Goodyear Blimp to fly over Kent from Calais
15:51, 21 June 2021
updated: 09:26, 22 June 2021
An iconic blimp will be visible in the Kent skyline for the first time in a decade this week.
The Goodyear Blimp will be flying over the county as it returns to the UK for its first visit in 10 years.
The famous airship is set to appear in numerous places in the county as it travels in loops before attending an event at Brands Hatch in Dartford this weekend.
It will be performing a loop around part of the county on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30.
During that time – weather permitting – it will fly over Dover and Folkestone, before following the M20 across the county to pass near Ashford, then Maidstone, before finishing in Dartford and returning to Calais each evening.
Each flyover is expected to take place in the late-morning; following its tour of Kent, it is then set to take in the sights over London on the following Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Goodyear Blimp is known internationally, after gaining fame for its aerial coverage of the most-watched events in sports and entertainment, ranging from FA Cup Finals at Wembley to Live Aid.
It is an impressive 246 feet long – or the same as almost 17 black cabs lengthways – and is packed with 297,527 cubic feet of helium.
It usually flies at around 1,000 to 1,500 feet in the air, and travels at a top speed of 73 miles per hour.
