Goodyear deflated its last blimp the other day. It took about two minutes for the Spirit of Innovation’s helium-filled bag, called its envelope, to crumple to the ground after a hole was ripped in its topside. After ninety years, the blimp era has ended. Not to worry, though. The familiar shape will continue to be seen hovering above sporting events. Goodyear has replaced all its soft-sided “gas bag” blimps with semi-rigid dirigibles.
The new aircraft are the same shape. They have a frame, so maintain their shape 
after being drained of helium. They are also faster, quieter, larger, easier to fly and more maneuverable. The new dirigibles can cruise at seventy miles per hour. They are quiet enough to not cause disturbances at golf tournaments, where a whirring sound makes it impossible for a champion athlete to accurately hit a motionless ball. The new floating billboards are fifty feet longer than the old blimps, and can take off and land like a helicopter, making life easier for ground crews.
The thing that is not changing is the popular reference: they will continue to be known as Goodyear Blimps, because, “Goodyear Semi-rigid Dirigible doesn’t roll off the tongue.”
