The Goodyear blimp Spirit of Innovation arrived in Atlanta on December 30 to prepare for its New Year's Eve flight above the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Aaron Hullander, left, and Olenskian Spoon carry a jackhammer to secure posts as the Goodyear Blimp comes in for a landing at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.
Wrangling the Goodyear blimp —
The Goodyear blimp Spirit of Innovation arrived in Atlanta on December 30 to prepare for its New Year's Eve flight above the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Aaron Hullander, left, and Olenskian Spoon carry a jackhammer to secure posts as the Goodyear Blimp comes in for a landing at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.
John Nowak/CNN
Keeping a helium-filled blimp on the ground takes some doing.
Wrangling the Goodyear blimp —
Keeping a helium-filled blimp on the ground takes some doing.
John Nowak/CNN
Scott Suter, an airframe and power plant mechanic, uses a sledgehammer to secure support posts into the runway. Suter is one of the ground crew members for Spirit of Innovation, which is based in Pompano Beach, Florida.
Wrangling the Goodyear blimp —
Scott Suter, an airframe and power plant mechanic, uses a sledgehammer to secure support posts into the runway. Suter is one of the ground crew members for Spirit of Innovation, which is based in Pompano Beach, Florida.
John Nowak/CNN
Ground crew members enter and exit one of the trucks that accompanies the Goodyear blimp before it lands at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.
Wrangling the Goodyear blimp —
Ground crew members enter and exit one of the trucks that accompanies the Goodyear blimp before it lands at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.
John Nowak/CNN
Crew members assemble a mast to prepare for the blimp.
Wrangling the Goodyear blimp —
Crew members assemble a mast to prepare for the blimp.
John Nowak/CNN
Securing the Spirit of Innovation is a team effort.
Wrangling the Goodyear blimp —
Securing the Spirit of Innovation is a team effort.
John Nowak/CNN
Bo Pilgrim, crew chief for Spirit of Innovation, checks the wind direction at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.
Wrangling the Goodyear blimp —
Bo Pilgrim, crew chief for Spirit of Innovation, checks the wind direction at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.
John Nowak/CNN
The ground crew scrambles to secure the giant airship. The blimp is one of three Goodyear blimps that tour the country annually.
Wrangling the Goodyear blimp —
The ground crew scrambles to secure the giant airship. The blimp is one of three Goodyear blimps that tour the country annually.
Thom Patterson/CNN
Aaron Hullander secures the Spirit of Innovation to the mast at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.
Wrangling the Goodyear blimp —
Aaron Hullander secures the Spirit of Innovation to the mast at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.
John Nowak/CNN
Crew members brace themselves as they pull the Spirit of Innovation to a stop.
Wrangling the Goodyear blimp —
Crew members brace themselves as they pull the Spirit of Innovation to a stop.
John Nowak/CNN
The blimp is piloted from inside a small gondola.
Wrangling the Goodyear blimp —
The blimp is piloted from inside a small gondola.
John Nowak/CNN
Camera operator Tom O'Keefe goes over the camera controls inside the blimp's gondola.
Wrangling the Goodyear blimp —
Camera operator Tom O'Keefe goes over the camera controls inside the blimp's gondola.
John Nowak/CNN
Spirit of Innovation awaits departure from DeKalb-Peachtree Airport. Its mission: to provide aerial video footage for ESPN's coverage of the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
Wrangling the Goodyear blimp —
Spirit of Innovation awaits departure from DeKalb-Peachtree Airport. Its mission: to provide aerial video footage for ESPN's coverage of the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
Thom Patterson/CNN
At about 2,000 feet, the blimp offered a spectacular view of Atlanta's Georgia Dome on New Year's Eve.
Wrangling the Goodyear blimp —
At about 2,000 feet, the blimp offered a spectacular view of Atlanta's Georgia Dome on New Year's Eve.
Thom Patterson/CNN