Mckarnin
Member
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2007
- Messages
- 2,790
Hi everyone. We are dealing with weather and some security delays on the banners.
The banner company tried to ship the first banner on a plane but ended up needing 4 weeks notice (for security) for a cargo shipment so it is travelling to the blimp UPS and should be there by tommorow (the 12th) AM. The second banner will arrive by Thursday (the 13th). Please keep in mind that the manager at the hangar has expressed his amazement that we got a banner into production so quickly. He has explicity told us that blimp banners usually take MONTHS to design, order and produce. The corporate manager told me today that a lot of companies can't get things together well enough to fly in much more time than we have had. So, please be patient.
There are weather considerations as well. Unless the weather is completely calm with no wind the blimp cannot get a banner put on outdoors (Insert mental picture of blimp rotating like a clock's big hand around the mast truck in the middle and a cherry picker trying to chase it around). There are only 2 hangars in the Eastern US that can hold something as big as the future Ron Paul blimp. One of them is the hangar where it is now in Elizabeth City, NC...the other is in New Jersey. Unfortunately the one in New Jersey is highly subject to winds and winter weather in the area and the blimp cannot enter or get out unless the weather cooperates, so it has been decided that the second banner will almost certainly go on in the hangar in NC before the blimp's innaugural launch.
To summarize, no guarantees but the blimp will probably depart on Friday. I will do my best to provide weather and schedule updates.
Edited to add that this is my attempt to explain a very complex process briefly. Sorry if it is confusing or seems contradictory. Believe me when I say that I have been providing the best information available in every post aboutthe blimp.
P.S. The pilot thinks that if the weather behaves in Boston around the 15th/16th we can certainly get there from North Carolina in time.
As a consolation prize check out this picture of the first banner being sewn in MA.
The banner company tried to ship the first banner on a plane but ended up needing 4 weeks notice (for security) for a cargo shipment so it is travelling to the blimp UPS and should be there by tommorow (the 12th) AM. The second banner will arrive by Thursday (the 13th). Please keep in mind that the manager at the hangar has expressed his amazement that we got a banner into production so quickly. He has explicity told us that blimp banners usually take MONTHS to design, order and produce. The corporate manager told me today that a lot of companies can't get things together well enough to fly in much more time than we have had. So, please be patient.
There are weather considerations as well. Unless the weather is completely calm with no wind the blimp cannot get a banner put on outdoors (Insert mental picture of blimp rotating like a clock's big hand around the mast truck in the middle and a cherry picker trying to chase it around). There are only 2 hangars in the Eastern US that can hold something as big as the future Ron Paul blimp. One of them is the hangar where it is now in Elizabeth City, NC...the other is in New Jersey. Unfortunately the one in New Jersey is highly subject to winds and winter weather in the area and the blimp cannot enter or get out unless the weather cooperates, so it has been decided that the second banner will almost certainly go on in the hangar in NC before the blimp's innaugural launch.
To summarize, no guarantees but the blimp will probably depart on Friday. I will do my best to provide weather and schedule updates.
Edited to add that this is my attempt to explain a very complex process briefly. Sorry if it is confusing or seems contradictory. Believe me when I say that I have been providing the best information available in every post aboutthe blimp.
P.S. The pilot thinks that if the weather behaves in Boston around the 15th/16th we can certainly get there from North Carolina in time.
As a consolation prize check out this picture of the first banner being sewn in MA.
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Sad, I highly doubt at this point the blimp will ever make the tea party. Glad I did not waste any money on this
