I recieved this e-mail from my mother today.


Yesterday I went with a group out to Redstone Arsenal Test Area 1 where I got to ride in and yes, even operate the controls of, a blimp! It's the RAID Aerostat that has been flying around Washington, D.C. over the Pentagon for the past week, now here conducting tests and demonstrations in Huntsville. Our project got invited to go out to look at it and five of our group got to go for a ride, which lasted about 50 minutes. [RAID = Rapid Aerostat Initial Deployment.]

They told us we didn't have to keep our seat belts on after we were in the air, so after about 20 minutes I squeezed my way to the front (3 crew, 7 passengers) and knelt down behind the pilot. He showed me how the controls worked, and I got to operate the elevator (after I told him I was a pilot). He worked the rudder pedals. It works pretty much like any airplane, except for a very slow response to control pressure. The elevator control is a pair of large wheels on both sides of the pilot's seat. It takes a lot of pressure to move the controls. It was cool as all get-out! Loved it.

After about 10 minutes or so of working the controls my knees began to complain, so I thanked him and went back to my seat. The landing was interesting. We were very close to the trees and a swamp on approach. There are two long ropes hanging from the nose, and a ground crew lines up in a "V" on either side and they grab the ropes as the airship approaches. The pilot reverses the engine to slow the airship down after he flares. Normal ground speed is around 10-25 knots during cruise. I think it can do 35...not sure about more.

What an experience! I guess this job does have the occasional neat benefits!

It was a very pleasant ride. Ascents and descents were pretty steep. It's not unpleasant, though, because it's all in slow motion. There's hardly any acceleration or deceleration to be felt at the slow speeds even with a steep angle.

Wish you had been there.



Sounds pretty neat. This ranks right up there with the time she got to go aboard an AF Concorde in Huntsville (there for a charter) because she had AIAA friends--unfortunately, there was no time to go home and get me because Concorde was leaving that night.