UPDATE: AIRSHIP VENTURES HAS CEASED OPERATIONS
***************
For those who want to experience flight in a real Zeppelin, Airship Ventures offers sightseeing flights over the San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Wine Country, and elsewhere in California for about $500 per person per hour.
The Airship Ventures ship is not a blimp; it is a Zeppelin NT named “Eureka.”
The Zeppelin NT is a 246-foot long semi-rigid airship which can accommodate up to 12 passengers in a 35-foot long passenger cabin. When used for sightseeing flights, the airship usually cruises at about 35-40 MPH at an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet.
The Airship Ventures zeppelin made its maiden flight on May 21, 2008, and now offers airship rides to the public in the San Francisco area. The airship Eureka has been used to promote the Disney/Pixar film “UP” and the personal genetics company 23andMe, and the ship was recently re-decaled to advertise Farmers Insurance.