Right next to our hangar is the Goodyear Airdock, one of Ohio’s largest structures (and a striking aerial landmark), once home to the Goodyear Blimp. The cavernous domed hangar is currently being renovated to support additional aviation-based work conducted by Lockheed Martin.

According to National Park Service documentation, the Goodyear Airdock was constructed in 1929 by the Goodyear Zeppelin Corporation from plans created by the Wilbur Watson Engineering Company of Cleveland. Work began in April 1929, and by November 25 the Airdock was completed at a cost of $2.2 million. At the time, it was the largest building in the world without interior supports. At 22 stories high, it could accommodate four Super Bowl Games at once!

With the construction of the Airdock, Akron became a center for development and construction of lighter-than-air ships. Two dirigibles, the Akron (ZRS-4) and its sister, the Macon (ZRS-5), were built in the Airdock and launched in 1931 and 1934, respectively. The building later housed the photographic division of the Goodyear Aerospace Corporation.

When World War II broke out, enclosed production areas were called into service, and the Airdock was used for this purpose. The Airdock was more recently the site of the 1986 kickoff rally for the United Way of Summit County, accommodating 200,000 members of the public. During the late '80s and early '90s, the full-sized shuttlecraft prop from the original Star Trek series was stored there while it was being restored.

President Clinton spoke at the Airdock as a candidate in the 1992 election, bringing 30,000 visitors to the site. Loral Corporation purchased Goodyear Aerospace Corporation and the Goodyear Airdock in 1987. It was later acquired by the Lockheed Martin Corporation in 1996.

The semi-paraboloid shaped building has been described as "half a silkworm's cocoon, cut in half the long way." The maximum length of the Goodyear Airdock is 1,175 feet with a maximum width of 325 feet and a maximum height of 211 feet. At the ends of the building are identical semi-spherical doors, each weighing 600 tons. These doors are fastened at the top by hollow forged pins 17 inches in diameter and six feet long. The doors rest on 40 wheels set on curved railroad tracks. Atop the building at the northeast end is a control tower and radio aerial. The Airdock is mounted on rollers to compensate for expansion and contraction due to temperature changes.

To learn more about the history of the Goodyear Airdock, click on the links below:

• http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/6370
• http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/aviation/goo.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodyear_Airdock
• http://www.summitmemory.org/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=exact&CISOFIELD1=subjec&CISOROOT=all&CISOBOX1=Photography
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/lellis_sjca/2547628706/