FLIGHT OF FANCY

The Goodyear Blimp has been an iconic piece of advertising for many years. We hitched a ride in the airship over London and met the pilots who fly the machine

- Tristan Shale-Hester

THERE'S advertising everywhere you look these days. Whether you're watching TV, browsing social media, or walking through a city centre, there's no escaping the constant flow of bright pictures and bold text, all designed to catch your eye and plant a particular brand name in your head.

Of course, adverts can often be annoying this may even be a desirable quality if it makes you remember the product - but the best pieces of marketing are those that stick in people's minds for positive reasons. And like almost every other industry, the automotive sector depends on advertising; you'll even find adverts in the magazine you're currently reading.

Arguably the most iconic piece of automotive marketing isn't an advert you can read, listen to or watch. Instead, it's one you can see in the sky.

The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company launched its first blimp in 1925, and since then, various individual ones have come and gone as technology has advanced. Today, the firm still has a fleet of blimps, including two based in Europe. One of these made a tour of motorsport events earlier this year that briefly brought it to the UK, providing an opportunity to meet the pilots and, crucially, to climb aboard for a flight over London.

Up and away

The European Goodyear Blimps are operated by Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei (the German Zeppelin Transport Company). The firm is headquartered in the German city of Friedrichshafen, where the blimps are also housed.