Dudley Henriques wrote in message
ink.net...

"patrick mitchel" wrote in message
...
Judging from the film footage of blimp ops during WW2 at New Jersey, I
was
wondering if there were any midairs between airships/zepps? Don't seem
to
have run across any on the web or in print...Pat

I believe there might have been when one of the blimps was performing
aerobatics out over the ocean. I think he was doing a whale roll, into a
3/4 inverted hissout, followed by the extremely difficult gasbag
Immalmann . I think he collided with the other blimp at the top .
When the MIR was released, the investigative board had asked the pilot
why he didn't see the other blimp. I believe the answer was, " I really
don't know. It happened so damn fast!!!!!!!!!"

Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot/ CFI Retired
For personal email, please replace
the z's with e's.
dhenriquesATzarthlinkDOTnzt

Okay, they're slow and yeah, they oughta see eachother, that doesn't stop
ship from hitting each other and some of them are only doing 15 kts or so.
As an aside, I witnessed a slow race where the goodyear blimp and I think it
was the fuji blimp (one of with the vectoring thrusts engines) were out over
the water just off Long Beach, Cal. where they were trying to maintain their
position. The goodyear blimp must have dumped some ballast in the process as
it was pointing severly nose down while the other blimp with the vectorable
thrust was sitting there level. A funny picture, one craft sitting there 90
degrees out in attitude and them both hanging motionless. Pat