The Faceoff Over Fenway | Two Blimps Rule The Air This Weekend August 21, 2014
Red Sox fans are in for a surprise this upcoming weekend. The DIRECTV blimp is flying East from Cincinnati to join the Hood blimp over Fenway Park to broadcast the game against the Seattle Mariners. According to an Archival Assistant from the Boston Red Sox, this duel flight will be the first documented case of two airships flying above the Red Sox turf during a regular season game.
Why Is The DIRECTV Blimp Coming To Boston?
More exposure of course! And to participate in something that’s likely never been done before. Believe it or not, blimps are some of the busiest advertising giants in the business. It’s very rare to see two of these floating behemoths over one event, let alone the crowded airspace above a baseball stadium. Fortunately, a break in the DIRECTV blimp’s schedule allowed it to make the trip to Boston for the weekend. Rumor has it that the blimps might have something else in store for the city of Boston in the upcoming week.
What’s The Benefit For Fans Watching At Home?
We can’t say for certain, but we’re fairly positive that this is the first time two blimps have broadcasted over a baseball game. Red Sox fans and Seattle Mariners fans watching from home will have two aerial vantage points over the game. In the Boston area, fans can tune into NESN, and Seattle Mariners fans will have the opportunity to get their bird’s eye view via Root Sports in Seattle.
What’s The Difference Between The Two Blimps?
The Hood blimp is an A-60 airship. It’s approximately 130 feet long and can hold between 2 to 3 passengers. At this time, the Hood blimp is the only blimp in the United States that proudly wears the logo of the sports team it supports. Go Red Sox! And, this is the first time in their 16-year-history that the Hood blimp has featured a logo other than their own on the side of the airship.
Spanning a length of 178 feet, the DIRECTV blimp is an A-170LS airship. It can hold 4 to 6 passengers and is a common fixture at many major sports events across the US. Its massive LED display has the capacity to broadcast real-time footage of what’s happening on the ground below, as well as the ability to show television programming and social media activity. These blimps are sometimes referred to as “lightships,” which simply means that they have the capacity to be internally illuminated, allowing them to be seen by night.
Behind-The-Scenes Rivalry
There is a little-known playful rivalry between the blimp crews. In fact, recently the entire Hood blimp’s team lined up with buckets at their feet ready to participate in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. But before they dumped the icy water on themselves for the sake of fundraising, they challenged the DIRECTV blimp crew and the MetLife blimp crew to participate in the cause to raise money for ALS. Watch the video below.
And here is DIRECTV’s rebuttal video:
If you’re in Boston this weekend, we hope to see you at Fenway! Make sure to tag the blimps on Instagram and Twitter @HoodBlimp and @DTVBlimp.
About Van Wagner Aerial Media
Van Wagner Airship Group is the owner and operator of the DIRECTV blimp, Hood blimp, MetLife blimp and the majority of active airships in the world. For questions concerning Van Wagner Airship Group, contact us today.