Blimp: Please ask me your questions

[Mckarnin]

I apologize if this is posted in an inappropriate place but it was suggested that I place this somewhere more visible than the blimp subforum so I can reach out to people.

Please ask me your questions. If the blimp is continue flying we have to clear the air. Several business matters have been settled recently and I am prepared to answer most (I hope) of your questions now.

Post questions in this thread or in the blimp subforum, PM me through the forum, if you'd like I'll even call you if you PM or email your phone number to me at: inquiries@ronpaulblimp.com. I really believe in this project and think it has great value. I have been dealing with everyone involved and am confident that the blimp is an excellent investment based on the returns so far. Those returns will only continue to increase as the blimp's reputation for getting media coverage and word of mouth grows.

I have been out of the loop on Ron Paul news events lately because my focus has been the blimp and timing with the primaries but when I saw the news about Fox trying to exclude Ron Paul saturate the forums last night I was reminded again how very much we need loud, unmistakeable, unignorable publicity like what the blimp, sign waves, the march for Ron Paul, live free or die, dvd bombs, etc... generate. We have to make the news, package the news and distribute the news whether by strength or by stealth until everyone in America has been given the chance to choose Ron Paul. We can get Ron Paul the name recognition he deserves, we can tie personal interest to political policy and get the word out through stations that may be adverse to featuring Ron Paul but not to covering what people are doing in their coverage area.

Don't let the blimp die.

[Jeremy]

What happens if not enough money is raised by 31st?

[schmeisser]

For disclosure, I pledged and donated to the blimp.

I have seen some questions regarding the blimp that I was curious about too:

1. What is the current structure, name, and stated purpose of the current blimp company, including ownership?

2. You may not be willing to answer this, but what are the current legal issues, lawsuits, and problems faced by the blimp project?

3. What is the status of game/stadium fly-overs?

Thanks, in advance, for your answers.

[Mckarnin]

(1) What is the name of the company that is selling blimp time?

Liberty Political Advertising


(2) In what state is this company registered?

Missouri

(3) Who are the principal owners of this company?

Trevor Lyman, Elijah Lynn, Jerry Collette


(4) Why was all mention of "Liberty Political Advertising" removed from the web site?

There were errors in the paperwork/structure of the company that needed to be fixed. Now they are fixed and the name can be added back to the website.



(5) Weren't you given over $400,000 in pledges for the blimp before December 1st? What happened to that money?


Unfortunately not all of the pledges (promises to give money) were real. All the sponsorships (actual money received) for the blimp project are listed in the totals on the website.

[yongrel]

1) What is the cost per day to keep the blimp in the air?

2) Why no Paypal?

[pacelli]

Why was the google checkout address recently changed from Trevor's music company address in Florida to the Liberty Political Advertising address in Asheville?

[thuja]

we love the blimp! where are you? the blimpsite is not inspiring enough. more news and pictures etc. how is your money? we have given a lot and want you to keep flying.

[Mckarnin]

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=65516&page=7



Hey,


No "settlement" as it is traditionally understood legally. I think I must have misphrased something somewhere along the line. Things did have to be settled. Paperwork for the business had to be settled and had to be set up in a way the 3 principles and the lawyers could agree on so of course there were negotiations and there was some trial and error. NO money was spent getting things settled, no payments were made...it was, as you said, not a paying matter. We just had to get the paperwork and legalese to catch up to the business which went from inception to blimp airborne in 2 weeks.

[rockfree33]

Can we get the blimp to flyover the super bowl game on Feb 3rd? That would be awesome!

http://www.azsuperbowl.com/

[Mckarnin]

What happens if not enough money is raised by 31st?

We hope it doesn't come to that. The owner has been understanding with us in the past and I'm sure that will continue to be so. We have not negotiated based on "what if's" because the owner really wants the money in hand by the 31st and we can ask for no less of the blimp's sponsors, especially considering how many times the deadlines have already been pushed back.

[Mckarnin]

For disclosure, I pledged and donated to the blimp.

I have seen some questions regarding the blimp that I was curious about too:

1. What is the current structure, name, and stated purpose of the current blimp company, including ownership?

2. You may not be willing to answer this, but what are the current legal issues, lawsuits, and problems faced by the blimp project?

3. What is the status of game/stadium fly-overs?

Thanks, in advance, for your answers.

Turns our games/stadiums book their camera crews (we thought that could be an in) months and months in advance so there is no room for spur of the moment offers to give "footage of a game" or what have you to get clearances. There are some other options being explored. We do feel that there are many ways we can take advantage of game day publicity without getting clearances. For example, flying over tailgaters at stadiums up until one hour before the game, flying over rallies organized before the game, seeing if we can get some pre-game show footage of the blimp and supporters/fans, etc...

[Mckarnin]

Why was the google checkout address recently changed from Trevor's music company address in Florida to the Liberty Political Advertising address in Asheville?

I have an inkling but need to get a more precise answer on that one.

[pacelli]

I have an inkling but need to get a more precise answer on that one.

Thank you :)

[NerveShocker]

Bump for answering peoples questions. :)


Help save the Ron Paul Blimp! Details at www.RonPaulBlimp.com

[Mckarnin]

1) What is the cost per day to keep the blimp in the air?

2) Why no Paypal?



1) About $13,333

2) Paypal presents several problems: first of all they require extensive business records and want at least a few past month's worth of those records to get a business account (We don't have enough business history since we started 11/28/07). Secondly, PayPal shuts down personal accounts and locks down the money, sometimes for weeks or months if too much money goes into the account or goes in too quckly. Add to that the fact that they charge pretty hefty fees and you can understand our hesitation. We are still looking into ways of working around those problems and just taking the fees in return for "ease of use".

[Micahyah]

What's the strategy to get more local TV coverage of the blimp?

[Jared Callanan]

Have Trevor and the others from Liberty Political Advertising benefitted financially from this blimp venture?

[NerveShocker]

Jared they get paid 500$ a week as the rest of the staff does. Except some staff gets more than them such as their lawyer. It's all on their website here: http://www.ronpaulblimp.com/Transparency.php

Help save the Ron Paul Blimp! Details at www.RonPaulBlimp.com

[Mckarnin]

Have Trevor and the others from Liberty Political Advertising benefitted financially from this blimp venture?

So far Trevor has received no payment from LPA or any reimbursement of travel, lodging, food, other expenses or pay.

Elijah and Daniel have each received one $500 payment (but no reimbursement of hotel, travel, food or other expenses) and that was a couple days ago.

I have received no payment or reimbursement.


The lawyers have been paid.

[corsairtro]

Is $350,000 a month lease + 13,333 a day to keep it operational a competitive rate? What are other competing blimp lessors asking prices?

[Mckarnin]

What's the strategy to get more local TV coverage of the blimp?


Moving the blimp into parts of the country that have decent weather so we can give media advanced notice and get them out to see the blimp. Almost every mid-sized to major city we have passed over has been prepped with a press release and Bryce and I have made follow-up calls to the media in that area.

Blimp supporters and grassroots can do a lot to help us get coverage by politely informing local news stations that there is a blimp in town.

[Jeremy]

edit: please ignore this post, (posted in wrong thread by accident)

[Mckarnin]

edit: please ignore this post, (posted in wrong thread by accident)

Where were you trying to post? :-)

[asmartchimp]

Why are you not flying the blimp in South Carolina, considering that their primary is before Florida?

[Jeremy]

Where were you trying to post? :-)

CSpan thread... I forgot I clicked this one instead.

[Mckarnin]

Why are you not flying the blimp in South Carolina, considering that their primary is before Florida?

We already had the blimp in South Carolina and flew it over Columbus. We are going to go back up there before/during their primaries. We also hope to hit other Super Tuesday states like AL, GA and TN.

[Bob Spruill]

Who are you ? I politely ask.

[SwordOfShannarah]

A ton of "blimp in the news" links have been added to the blog..

Ron Paul signs follow in blimps wake:
http://www.ronpaulblimp.com/blog/archives/154

Television Media List:
http://www.ronpaulblimp.com/blog/archives/153

Major Media List:
http://www.ronpaulblimp.com/blog/archives/151

Internet Media List:
http://www.ronpaulblimp.com/blog/archives/152

The blimp works!! If you want it to keep working please sponsor it. You can send a check if you don't like Google- the link for checks is listed on the page now.

[vadimg]

I apologize if this is posted in an inappropriate place but it was suggested that I place this somewhere more visible than the blimp subforum so I can reach out to people.

Please ask me your questions. If the blimp is continue flying we have to clear the air. Several business matters have been settled recently and I am prepared to answer most (I hope) of your questions now.

Post questions in this thread or in the blimp subforum, PM me through the forum, if you'd like I'll even call you if you PM or email your phone number to me at: inquiries@ronpaulblimp.com. I really believe in this project and think it has great value. I have been dealing with everyone involved and am confident that the blimp is an excellent investment based on the returns so far. Those returns will only continue to increase as the blimp's reputation for getting media coverage and word of mouth grows.

I have been out of the loop on Ron Paul news events lately because my focus has been the blimp and timing with the primaries but when I saw the news about Fox trying to exclude Ron Paul saturate the forums last night I was reminded again how very much we need loud, unmistakeable, unignorable publicity like what the blimp, sign waves, the march for Ron Paul, live free or die, dvd bombs, etc... generate. We have to make the news, package the news and distribute the news whether by strength or by stealth until everyone in America has been given the chance to choose Ron Paul. We can get Ron Paul the name recognition he deserves, we can tie personal interest to political policy and get the word out through stations that may be adverse to featuring Ron Paul but not to covering what people are doing in their coverage area.

Don't let the blimp die.

I NEED YOUR PAYPAL ADDRESS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[constitutional]

Are we going to win Florida? If not, can I file a dispute with my credit card company? Thank you.

[Bob Spruill]

Who are you ? I politely ask.


Not saying ? OK

Maybe I will just send you a bunch of money anyway. heh

-----------------------------------------------------

edit : I have no idea who she is. I have followed the Blimp Blog.
I think the blimp is a great idea. Certainly someone with the blimp
project coming here and answering our questions is a great idea.
But as far as I know, this person works with Fox news and hates us.

A simple introduction would have worked, and still will.

Who are you ? I politely ask again.

[Bob Spruill]

She/he walked in with seeming authority.

But it is a simple and reasonable question.

Why is there so much silence ?

[NerveShocker]

Not saying ? OK

Maybe I will just send you a bunch of money anyway. heh

-----------------------------------------------------

edit : I have no idea who she is. I have followed the Blimp Blog.
I think the blimp is a great idea. Certainly someone with the blimp
project coming here and answering our questions is a great idea.
But as far as I know, this person works with Fox news and hates us.

A simple introduction would have worked, and still will.

Who are you ? I politely ask again.

Gosh... give her a break. She obviously didn't see your post yet. She can't be everywhere all the time... She could be anywhere.. maybe she went to get food? Maybe she's picking her kids up.. she's only human.

[Bob Spruill]

.. she's only human.

is she ? lol

Maybe you can tell us who she is ? I have no clue.

[Mckarnin]

Who are you ? I politely ask.

Me? I am Katharine Memole, Project Manager. If you check out the blimp website: www.RonPaulBlimp.com and click on the Media link you'll see me.

[NerveShocker]

I can tell you she works for the blimp team and that she is doing her best. She has answered many questions in many forums, not only this one. She can't just keep answering questions non-stop, I'm sure she will get to your question as soon as she can.

[Mckarnin]

She/he walked in with seeming authority.

But it is a simple and reasonable question.

Why is there so much silence ?

Sorry, I have 2 kids and a husband and someone coming over for dinner in 20 minutes. I just went grocery shipping for the first time in a week. I have to leave again to cook but I'll check back a little later.

[Bob Spruill]

No problem, thank you for all your work.

But it would have been better if you had introduced yourself at the start.

Just saying.

[Mckarnin]

No problem, thank you for all your work.

But it would have been better if you had introduced yourself at the start.

Just saying.

Sorry,

I guess I thought people remembered me from my previous Q&A but things move fast in forums. You're right I should have introduced myself properly.

Katharine

[BlueGecko]

Credit card option soon please!

Thanks for all your hard work

[j.b.]

Wednesday at 12:21 pm central time I received an email from Teaparty07 (Trevor) asking for donations to Operation Live Free or Die and I made my first donation to the cause.

Friday at 12:20 pm central time I received an email from Teaparty07 (Trevor) asking for donations for the blimp and I made my first donation to the blimp.

Question - how much was brought in to each of those efforts since the emails went out, and for Operation Live Free or Die in total how much have they collected in total. Last I heard they had collected just over $40,000 and were shooting for $100,000.

[NerveShocker]

You can find how much the blimp has brought in at www.RonPaulBlimp.com

I'm not sure about operation live free or die though.

[fxmercenary]

Will the Blimp Fly Over Sarasota, FL? I live there its 40 miles south of tampa, FL and the beaches are PACKED THICK.

The town is a resort town, the town is full of money and republicans.

Id love to see a blimp tomorrow!

[SwordOfShannarah]

Wednesday at 12:21 pm central time I received an email from Teaparty07 (Trevor) asking for donations to Operation Live Free or Die and I made my first donation to the cause.

Friday at 12:20 pm central time I received an email from Teaparty07 (Trevor) asking for donations for the blimp and I made my first donation to the blimp.

Question - how much was brought in to each of those efforts since the emails went out, and for Operation Live Free or Die in total how much have they collected in total. Last I heard they had collected just over $40,000 and were shooting for $100,000.

It sounds like you have more information than I do. I don't know how much they raised but I'm sure you can ask them or revisit your source.

[deedles]

I've donated a couple times and will again. Thanks for everyones hard work keeping that big beautiful blimp bouyant!