**Blimp launch information** (and new banner photo)

[Lacrosseus]

Jeez people they try to give answer because people keep pressing them so they estimate by the limited knowledge they have and things change, if this was a normal business start up they would have weeks to prepare. What they are doing with a new type of donation vehicle is AWESOME. They are not deliberately lying, get a life you perfect tyrant gods. If some one that has purchased 4.5 hrs worth of time is alright with it, it OK with me. Trolling is giving useless negative posts that don't do anything constructive. So just stay out at of here.

And what did your post accomplish? You should just STFU yourself and allow intelligent people ask fair questions...

I am about to go negative again... I have been reading and watching for days now, but I am getting tired of people like you who refuse to think for yourself and just want to follow the leader.

 

[Lucid American]

I work in procurement for a living, and as the adage goes . . . shit happens.

Thing is, when schedules are tight and the stakes high, Murphy's Law kicks in full gear.

I stopped reading the thread a few pages back because of all the negativity, but my assumption is that the clock hasn't started ticking yet on the 30 days?

Big deal. I think the odds are against Boston, whether the blimp is flying in time or not. The blimp is not a campaign killer -- it's still a campaign lifter; however, I think contingencies should be in development for high profile fly-overs.

 

[Mckarnin]

If the banner company had trouble shipping the first banner, why does your caption of the picture say this is the first banner "being sewn" in present tense, and the photograph itself indicates it was taken by a Canon power shot TODAY around noon?

They've been working 24 hour days to get the banners sewn and shipped #1 out this afternoon. It's flying to get their quickly.

The blimp company had originally contracted with another company for the banners but they didn't come through and we had to switch banner companies a few days ago.

 

[antiwardoc]

Katharine needs to be taken to the woodshed

(maybe I can volunteer?

Seriously, this is her job, to keep people informed. What percent of people who have donated to the blimp come here to Ron Paul Forums? There's a poor person posting on Daily Paul tonight (a few hours ago) who is there in NC and wants to know if he should still go there for the launch tomorrow, since the launch date on ronpaulblimp.com is STILL listed as December 12th.

RonPaulBlimp.com at 10:20 EST tonight (still).
"Artwork is being prepared and theinaugural launch is scheduled for December 12th from Elizabeth City, NC and then to be in Boston, MA by December 15th/16th! Location will be released soon!"

Post on Daily Paul (1 hr. ago)
http://www.dailypaul.com/node/12889

They're too busy to post the info on their website? What are they doing? They're just sitting there waiting for their banners. How long does it take to update a page on a website? It shows a complete lack of concern for people who have donated and other supporters. And it also shows a fairly serious lack of PR savvy for what's supposed to be a PR firm.

 

[michaelwise]

For some reason, I really don't mind some nitpicking about about the blimp progress. It makes for a more lively forum and keeps the fire under the feet of the blimp team to give me my goddamn blimp as soon as possible.

I will soon have my blimp and it will be a beautiful thing.

 

[Mckarnin]

I am biting my tongue HUGE here because I respect the work that everyone is doing. But you saying this pretty much infuriates me. Do you not understand that people gave $200,000 SOLEY to get the blimp to Boston for the Tea Party...which was promised by your company (if we get $200,000 by Friday midnight, the blimp will launch on December 10th and we can get the blimp to Boston by the 16th).

Why promise something and now, when you can't make good on these promises, say oh don't worry about the tea party guys, the whole reason for the blimp was name recoginition and media coverage...

So now the blimp will launch not on the 10th, not on the 11th, not on the 12th, not on the 13th, but HOPEFULLY (no guarantees) the 14th.

I'm sorry. I did not mean to imply that the tea party is unimportant. I meant to emphasise that a month of blimp time is about more than the tea party. The description of the blimp that got a great deal of the money simply described the media attention.

I also meant to point out that anytime you launch a blimp in the middle of winter and want to make a one-day appointment in New England there is a chance of delays.

We and the pilots are doing everything in our power to get the blimp launched and in Boston for the tea party. We COULD leave with just one of the two banners (we had to switch banner companies because the first one did not work out) but as they can only be applied indoors and you cannot exit the hangar in bad weather we could risk being stuck in a hangar in NJ for days if we go their first ot having to fly with one banner only for weeks until we get back to NC.

 

[Man from La Mancha]

And what did your post accomplish? You should just STFU yourself and allow intelligent people ask fair questions...

I am about to go negative again... I have been reading and watching for days now, but I am getting tired of people like you who refuse to think for yourself and just want to follow the leader.

It got your goat. my comments weren't toward people with constructive comments but people calling very hard working people lier's.
.

 

[BizmanUSA]

Friday is the 14th.

OOPS! Corrected

Thanks

 

[Mckarnin]

It was out of his control.

He said "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)."

The fault is on the banner company for not providing notice before hand that shipping may be delayed.

Just to clarify. It is actually the fault of the initial blimp company. If they had not been untruthful about their timeline and capacity to make the banner we would not have had to switch. The company that is making the banners for the blimp now has been working day and night to make something happen in days that they normally have months to accomplish.

 

[Beerhall Agitator]

I like the picture, I guess I'll learn to hand glide in the mean time

 

[RobertJ]

Whiners will whine no matter what, its like a gene or something built into some folks. I imagine some people whine when the sun rises and sets, "oh it isnt rising or setting as fast as I`d like it to!" we all know the types, they are usually the same ones that whine about bill gates and microsoft yet use microsoft software to post their whines.

 

[Mckarnin]

My problem is Liberty Advertising said yesterday that the banners would arrive today and the blimp would be launched tomorrow.

Now we find out that the second banner isn't even done yet.

Surely they knew this yesterday, but they kept up with the charade that everything was on schedule.

And, surely they knew all of this when they began soliciting funds.

Nothing is adding up.

Not to mention that those buying advertising time were promised the blimp would be in Boston for the Tea Party, but now they are minimizing the impact of the blimp in Boston and just talking about random media impact wherever it may fly in the dead of winter on the East Coast.

Once we found out that the banners were not coming as quickly as expected our original back up plan was to launch the blimp with the Who is Ron Paul banner and get her fitted with the R[evol]ution banner in the only other hangar big enough in NJ.

Today we found out 2 things: #1, delay on first banner, instead of arriving as planned at 10pm tonight (12/11) and being put on tonight it arrives tommorow AM. #2 We found out today that it is near impossible to get non-emergency clearance for the NJ hangar where we were thinking of applying banner #2) and the weather is not favorable for entering and exiting the hangar so we decided 2 banners with a Friday launch.

 

[Mckarnin]

We didn't find out the second banner isn't done actually. No one from the blimp company told us that. We are assuming that from the caption of the picture and when it was taken. I think someone from the blimp company needs to explain. The schedule is taken down from the site, and nothing has been said about the Boston Tea Party, which obviously needs to be said as well.

Although this is a patient and understanding letter that they are trying their hardest, I'm a little shocked they didn't just say what was happening.

Sorry, I've gotten behind on the forums. All of us have been working like crazy to get the logistics set. Remember we weren't even sure this was happening until Thursday when we got the money.

 

[PRIEST]

Get this fucker to Boston on time!!!!!!

Whether it gets there or not, the media will be talking about its journey in the aftermath of Dec 16th.

 

[RP4Pres2008]

Once we found out that the banners were not coming as quickly as expected our original back up plan was to launch the blimp with the Who is Ron Paul banner and get her fitted with the R[evol]ution banner in the only other hangar big enough in NJ.

Today we found out 2 things: #1, delay on first banner, instead of arriving as planned at 10pm tonight (12/11) and being put on tonight it arrives tommorow AM. #2 We found out today that it is near impossible to get non-emergency clearance for the NJ hangar where we were thinking of applying banner #2) and the weather is not favorable for entering and exiting the hangar so we decided 2 banners with a Friday launch.

How did all this pop up after the plan to launch December 10th

 

[RP4U&ME]

Thank you returning and for all your hard work Mckarnin and crew.
Any chance the blimp site can get updated with this new info and the banner photo?

 

[Mckarnin]

not even a reply from the OP since the creation of this thread

how sad

I have been simultaneously making phone calls and sending emails since early this morning and only took one 30 minute break during which I remained on the phone but left the computer. I tried to put forward some information because I finally had something firm to give. I had been waiting to hear from the pilots, the blimp owner, the banner people, the weather guy and I did not want to make any "official" statements until I had facts.

I just had time to turn back to the forum from the important blimp business I was working on.

 

[libertyfilms]

Today we found out 2 things: #1, delay on first banner, instead of arriving as planned at 10pm tonight (12/11) and...

Why didn't you mention any of this yesterday or perhaps when you began soliciting advertising space for a Dec. 10th launch?

No mention was made of a "planned" 10 pm arrival of one of the banners for a launch the next day. That is cutting it pretty damn close and thus you knew it was never going to launch tomorrow. You said the banners would arrive today, now it is a different story.

And, you spoke of needing no wind or breeze whatsoever to get the banners on, now you talk about doing it in the hangar.

This project needs straight forward answers, transparency and the faith of those who are buying the advertising time and right now you are not providing any of them.

Can you keep your story straight for at least 24 hours?

 

[Charles Wilson]

Folks there are only a few guarantees in life, sh-t happens. We owe every one involved in getting this blimp up and running a huge "thank you". It is what it is so complaining about it is wasted energy. It is time to take a chill pill and concentrate on other areas that will help Ron Paul win the election. I learned years ago that we have to roll with the punches otherwise we spend a good part of our lives frustrated. At my age, just waking up in the morning is something of an amazement :o).

Once that big assed thing gets in the air all of this will be forgotten :o).

 

[BeFranklin]

They've been working 24 hour days to get the banners sewn and shipped #1 out this afternoon. It's flying to get their quickly.

The blimp company had originally contracted with another company for the banners but they didn't come through and we had to switch banner companies a few days ago.

I thought it was coming UPS now?