WWII Navy Blimp Gondola Types

[astixjr]

After getting a chance to walk around an Airship Industries 600 that stopped by Creve Coeur Airport for the evening yesterday, I started thinking about the blimp gondola cars that were built here in St. Louis during WWII. I have read that St. Louis Aircraft Corporation (a division of St. Louis Car Company) built C-6, C-8, and C-9 balloon cars (blimp gondolas) but I've never seen any images of them and don't know if any still exist. I assume they were used on the K series Navy blimps but again, I really don't know much about this subject. Do any of you WIXers know more about this subject? Any books or websites that you can point me toward? I've always thought it would be fun to find and restore a St. Louis built blimp car but I imagine it would be like finding a St. Louis built WACO CG-4 combat glider. The chances of course being slim and none.

[robkamm]

there were pictures from Weeks collection of a bunch of them in a field. pretty neat stuff. im sure somebody will post the pics.sounds like a cool project if you could find one.

[Warbirdnerd]

These are Kermit's Gondolas, they are sitting outside his "Golden Hill" storage area. I believe they are K Types

[Courier Sportster]

maybe it's the bucky fuller in me, but when I see that picture I start thinking about ways to make one of those gondolas into a house. a dymaxion house!

[robkamm]

maybe a cool man cave. how many were produced?

[JohnB]

The ultimate warbird?

I wonder if Goodyear could make a new envelope?
With a few modern updates, it would be worth restoring to flight.

Yes, I know it would be expensive....but it would still cost less than a Mustang.

I too would like a book on the subject. My standard U. S. Navy Aircraft by Swanborough and Bowers doesn't have much on them.
While rigid airships have quite a bit written on them, less so with the wartime and post war non-rigids.

The book lists 74 K-series produced, but others were made without serials (spares?).

Last edited by JohnB on Sat Sep 27, 2014 4:16 am, edited 1 time in total.

[wls3]

The NEAM (New England Air Museum) has had a gondola under restoration for many years.
Last photos I saw it was looking real good. Only photo I have is 10 years old.
Perhaps Jerry or Chris have more current info.

[robkamm]

that's bigger than I thought it would be. it must have been some site to see a fleet of them up in the air at one time. any pics of that out there? radial engine powered?

[astixjr]

Thanks for the help guys! Of course, Kermit has a few laying around. Go figure.

Still have not figured out for certain what the C-6, C-8, and C-9 cars look like but I assume they might have been types used on the K series airships. On page three of a Google search I came across a pdf version of a newsletter called The Noon Balloon. It lead me to the website and organization below. I'll be joining up today. Looks like they have nearly 100 newsletters in their history files so I'll bet I can learn a bunch from that info. I've learned a great deal already, just by reading the two newletter pdfs I found online. I had no idea that blimps stayed in service for so long.

http://naval-airships.org/

Thanks for the lead on Kermit's blimp gondolas. Now if I can just figure out where those were made. It looks like the folks at NEAM have done a great job on their K car and I'll bet they are now the experts in this part of aviation history. Any WIXers here working with the New England Air Museum?

Thanks,

[Jerry O'Neill]

They are a long way along at NEAM! They're spinning the engine cowls as I type and everyday it gets closer and closer to being finished.
Just look a the detail and work so far!
Jerry

[APG85]

WOW!!!! The detail work is amazing...! The Naval Air Museum has a nice one as well but the NEAM is really going all out on the one they are working on. Fantastic job...!

[tom d. friedman]

beautiful, & rare to see the interior lay out & other misc gear in place.

[Jerry O'Neill]

FYI, after WWII, NEAM's K-16 blimp was taken back by Goodyear, all military equipment was stripped out , and it was christened "Puritain". Goodyear used it for a few years for advertising before it was stored. NEAM got it in the early 1970's and has had to find or make EVERYTHING military to bring it back to WWI standards!

[Mark Allen M]

That NEAM gondola is very nicely done. Fantastic job.

[barnbstormer]

my photos from behind the Pensacola Naval Air Museum. Seems like this one has been there for as long as I can remember..


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