AERIAL VIEWS

Oh, my! Once again I have received some fantastic photos of a zeppelin, and some shots taken while in flight.

Blimps and zeppelins are not the same thing. Blimps, with the gas removed, collapse, whereas zeppelins have a rigid internal structure.

This is the Eureka. At 246 feet long, it is currently the largest airship in the world. It offers aerial tours of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Getting ready for take-off. Katherine (Kate) Board is the only female airship pilot in the world.

Take-off!

The cockpit area, like the rest of the cabin, has a wonderfully unobstructed view.

That’s Alameda down on the left. The Alameda Naval Air Station is located there.

That’s the 880 freeway below. Jack London Square is towards the middle, and the Alameda Naval Air station is at the top left.

Lake Merritt in downtown Oakland.

That’s Oakland below, with Berkeley in the background. We’re about 1000 feet above sea level.

The Oakland Coliseum in baseball configuration. That's the basketball pavilion above it. Lots of parking space.

The cabin can seat 12 passengers, plus a crew of two.

Though this airship is small compared to the ones of pre-World War II, you can get an idea of its size by comparing its shadow with the size of the cars on the road.

This is Yerba Buena Island that connects the two sides of the Bay Bridge. Since the bridge is tunneled right through the island, it has been described as having the largest underground transient population in the world.

That split highway on the Bay Bridge just this side of the island is where the current phase of new bridge construction is taking place. The part on the right is no longer a part of the bridge, and the part on the left is what they call the "S" curve. A couple of weeks ago a truck driver was killed when he took the curve too fast, and drove right off the bridge.

Downtown San Francisco in the background.

This shot shows Aquatic Park, Pier 39, the Transamerica Building (with the pointy top), and the Bay Bridge in the background. Coit Tower at left center, coming up from the greenery, and below the Bay Bridge.

More downtown San Francisco. The Transamerica building is at right center. Clear at the top (it is barely visible) is a television tower on top of Mt. Sutro.

Over Alcatraz Island

The Golden Gate Bridge, coming into the Marin side of the gate.