Holden Airship Says Farewell To The Fans

[Darren]

The Holden Airship will have its public farewell later this week as its year-long promotional program comes to an end.

‘Big Red’, as the airship has become affectionately known, will fly over the V8 Supercars race at Sandown in Victoria this weekend, lending its support to the Holden Commodores racing in the championships, and to the legions of Holden fans cheering them on.

In the past 12 months, the Holden Airship has made over 400 flights and covered more than 100,000kms. It is the only airship to tour the entire Australian coastline from Adelaide to Cairns, making appearances at dealer events, airshows and sporting events including the V8 Supercars Series.

Philip Brook, Marketing Director for GM Holden says that the airship was an innovative marketing tool and a great way to boost awareness of Holden’s billion dollar baby – the all-new VE Commodore.

“At Holden we look to innovate in all areas of our business – including marketing. Introducing the airship to support our most important new model was about doing things differently. It demonstrated how we always like to think outside the square – just like our move to make ESP standard on a Ute.

“Commodore is still the best selling passenger car for the year to date so we would say that the airship has definitely played its part in our continuing success.

“Wherever the Airship has flown, we have received great feedback from the general public. There won’t be too many people from Cairns to Adelaide that didn’t get to see Big Red on the horizon.”

The Holden Airship stretches across 54.3 metres and stands 16.8 metres tall, making it longer and taller than the current generation of Boeing 737 airplanes.

It features a colour screen which is 21.3 metres wide and 9.1 metres tall, lit by 369,600 light emitting diodes (LEDs). During GM Holden’s exclusive sponsorship of the airship, the screen has been used to advertise Holden’s entire car range, promote local dealerships and Holden’s community partners and to send Happy Birthday and Get Well Soon messages to loved ones.

The Holden Airship was leased for the year from the Lightship Group, the world’s largest operator of airships. Director of the Lightship Group in Australia, Gary Walsh says that the 20-strong Airship team has had many highlights over the past year.

“One of the greatest memories was seeing the faces of the sick children and families we were able to fly through the Starlight Foundation. A flight in an airship is a once in a lifetime opportunity so we were delighted to be able to help out with joy flights for these special families.” Says Gary.

“We also worked with GM Holden and its community partners to raise funds through auctioning rides on the airship. We met some very generous Australians who were only too pleased to pay several thousand dollars for a joyflight to help out their chosen charity.”

Later this month, the Holden Airship will be decommissioned and shipped back to USA where it will be prepared for its next international contract.

Source - Holden Media Site.

[Torquative]

This weekends Sandown 500 is the last time we'll ever see the big Holden airship.

I honestly thought we'd see it at Bathurst one final time!

I first saw it at Oran Park last year and still cant get over the size of it

The Holden Airship will be supporting Commodore V8 Supercar teams in its last flyover at the Sandown 500 this weekend before ‘Big Red’ is decommissioned and returns to the USA.

Special messages have been prepared for the benefit of Holden fans trackside at Melbourne’s classic V8 enduro.

Holden Racing Team’s Mark Skaife, part of the 2005 Bathurst 1000 winning dynamic duo with Todd Kelly, says Big Red’s support is welcome.

“Our red Commodores have been on the pace all season and we again expect to qualify and race strongly, and there’d be nothing better than seeing Big Red float off over the horizon for the very last time flashing ‘Holden Wins Sandown 500’,” said Skaife.

Last round winner Lee Holdsworth ranks himself and co-driver Dean Canto as dark horses to win Sunday’s race.

“We’re a really good chance at Sandown, the Garry Rogers Motorsport Commodores are always strong in enduros and we have more race pace than previous, as was evident at Oran Park last month,” said Holdsworth.

“If it rains it won’t worry us. Both of us have proved this year we can mix it with the race favourites,so bring it on!”

Tasman Motorsport’s Jason Richards also rates himself and team-mate Greg Murphy, a two-time winner of the Sandown classic, as a strong chance.

“There’s always a fair bit of luck involved with the enduros and it’s not necessarily the fastest car that wins,” said Richards.

“Murph’s won Sandown twice and I’ve done well there in the past, so we’ve got a strong driver lineup, and our Tasman Commodore is a reliable car. We’d love to see our name up in lights come Sunday night.”

Paul Dumbrell and Paul Weel pair up at Sandown for the first time with Supercheap Auto Racing and if recent testing is any indication, the pair will be ultra competitive.

“We’ve got some new bits on our Supercheap Commodores and we tested well at Winton. Paul was right on the pace and we’re excited at our Sandown prospects,” said Dumbrell.

Weel racks up 100 rounds this weekend at the scene of his racing debut as an 18-year-old in 1998.

“It was a lot less serious then than what it is now,” said Weel.

“I never thought I’d make it to 100 starts back then, but we go to Sandown 10 years later and I’m hopeful of a top 10 result this time around.”

Cameron McConville shares the second team car with newcomer David Reynolds for his eleventh tilt at the 500.

“It’s always a great race, what with gravel traps, Safety Cars, and unpredictable weather,” said McConville.

“My best result is a third place in 1998, and I wouldn’t mind another podium this time around.”

Joining Reynolds in making his V8 Supercar debut will be Fujitsu Series front runner Jay Verdnik, who will be driving with Mark Noske for Tasman Motorsport.

Practice for this weekend’s Just Car Insurance Sandown 500 begins 1.15pm Friday, with another practice session and qualifying Saturday. Sunday’s 161-lap race begins at 1.30pm

[Raptorsc]

I actually had the pleasure of dealing with Gary Walsh in getting the airship to come to an event I was working on in Mackay Qld. He absolutely bent over backwards to make it happen and the airship visit was a highlight for our event. Better still he even arranged a special scrolling message just for us!! Anyone could have had the airship come to something there were doing in their area just by calling Gary.

Top work Holden and better still you chose the right people to do it.

Nuff said

[hingo1983]

I saw the airship a couple of weeks ago. It was flying around Canberra promoting the unveiling of the new VE Ute. Its a shame to see it go. I have seen it a few times and its great to see something different flying in the sky.

[Emackulation]

Yeah, I was out in the field watching the works boys pouring my pathway to see the big red blimp fly overhead, it stopped in my town and a few ppl from the council had a ride.

[BANKS]

I work where it gets refueled in brisbane so i saw it regularly when it was in town, truely amazing piece of machinery, i used to sit outside our hanger and watch the adds durring lunch when they were testing the screen lol pretty clear even whens its 500m away! Great idea who ever thought of it, thats why he or she gets paid the big $$'s lol

[catlewang]

is this the airship that hovered over the MCG during the AFL grand final last year? causing all this hoo har that it was unfair to paying sponsors, etc and said that the airship was a health and safety issue?

[PunkSV6]

Man that was a beast! far out i remember the day it flew over my house, Fantastic time

[mag]

Hey I've got these shots from my parents back yard, Parafield Airport in SA is just a stones throw away so when it was in Adelaide it would fly over heaps of times..

My friends dog just a few streets away Hated it
as soon as he heard it the fur would stand up and when he could see it he would growl and bark at it...planes and helicopters were no prob just something about that airship

[pr0n]

i saw it in rockhampton a while back, saying someone about a VE commodore