Fuji Airship

Cory the Clown takes a ride in an airship and tells about their history. The airship's captain, Captain Eddie, explains how they fly.

The first airship was built in France in 1852, long before airplanes. Airships are commonly called "blimps," a British slang term. An airship is filled with helium, a natural gas that is lighter than air. When the helium is stored in a balloon-like compartment called an envelope above the ship, the ship hovers neutrally. The engines propel it up or down.

Governments used airships for missions during World War I and World War II. Today, airships are used mostly to hover above sporting events for aerial television filming and as advertisements for people to see from the ground for products and companies. Cory the Clown took a ride on the Fujifilm Airship.