'Name that blimp,' says Goodyear

April 10, 2006

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is asking the public to come up with a name for its new blimp in a contest that starts tomorrow.

That's the day people can begin submitting suggested names for the airship via a recently created Web site, www.nametheblimp.com, Goodyear officials announced earlier this morning at the airship's unveiling near Akron, Ohio.

Ten finalists will be determined next month. The winner will get to use the blimp for a whole day. (The other finalists will receive a set of Goodyear tires.)

"The new name will be revealed during a christening ceremony in mid-June," says a Goodyear spokesman.

The new blimp, which has been under construction at Goodyear's Suffield, Ohio, hangar, is currently known by its Federal Aviation Administration designation, "N2A."

Goodyear's other blimps are "The Spirit of America," which was launched in 2002, and "The Spirit of Goodyear," launched six years ago.