freezing temperatures. of course it sounds a 
little dramatic, but i was there freezing my ass off! shamu is awaiting a 
new contract and rests in kissimmee, fl. the crew keeps in touch via the 
internet.

  \  |__  /_ _|  \  |  \  | ____|  _ \  |    Mark Zimmerman, Ordinary Joe
 |\/ |   /   |  |\/ | |\/ | __|   |   | |      If this vehicle is being 
 |   |  /    |  |   | |   | |     __ <  |   operated in a reckless manner, 
_|  _|____|___|_|@gate.net|_____|_| \_\ |   GET THE HELL OFF OF THE ROAD!!