It's a Bird, It's a Blimp, It's An Airship!

Heads up, eyes fixated on the large object flying overhead Wednesday afternoon in Los Gatos with the word "Farmers" emblazoned on its side and blocking the sun's rays, couldn't find meaning.

What was it?

"Is it a blimp?" asked one woman, hand to her brow trying to figure it out, a puzzled look on her face. "Why is it flying so low here?"

We wondered, too. So we called Farmers Insurance spokesman Jerry Davies who told us the huge object seen Dec. 14 is the company's airship—not a blimp—first unveiled during the January of 2010 Farmers Insurance Golf Tournament at Torrey Pines.

The airship held cameras that provided live video of the tournament to the millions of golf fans watching throughout the world, he said.

Today, Davies explained, it's one of three in the world and it's headquartered in San Jose. It's branded with the largest Farmers' logo in history, he added.

The airship is not owned by Farmers, it's just leased by the company and tours across the country landing in many cities offering rides to passengers for cost.

The airship is owned by Airship Ventures, Davies added.

"This is the ultimate billboard for Farmers, showcasing our brand for miles," Davies said.

Los Gatos Patch reader Katie Dhuey said on our Facebook post about what we called a "blimp," "That dang blimp is sucking up all the helium supply in the Bay Area! Balloon supplies are in jeopardy. Time to start a helium panic... :-)"

Davies, however, said it has a frame, unlike a blimp. "It's a zeppelin, built by the German firm that created the Hindenburg. It's larger than a 747 airliner. A blimp would be half of that. A Goodyear blimp, in the gondola, holds four people, but the airship holds 12. It's much bigger and it's built totally differently."

The airship flies over many Bay Area sporting and community fundraisers, Davies noted, adding that when it gets between the sun and the ground, it will block the sun out.

If you saw it Wednesday, we'd like to know what you think of it.

Correction: This article has been changed. An earlier version erred in the source of flight for the airship. According to Nathalie Cano, a spokeswoman for Airship Ventures, the airship is fueled with non-flammable helium in engines mounted away from the passenger cabin. Everybody makes mistakes ... even us! If there's something in this article that you think should be corrected, or if something else is amiss, give Local Editor Sheila Sanchez a ring at 408-391-8725 or shoot her an email at sheila.sanchez@patch.com.