Airship Ventures
| Company type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aviation, Tourism |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Defunct | 2012-11-14 |
| Headquarters | Mountain View, California , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Alexandra Hall (owner), Brian Hall (owner) |
| Products | Scenic flights ("flightseeing") aboard Zeppelin NT airship Eureka |
Airship Ventures Inc. operated as a privately held enterprise providing scenic flights, known as "flightseeing," aboard a 12-passenger Zeppelin NT airship. These excursions departed from a World War II-era Navy hangar located at Moffett Federal Airfield near Mountain View, California.
By 2012, their zeppelin, manufactured by Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH, was among only three such airships in existence globally. The vessel, called Eureka, was officially unveiled during the 75th anniversary celebration of Moffett Field on November 21, 2008. Its journey from Beaumont, Texas marked the first zeppelin flight on U.S. soil in over seven decades.
Measuring 246 feet in length, Eureka held the distinction of being the largest airship worldwide until surpassed by the U.S. Army’s LEMV in 2012.
Ownership of the company rested with Alexandra and Brian Hall from Los Gatos, California. Alexandra had previously served as director of the Chabot Space and Science Center, while Brian held the position of CEO at Mark/Space, a telecommunications software company. Notably, pilots Katherine "Kate" Board and Andrea Deyling were among a very limited number of female zeppelin pilots internationally.
Airship Ventures conducted its operations out of the Bachelor Officer Quarters (Building 20) within the NASA Research Park, with Eureka housed in Hangar Two—a former blimp hangar facility.
The company discontinued its activities on November 14, 2012, citing an absence of sustainable sponsorship support. By mid-December of that year, Airship Ventures began dismantling Eureka, which was subsequently transported back to Germany.
See also
- Deutsche Zeppelin Reederei (DZR), the historical and current German company specializing in Zeppelin passenger transport