The blimp won't make it for the TeaParty in Boston?

[TechnoGuyRob]

That's disheartening.

Can anyone confirm this?

 

[fedup100]

I cannot confirm this. After reading all the updates, I am afraid things aren't going well for the Blimp.

We were sold one thing and now we are being told it can take months to make a banner!!! Now if the weather is windy they can't fit it with a banner......duh, try doing it in the hanger. This is very disheartening.

 

[synthetic]

Look at its top speed, flight hours per day and distance it has to travel to reach Boston. Its not going to make it. I'll be impressed if the blimp manages to get off the ground before Sunday.

On a positive note the media is interested in the big story, the fundraising and will report on it. They'll be interested in the blimp too, but they don't care if its over Boston, New York, or DC, its irrelevant. In fact I hope the blimp is grounded until after the money bomb. Let the media report on the money bomb for a few days and make the blimp launch a seperate story altogether. Instead of combining the two events into one report let them report about Ron the entire week.

 

[kevinblack]

The weather in Boston is not cooperating either:

Saturday Night...Snow likely. Light snow accumulation possible. Lows around 20. Chance of snow 60 percent.

Sunday...Snow likely. Additional moderate snow accumulation possible. Highs in the lower 30s. Chance of snow 60 percent.

 

[mkrfctr]

As I read it,

there was a (blimp? or sewing/banner?) company contacted/contracted to make the banners, they ended up not being able to do it in as timely a fashion as was needed so a second company has been doing it -

then some mumbo-jumbo about being finished or not and some shipping BS -

ends up that one banner was completed and will arrive shortly, while the second is still under construction and will ship soon-

this left the option of waiting for the second banner to arrive in NC and taking off on a later date, or taking off at an earlier date with only one banner and then flying to NJ to have the second one applied there -

the banners are only able to be put on inside hangers, of which there are only 2 big enough, the one in NC and the other in NJ-

later it was found that the one in NJ would not be able to be used as it is difficult to get clearance or w/e -

the issues with weather are that the blimp needs calm weather to enter and exit the hanger, otherwise it's liable to crash into the structure and such, causing damage no doubt-

so the plan is to get the one banner on as soon as it arrives, then wait until the second arrives and install that as well, and hope the weather is nice so the blimp can exit the hanger in NC immediately after the second banner is installed and fly the blimp to Boston and still arrive in time for the Tea Party

the notice on taking months to make a banner was the usual time it would take - this is a super-duper rush job and the months comment was only to emphasize how much this is moving fast and to lower expectations a bit, that this is as fast as it can go, and is super fast compared to normal already...

 

[Menthol Patch]

Regardless of the weather the blimp must by flying in Boston for the Tea Party!!!!!

 

[Edward]

Regardless of the weather the blimp must by flying in Boston for the Tea Party!!!!!

Regardless of the weather?!

 

[Menthol Patch]

Yes. Regardless of the weather! If they need to deflate the blimp and put it on the back of a flat bed trailer so be it!

 

[Cardinal Red]

Relax Everyone

It will be/would have been great to have launched the blimp in time for the tea party and to have it in Boston then. As it is, the Media will have plenty to report on from the Tea Party itself-- and then we will get an additional PR bump when we launch the blimp-- and it will get covered more because of our success.

 

[Edward]

Yes. Regardless of the weather! If they need to deflate the blimp and put it on the back of a flat bed trailer so be it!

Do you have any idea of the cost to replace 170,000 to 180,000 cubic feet of helium?

 

[Indy Vidual]

Regardless of the weather the blimp must by flying in Boston for the Tea Party!!!!!

The blimp could enjoy warm, sunny South Carolina (for several weeks?), and it is still going to be a ground-breaking, historical success.

 

[Menthol Patch]

The blimp could enjoy warm, sunny South Carolina (for several weeks?), and it is still going to be a ground-breaking, historical success.

No, the blimp needs to be in Boston. That was one big reason for the blimp!

 

[patrick123]

No, the blimp needs to be in Boston. That was one big reason for the blimp!

If you jump up and down and cry about it, I'm sure it will be there. You don't need to post 50 times saying: "waahh wawhh the blimp has to be there!"

 

[jcims]

When did the Tea Party become the driving thrust of renting this blimp? It was a bonus, and the fact that it might get off the ground in time to be in Boston helped drive the donations to a degree, but i don't recall it ever being the justification for the whole project.

 

[Menthol Patch]

If you jump up and down and cry about it, I'm sure it will be there. You don't need to post 50 times saying: "waahh wawhh the blimp has to be there!"

People post 50 times about other issues on this board and stuff happens. This is an important issue and I will post about it as many times as I like.

 

[Menthol Patch]

When did the Tea Party become the driving thrust of renting this blimp? It was a bonus, and the fact that it might get off the ground in time to be in Boston helped drive the donations to a degree, but i don't recall it ever being the justification for the whole project.

When I heard of the blimp the FIRST thing I thought of was that it would be a BIG boost to the Tea Party.

 

[jcims]

People post 50 times about other issues on this board and stuff happens. This is an important issue and I will post about it as many times as I like.

That helps if there are decisions to be made...but in this case the decisions have been made and now there is work to be done. All of this yammering is just a negative distraction.

 

[patrick123]

People post 50 times about other issues on this board and stuff happens. This is an important issue and I will post about it as many times as I like.

And still, nobody will give a shit. You seem to be the only one thats making such a big deal over the blimp being in Boston. People have tried to explain the logistics of deflating the thing, and you don't seem to get it. Raising money for Ron Paul is what is important right now. You can't change the weather by posting 50 times. You can't get the banners any faster by posting 50 times. You aren't going to get anyone to dismantle the thing and truck it somewhere and pay out the ass for helium by posting 50 times. Give it a rest, it looks like everyone is working as fast as they can.

 

[jcims]

When I heard of the blimp the FIRST thing I thought of was that it would be a BIG boost to the Tea Party.

OK, but you're now saying that they should refund everyone's money if it doesn't make it on time...in effect saying the ONLY thing this is good for is the Tea Party. That's a completely different message.

 

[Knightskye]

Max speed of 65 MPH, it says. So, I went to Mapquest and punched in Elizabeth City, North Carolina to Boston, Massachusetts, and got about 620 miles. I put 620/65 in my calculator and got a little over 9 1/2 (hours). If it launches Friday, it'll be there Friday night, or early Saturday morning. Even going 30 MPH (as RonPaulBlimp.com claims as the average speed), it would make it late Saturday.

So it will make it. But someone ask Trevor if the blimp has to make any stops along the way (might have to cancel them).

Calm down, damn it!