A good day for a Goodyear

It pays to be close to the action. That’s a common experience for students and faculty at Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Lumley Aviation Center at the Williamsport Regional Airport in Montoursville.

On Tuesday, the college’s “aviation crew” enjoyed an up-close view of a Goodyear “blimp” (technically an airship), thanks to some quick asks by Kimberly S. Cordrey, aviation center assistant, and Brett A. Reasner, associate professor of aviation, who jumped into action to facilitate a “meet-and-greet.”

“The students were pretty excited to see it,” Cordrey reported. “The students spent about 35 minutes talking to Joe Erbs, senior pilot on the Goodyear Airships team. Mr. Erbs answered all the questions they had like weight capacity, speed, size, GPS capabilities and so much more. They were able to touch it, look inside it and everything. It was an amazing experience for the students!”

A “Wingfoot One” built by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin, a German aircraft manufacturing company, the airship measures 264.4 feet long and 64.79 feet wide. It is part of the fleet of blimps operated by the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., with corporate offices based in Akron, Ohio. The airship had landed in Williamsport en route to New York City for duty related to a celebration of Goodyear’s 25-year partnership with Mavis Tires.

Penn College offers a bachelor’s degree in aviation maintenance technology, an associate degree in aviation technology and an aviation maintenance technician certificate. More information can be viewed on the college's aviation site or by calling the School of Engineering Technologies at 570-327-4520.