Airplanes. Helicopters. Once in a while, a hot air balloon.
It's not unusual to see these things from our house. But today, when Mags and I were on our way home from a walk on the trail, we looked up in the sky and maneuvering straight above our house - buzzing like a swarm of mutant bees through a megaphone - was a blimp.
I'd expect it at a sporting event or maybe even a state fair. Little did I realize we're directly beneath the flight path of the Outback Steakhouse blimp as it leaves the Iowa City Airport.
What it was doing at our piddling little airport on a Tuesday afternoon in September, your guess is as good as mine.
It did send my mind whirling. So now I present to you this bit of completely useless information about the Outback Steakhouse blimp...because I can.
• They call it an "Airship," not a blimp.
• It's 130 feet long, 38 feet wide and 45 feet tall.
• It contains 68,000 cubic feet of helium.
• It weighs 4,400 pounds.
• It carries three passengers and one pilot in its 14-foot-long gondola.
• It cruises at 35 mph, with a maximum speed of 55, using 2 engines that each kick up more than 60 horsepower.
• It's made of laminated polyester synthetic fabric and plastic film.
• It's next scheduled public appearance is Oct. 4 at the Ohio State/Wisconsin game.
I don't know about you, but now I'm craving a Bloomin' Onion.
It's not unusual to see these things from our house. But today, when Mags and I were on our way home from a walk on the trail, we looked up in the sky and maneuvering straight above our house - buzzing like a swarm of mutant bees through a megaphone - was a blimp.
I'd expect it at a sporting event or maybe even a state fair. Little did I realize we're directly beneath the flight path of the Outback Steakhouse blimp as it leaves the Iowa City Airport.
What it was doing at our piddling little airport on a Tuesday afternoon in September, your guess is as good as mine.
It did send my mind whirling. So now I present to you this bit of completely useless information about the Outback Steakhouse blimp...because I can.
• They call it an "Airship," not a blimp.
• It's 130 feet long, 38 feet wide and 45 feet tall.
• It contains 68,000 cubic feet of helium.
• It weighs 4,400 pounds.
• It carries three passengers and one pilot in its 14-foot-long gondola.
• It cruises at 35 mph, with a maximum speed of 55, using 2 engines that each kick up more than 60 horsepower.
• It's made of laminated polyester synthetic fabric and plastic film.
• It's next scheduled public appearance is Oct. 4 at the Ohio State/Wisconsin game.
I don't know about you, but now I'm craving a Bloomin' Onion.
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