The Spirit of Goodyear took its place in the Goodyear fleet of airships on March 15, 2000 when it was christened by America's first woman in space, NASA astronaut Dr. Sally Ride.

Based at Goodyear's Wingfoot Lake Airship facility in Suffield, Ohio the Spirit of Goodyear often flies the skies over the home of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, which has its headquarters in nearby Akron.

In addition to the familiar nose-to-tail blue panel above the mid-line (equator) of the Spirit of Goodyear there is a blue panel below the mid-line. This panel is designed to improve the visibility of the day sign lights. EagleVision, the electronic sign configuration on the port side, provides high resolution for text, graphics and video.

Naming its blimps is a very personal thing to Goodyear. Each name is a proud handle that represents something important to Goodyear or brings recognition to a proud tradition. The Spirit of Goodyear was so named to honor the tens of thousands of loyal, hard working associates of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.

The Spirit of Goodyear, like the Spirit of Innovation, will travel that part of the United States bordered by the Rocky Mountains to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south and Canada to the north. A Goodyear blimp is not limited to the United States, however, and may occasionally visit Canada or Mexico.