Blimp, Goodyear, Control Car -GZ-20, L-5 (C-49)

Built by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, C-49 made its first flight as the pressure airship Enterprise (NC-16A) on August 23, 1934. It operated in the Washington, D.C. and New York metropolitan areas until November 1941, when it was flown back to Wingfoot Lake, Akron, Ohio to serve as a training craft. Early in WW II it patrolled northern Ohio checking on compliance with blackout regulations. Acquired by the US Navy in 1942, the craft was shipped to Moffett Field, California. Re-designated L-5 it spent most of the war as a training craft but saw some patrol duty. Re-acquired by Goodyear on January 24, 1946, the control car was rebuilt to operate with the new GZ-20 class commercial blimps in 1969 and registered as N4A on May 12, 1970. It took to the air once again as the airship Columbia IV on July 12, 1975, and remained in service for over a decade, logging thousands of hours of passenger flights, night sign messaging and corporate service. It saw duty over the 1977, 1980, 1983 and 1985 Super Bowls; the 1981 and 1984 World Series; Rose Bowl games and parades; and the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. It starred in the Hollywood thriller Black Sunday (1977) and made appearances in several other films. C-49 spans much of the history of the pressure airship in America and represents the wide range of military and commercial roles played by blimps. The car was permanently retired in 1986 and made its final journey to the Smithsonian in 2011.

GZ-20 Airship Columbia IV

Length:192 feet 6 inches

Diameter:45 feet 11 inches

Volume:202,700 cubic feet

Capacity: One pilot, six passengers

Power Plant:2 Continental IO-360-D at 210 hp each

Maximum speed:50 mph

Service ceiling: 7,500 feet

Endurance:23 hours