A massive experimental airship is flying around the Bay Area

A giant, high-tech airship that’s been described as a “Goodyear blimp on steroids” has taken flight over the Bay Area. 

The 400-foot-long, helium-filled Pathfinder 1, built by Google co-founder Sergey Brin’s research company LTA (which stands for Lighter Than Air), recently received FAA clearance to take to the skies. The airworthiness certification has allowed the largest aircraft since the Hindenburg to take test flights, according to IEEE Spectrum. The airship is currently housed at Moffett Field — the joint civil-military airport on the southern tip of the San Francisco Bay — and first took flight last week, LTA confirmed with SFGATE.  

The Pathfinder 1 is unlike the ill-fated blimps of old. According to LTA, the ship is suited with a titanium frame, a Kevlar nose cone and can withstand 80 mph winds. Its electric motors and rudders are controlled via joystick from the command center in a gondola under the balloon. LTA also says its patented material covering its 13 giant helium bags is non-flammable.  

The ship’s mission is less clear — the company states its vision for a new generation of aircraft will “compliment humanitarian aid” and “reduce the carbon footprint of aviations.”

Brin — the 10th richest man on Earth — may not be all bluster when he says his new tech could play a part in disaster relief. In 2019, when Hurricane Dorian devastated the Bahamas, he reportedly deployed a secret disaster relief squad, made up of ex-bodyguards and military personnel on his super-yacht, to help residents before the Red Cross or any other agency got there.  

LTA was tight-lipped on the details of where and when Bay Area residents may see the giant white balloon, but shared some information with SFGATE on Thursday. 

“Last week, LTA Research began extensive outdoor flight testing for Pathfinder 1, our proof of concept airship,” a spokesperson said. “In the coming months, Pathfinder 1 will undergo both masted and free-flight testing at Moffett Federal Airfield, led by our team of certified airship pilots and experienced ground crew.”