SUFFIELD, Ohio — Goodyear's newest airship, Wingfoot One, was christened Aug. 23 at the tire maker's Wingfoot Lake Hangar in Suffield by Robin Roberts, co-anchor of ABC News' “Good Morning America.” More than 2,000 people gathered at the hangar for the ceremony, during which Ms. Roberts touched on her deep connections to both the Akron area and Goodyear.
In 1918, her great-grandfather was recruited by Goodyear and moved his family to Akron from Alabama. Several of her family members were born in Akron, and Roberts herself spent a lot of time visiting the area as a child.
Goodyear Chairman and CEO Rich Kramer said Wingfoot One is “a renewal of both our airship program and the blimp itself. Its structure is the first complete redesign since the 1940s and skillfully combines both the long history of our airships and the newest in innovation.”
According to Goodyear, the new airship features advanced on-board avionics and flight control systems and is both larger and faster than its predecessor, “Spirit of Goodyear.”