The Blimp Port in the Sky
In a discussion with a friend the other day I told him about the original plans for the mooring mask on the Empire State Building. I thought I’d put this here so I could easily reference him to it.
One depression-era scheme didn’t work out — the plan to make the Empire State Building a blimp port in the sky. A dirigible mooring was built on what is now the base of the television tower. The idea was that passengers could fly directly into Manhattan, getting off at the ESB, rather than landing in one of the boroughs or New Jersey. Only one blimp ever successfully docked with the Empire State, and that was only for three minutes. Near disasters, unpredictable winds, and the thought of passengers walking a catwalk 1,350 feet above the ground scuttled the plan.
For some reason he didn’t believe anyone ever seriously considered doing something like this.
General | Larry Burton | 18 November 2002 |
