Zeppelin attempts to break world record

Jim Dexter covered 459.3 miles … in 10 hours May 25, breaking the world distance record for a modern airship. Dexter, director of flight operations for Airship Ventures, flew the Farmers Airship, a Zeppelin called Eureka.

Dexter flew the airship along the California Coast and Central Valley from Moffet Field to Brown Field, beating the previous distance record, set by a Russian team, by 70.2 miles.

“I’m lucky enough to get to fly Eureka, so I know what she can do,” Dexter announced in a press release in advance of the flight.

Aviation enthusiasts in California got to see the giant airship float by overhead. The Zeppelin flew over Salinas, San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, Oxnard, Ventura, Malibu, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Dana Point, and San Diego.