Carson — It takes some muscle to get the Spirit of America safely to ground. A Goodyear crew helps as the blimp lands on May 5, 2011, at the grassy field in Carson that is one of three bases for the blimps -- the others are Akron, Ohio, and Pompano Beach, Fla. Goodyear is about to swap out its blimps for a faster new model.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

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Spirit of America gets ready to take off with Assistant Pilot in Charge Kristen Davis at the helm on May 4, 2011, in Carson. Davis was taking up a camera that would provide an overview of Staples Center in downtown L.A. during a Lakers playoff game.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

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Carlos Marquez, assistant chief airship mechanic and rigger, climbs the 30-foot mast that holds the Spirit of America in place to release the blimp for a flight, on May 4, 2011.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

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Lou Navarro, assistant chief electronics technician, tests an external camera mounted to the blimp before the flight over Staples Center, May 4, 2011. Goodyear's current blimps travel at a top speed of 54 miles per hour. The replacement airships will be 55 feet longer than the current ones and hit 73 mph.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

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As seen from the cockpit during landing, three crew members work the nose lines and seven on the gondola.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

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Terranea Resort, on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, as photographed with a tilt-shift lens from the Goodyear blimp on May 5, 2011.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

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A neighborhood on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Goodyear takes advantage of its midair position to provide free aerial shots of big events in exchange for footage of the blimp flying overhead by ground camera crews. "They get exposure at every highly trafficked public event," said Kelly O'Keefe, a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University's Brandcenter. "That’s a lot of value from an advertising perspective."

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

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Point Vicente Lighthouse, in Rancho Palos Verdes, photographed from the Goodyear blimp.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

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An aerial view of a Palos Verdes Peninsula neighborhood.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

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Trump National Golf Club, as seen from the Spirit of America.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

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The shadow of the blimp can be seen as the airship moves over the South Bay.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

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Two ships were built in 1969, according to GoodyearBlimp.com, including the Columbia. The blimp and her sister, America, carried the incandescent "Skytacular" running night sign on both sides. The signs were powered by an auxiliary jet turbine engine.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Goodyear

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According to Goodyear, the Enterprise was among mainstays in the blimp fleet from the late 1940s through the '50s. This image shows Enterprise moored to an auxiliary mast mounted on the crew bus; a similar system is still in use today.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Goodyear

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The airship Resolute and her crew. After Pearl Harbor, four ships in the Goodyear fleet were transferred directly to the Navy, according to Goodyear.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Goodyear

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The Volunteer was built in 1929 and based in Los Angeles. This image shows Volunteer with flotation devices.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Goodyear

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In June 1919, GoodyearBlimp.com says, the company commenced its own airship operation and built several ships including three Pony Blimps. The ships were inflated with hydrogen. The goal was to clue in Americans to the ships and also explore their potential commercial use.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Goodyear

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