Radio Controlled Blimps to escort the Ron Paul MotherShip

[equality7252117@yahoo.com]

I love this blimp project idea!!! I've pledged to donate $100.
I don't want to detract from this big project, we definately should support that, but i have a smaller scale idea.

Radio Controlled Blimps would be a fraction of the price. We could even attach them onto the "Mother Blimp" and release them as escort vessels to make an even bigger impact! Or they could be controlled from the ground and escort the Mother Blimp as it passes trough the area.

These blimps would be about 12' up to 16' and one site i found has a price at 5,500. We could start a chip-in to raise funds.

Just Google "Radio Controlled Blimp" to find several manufacturors. Here is a link to the one i found: http://www.southernballoonworks.com/rcblimps.html


Every meet-up group could have it's own blimp! Imagine the impact this would bring to a sign-waving event, rally, etc.
$5000 is still a big expense but we could scale this idea down even more and go for a Giant Balloon. The site above prices that at only $250. We could find someone that owns a radio controlled airplane or buy one for about $100. We could then tow the Giant Ballon behing the RC hobby airplane to great effect! Total cost approx. $500

[TechnoGuyRob]

Nice find, equality! :D

[Cali4RonPaul]

LoL too funny, so we have the money now lets raise a Blimp Armada and send it to the debates. ;)

[troyd1]

I think this is a bizzarily great idea. I could see the mini blimps droping candy or tshirts. They do this at sportsgames all the time. If the blimp was coming and the kids knew about it, it would be huge. We could drop freedon gum, liberty chews, etc.

[micahnelson]

A strong message, millions of dollars, and an airforce....

[Elijah]

I would really like to see someone take on this project to. It would be really cool!

And the whole nation will have blimp-mania pretty soon anyways so we might as well take advantage of it!!

It is too much for me to take on right now but I urge you to run with it!!

[Talldude1412]

Awesome Elijah, where can we get updates on the progress of the blimp?

[Elijah]

Awesome Elijah, where can we get updates on the progress of the blimp?

The progress right now is that we are looking for a treasurer to start being able to collect the money. We may very well have our initial goal by the end of today and need to be able to start collecting it.

We would very well love for Lawrence Lepard to be the treasurer but know he is a busy man.

[ronpaulblogsdotcom]

I think you have all gone insane. Or not - whatever...

[Jaykzo]

lmao, the Ron Paul Mothership.



This is getting epic. Considering how great everything else has worked out, I'm already convinced this'll be a massive success.

[austin356]

OOOOH MY is all I can say.


Please though. Lets just stick with the mothership. A few more smaller blimps wont increase coverage yet that money could be spent elsewhere.

For the cost of two blimps I could open a campaign office and phone the entire state here.

[equality7252117@yahoo.com]

I would really like to see someone take on this project to. It would be really cool!

And the whole nation will have blimp-mania pretty soon anyways so we might as well take advantage of it!!

It is too much for me to take on right now but I urge you to run with it!!

I would love to see this smaller project work, to have RC Blimps escort Air Force Ron. If there is enough interest in making this happen i will happily volunteer to help however i can.

I humbly suggest that after the fund raising for the Mother Blimp is achieved that a pledge could be organized on the RonPaulBlimp.com site to raise funds for these Radio Controlled Blimps.
If a $5/$6 thousand price for each is correct we could shoot for $20000. This would purchase 3 or 4 Blimps.

Having a few smaller blimps descend into the crowd where the blimp has landed or is passing over would just magnify the impact of this whole project a hundred fold! I love the idea of having the blimp float over the crowd and shoot out Ron Paul Cards, etc.

One advantage of these smaller blimps over the big project is that we will own these outright and we can use them were ever we want and however long we want. These blimps will make a big impact at every rally, even after the lease expires on the Mother Blimp.

[troyd1]

Does anyone have one of these or can we lease one? It would be amazing to have one of these at the Florida debates!

[ProBlue33]

The small blimps drop money imagine how much attention that would get.

[Man from La Mancha]

Radio control blimps are battery powered and only can operate in very low wind conditions outdoors and aren't very feasible at all. But tethered helium blimps are if close enough to be read are a little more useful. Air planes with banners or lighted displays are much more usefully.IMO


.

[Eagle]

Hi,
I was just thinking inexpensive helium balloons shaped like a blimp with the graphics of the big guy would be super. SO, I sign up here to look and you guys are right there. Super! Way better than a yard sign and they could be tied off and left. If they could be done for under $50 any of us could buy one and fly it.

Has the graphics for the Mothership been finalized?

[Primbs]

For many years one group had a booth at CPAC where they used a remote control blimp to fly around the exhibit hall. When there is a room full of exhibit booths, filled with position papers and t shirts, the booth with all the fun toys gets all the attention.

They even let attendees fly the blimp.

http://www.cpac.org/

[GorGor]

I would really like to see someone take on this project to. It would be really cool!

And the whole nation will have blimp-mania pretty soon anyways so we might as well take advantage of it!!

It is too much for me to take on right now but I urge you to run with it!!

Umm, Elijah, I sent a message to you via DailyPaul over a week ago and an IM through RPForums about this 3-5 days ago.

Respectfully Elijah, if you get the opportunity and if you'd care to have someone take this project on, reply to the messages sent to you that say someone wishes to take on this project.

[Indy Vidual]

Blimp
Mini-Blimp...Mini-Blimp...Mini-Blimp...Blimp...Blimp

[jmdrake]

Radio control blimps are battery powered and only can operate in very low wind conditions outdoors and aren't very feasible at all. But tethered helium blimps are if close enough to be read are a little more useful. Air planes with banners or lighted displays are much more usefully.IMO


.

Check this out.

http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=1065829&fr=

[kimosabi]

You can buy Outdoor Remote Control Blimps here from $3949 ==> http://www.southernballoonworks.com/rcblimps.html

Videos

13 Foot R/C ==> http://www.southernballoonworks.com/vids/13ft_outdoor_rc_test1_v.wmv

16 Foot R/C ==> http://www.southernballoonworks.com/vids/16ft_outdoor_rc_v.wmv

[Primbs]

Both are great videos.

How to win seniors for Ron Paul.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrwtIeqlin8

[trueg]

It's not just the blimp itself we need to raise money for. It's the whole idea of the blimp. eg. "Ron Paul, the man with a blimp" We should have t-shirts "i saw the blimp and all I got was this lousy t-shirt"...bumper stickers. Anything that ties-in-with and promotes the whole CONCEPT of the blimp. This will build anticipation and execitement, so when the blimp arrives people don't say: "who's ron paul and why does he have a blimp?"....No, they say "the Ron Paul blimp is outside!" or "I saw the blimp!"

It's like promoting a celebrity so that people want to see him and then they brag to all their friends about it later.

[Primbs]

Do you think we can get a google satellite photo of the blimp?

[Voluntaryist]

LoL too funny, so we have the money now lets raise a Blimp Armada and send it to the debates. ;)

Now THAT would definitely require a "Ride of the Valkyries" soundtrack ;)

[Voluntaryist]

Do you think we can get a google satellite photo of the blimp?

Sure, if you pay the satellite operators enough. It would be quite a lot.

[rancher89]

Check this out.

http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=1065829&fr=


OMG, we were watching the video and said at the same time--it needs a banner and boom--there's the banner!! Very cool. You guys rock my world! I say - do it locally, go meet the blimp and fly the RC planes and blimps over the crowds!

Great Christmas gift idea also, RC RP planes and blimps!! I love this campaign, thank you all for the uplifting positive attitudes, thanks so much!

If you can come to Elizabeth City, actually Weeksville, for the lauch--fly those suckers there too!!!!

[isrow]

Don't forget the law of diminishing returns. I don't believe spending money on this would get anymore publicity. Additionally I doubt it would be feasible to fly them at at the same altitude as would be required over a city. And from the ground no one would be able to read what was on (if your idea was also to put a message on it). Let's stay focused on getting one blimp of the ground.

[equality7252117@yahoo.com]

Don't forget the law of diminishing returns. I don't believe spending money on this would get anymore publicity. Additionally I doubt it would be feasible to fly them at at the same altitude as would be required over a city. And from the ground no one would be able to read what was on (if your idea was also to put a message on it). Let's stay focused on getting one blimp of the ground.

I hope that the new fundraising format for the Blimp will allow for the possiblity of adding on smaller RC airships after the fundraising for the big blimp is complete. I believe i saw a mention on the airships flight plan that used MotherShip 1 as the name for the blimp. I hope this means that there will be other airships, maybe "daughter"? ships 2,3,4.
Since first posting this i've seen quite a varity of mini RC airships online and i think that they have great potential.

I would love to see the mini blimps detach from the mothership and descend into the crowd below. They would have advertisements and be able to drop cards or small promotional items onto the crowd below from 10 or 20 feet in the air. It probably isn't practical to attach them to the MotherShip though so the mini blimps would have to be transported from rally to rally on the ground and then controlled from the ground as well.

I think someone should suggest to the blimp company that a future design of their large blimps should allow for the docking of these RC mini blimps onto or under the gondola of the mothership. I think this would be a powerfull marketing feature and this would sell well for advertising purposes for customers other than Ron Paul crazies;)

As for diminishing returns... i think the opposite is the case. Having a few smaller blimps flying just a few feet overhead of a crowd at the same time as a large mothership is a couple hundred feet above would just magnify the overall impression a thousand fold! (at least for those in the crowd below)

Obviously the mothership has to fly first, but i would rate buying some RC blimps as a second priority before even financing another month for the big blimp.
The advantage to the mini blimps is that they are owned outright and can fly whenever /whereever we have a rally.