by Monica Conrady

ne of the things I love about flying back into the San Francisco Bay Area during daylight hours is catching a glimpse of the Bay, the hills, and our much beloved Golden Gate.
Well, imagine seeing all of the above in slow motion with a 365 degree view. That’s how it is when you’re flying in a Zeppelin.

I had the pleasure of experiencing this recently on an unseasonably glorious day in early December. The air was balmy and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky as we drove to our meeting place near Oakland Airport.

The Bay, with its sprinkling of sailboats, sparkled in the sunshine.

There were ten of us to fly that afternoon and after a short safety briefing, we were driven to an empty landing field in preparation for boarding when our Zeppelin arrived. We boarded two at a time — as two got off, two got on, to maintain balance and stability. Seat belts were worn for takeoff and landing but apart from that, we were free to move about the cabin.

It was really quite something. Not only were there big picture windows, but some of them actually opened! This enabled us to take some amazing photos and videos of what was below and the rear window ‘love seat’ was the perfect place to have your own photo taken for posterity. There’s even a restroom on board complete with its own window.

Take-off was as smooth as silk with virtually no engine noise to speak of. We just drifted gently along, enjoying the scenery. We enjoyed chatting with our fellow passengers and the crew of two. Our pilot was Katherine (Kate) Board, a young Englishwoman who holds the distinction of being the sole female Zeppelin pilot in the world.

The vistas were stunning. The Bay, with its sprinkling of sailboats, sparkled in the sunshine and the familiar landmarks were as clear as a bell. We got to see what seagulls see as they swoop around — a bird’s-eye view indeed.

Afterwards in the meeting area, we each received a Certificate to commemorate our flight and we celebrated with a glass of champagne — a perfect finale to a wonderful afternoon.

Airship Ventures: tel. 650/969-8100; www.airshipventures.com.

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