Toboggan ride, outdoor concerts, maybe even a few celebrities.<\/p>\n
If you spend some time walking down Broadwa\u2026 err\u2026 Super Bowl Boulevard in Manhattan this week, you\u2019re bound to see a lot. But there is something that\u2019s synonymous with the big game that you\u2019re certain to not see anywhere near New York City this week: Blimps!<\/p>\n
Executives at leading blimp companies such as Goodyear and MetLife say it\u2019s far too challenging to fly a blimp in this type of cold, damp and potentially snowy weather, so you could say these bloated aircrafts have already been ruled inactive.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe concern really is freezing rain and snow and its accumulation on the airship,\u201d Goodyear spokesman Doug Grassian said. \u201cThe additional weight can significantly change the flight characteristics of the airship and creates an unsafe scenario.\u201d<\/p>\n
For decades, Goodyear has provided aerial coverage of the events surrounding the big game, contracting with various television outlets such as ESPN.<\/p>\n
Not this year.<\/p>\n
Grassian said their two blimps are currently floating around California and Florida, having most recently spent time in the air above the Farmers Open PGA Tour event in San Diego and the recent Miami Heat games over the weekend.<\/p>\n
A company such as MetLife, with its name already on the Giants\u2019 and Jets\u2019 stadium, would have loved to have its two blimps around Manhattan this week, considering how connected its brand is to the first cold-weather Super Bowl in NFL history.<\/p>\n
But spokesman Shane Winn said they\u2019ve known since the game was announced that flying a blimp around the Super Bowl wasn\u2019t a reality.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all the stuff that surrounds cold weather, the conditions that happen to make snow, ice, even rain,\u201d he said. \u201cAll of those things add to the risk of flying because they can add considerable weight to the airships. It makes flights treacherous.\u201d<\/p>\n
The MetLife blimps typically head south in November every year, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not up here,\u201d he said. \u201cIf MetLife could put its blimp up in the air here during Super Bowl week here in New York and New Jersey, we would do it.\u201d<\/p>\n