Even Goodyear’s classic blimp hasn’t escaped digitization.

You may have seen the tire-and-rubber company’s newest addition, Wingfoot Two, over the Staples Center for the Los Angeles Clippers game last week or carrying passengers overhead for recent tours of Los Angeles or Long Beach.

It just arrived at Long Beach Airport on Oct. 26, and is awaiting renovations before moving into its permanent home in Carson.

The new zeppelin isn’t actually a balloon-like blimp at all, though it’s still referred to that way and is covered in the company’s familiar blue-and-yellow logo. It’s actually a semi-rigid airship that represents the biggest technological advance of Goodyear’s blimp program in nearly 50 years — and a switch from a manually driven ship to a mostly automated system.

The ship is used for marketing purposes by the company, which provides rides to customers and for charity.

Here are six things to know about the modern “blimp.”

It’s so quiet

The zeppelin’s engines are much quieter than the old GZ-20 blimp models, which were so loud that passengers in the gondola had to wear aviation headsets to communicate with each other.

The new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two comes in for a landing at the Long Beach Airport on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

The new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two takes off from Long Beach Airport on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

Sound The gallery will resume in seconds

In a cloud of dust, the new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two takes off like a helicopter at Long Beach Airport on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

The new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two takes off from Long Beach Airport on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

Goodyear pilot Taylor Deen flies their new airship Wingfoot Two over Long Beach on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)



An aerial view of ships sitting idle off the coast of Long Beach on Thursday, November 2, 2017. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

An aerial view of work on the new football field and track at Wilson High from the new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two over Long Beach on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

An aerial view of the Belmont swimming pool complex from the new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two over Long Beach on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

An aerial view of the Queen Mary from the new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two over Long Beach on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

An aerial view of the Queen Mary, the port and downtown from the new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two over Long Beach on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)



A passenger boards the new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two at the Long Beach Airport on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

The new Long Beach City Hall complex begins to take shape in this aerial view from the new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two over Long Beach on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

The new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two flies over the Long Beach Airport on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

A tanker transfers petrolium products in the Port of Long Beach in this aerial view from the new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

The instrument panel of the new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two in Long Beach on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)



An aerial view from the new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two over Long Beach on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

An aerial view from the new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two over Long Beach on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

Passengers pose for a photo after their flight on the new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two at Long Beach Airport on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

An aerial view of the Queen Mary from the new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two over Long Beach on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

An aerial view from the new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two over Long Beach on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)



An aerial view from the new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two over Long Beach on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

The Port of Long Beach is visible in this aerial view from the new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two over Long Beach on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

Goodyear pilot Taylor Deen flies their new airship Wingfoot Two over Long Beach on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

An aerial view from the new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two over Long Beach on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

Students in a physical education class gather on the playground of Will Rogers Middle School in an aerial view from the new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two over Long Beach on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)



Downtown Los Angeles and Long Beach are visible in this aerial view from the new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two over Long Beach on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

The new Gerald Desmond Bridge continues to take shap in this aerial view from the new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two over Long Beach on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

A truck driver drives through the maze of containters in a yard at the Port of Long Beach in an aerial view from the new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

Passengers head out for a flight on the new Goodyear airship Wingfoot Two at the Long Beach Airport on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The Wingfoot Two replaces the previous blimp and will also be based in Carson. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

Sound levels in the GZ-20 blimp reached 110 decibels — similar to the noise level at a rock concert or near an industrial riveting machine. Sound in the zeppelin’s gondola max out at 69 decibels, which is comparable to a dishwasher.

“That’s one of my favorite things (about the new model) because hearing the noise and vibrations of the engines did get fatiguing,” pilot Taylor Deen said during a recent flight.

What’s more, passengers can get up and walk around in the gondola, which now seats 12 instead of six. There’s also a new settee in the back of the gondola, where passengers can sit and look out of a large window.

No ropes required

The blimp’s ground crew used to have to run up and grab two ropes at the nose of the GZ-20 to secure it on the ground during landing because it was so unstable and moved with every wind gust. Now, the pilot has much more control over the ship. The ropes are still around, but only in case of extreme conditions.

The airship structure supports four engines, rather than two on the old model, making it more maneuverable and faster. It can reach 73 mph compared to 50 mph in the GZ-20.

“We’ve been up to 100 mph in a strong tail wind,” Deen said. “It makes a big difference in long flights.”

It pivots

Swiveling propellers on the zeppelin allow it to hover in place, fly backwards and take off and land vertically. The pilots even have two ground-facing windows near their feet, as do helicopters, to help judge distance during landing.

“We have two different kinds of controls in the airship,” Deen said. “Aerodynamic controls for when we’re going over 30 knots. And then we have our thrust-vector control system that we mostly use below 30 knots during takeoff and landing.”

Having both lateral and vertical propellers “gives us a ton of maneuverability,” Deen said.

No more steering wheel

Pilots of the GZ-20 blimp guided the ship with a steering wheel (similar to what you’d see on an ocean-going ship), pedals and pulleys. But, now, everything’s digital and they simply push buttons and wiggle a joystick to move the 246-foot-long zeppelin.

The new controls make piloting of the ship less of a physical exercise and more of a mental one, Deen said.

“We don’t have any rudders any longer,” Deen said. “We don’t have the wheel any longer. We pretty much use the joystick and we have our thrust-vector control system with our swivels and our thrust.”

The envelope is still filled with helium — 297,527 cubic feet of it that can lift 700 pounds more weight than its predecessor (4,042 compared to 3,330 pounds).

It was a global effort

Engineers at Germany’s ZLT Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik worked with American engineers to design the Zeppelin NT model LZ N07-101.

Parts of it, such as the tail fins and the gondola, were made in Germany and shipped to the U.S.

The name zeppelin, was inspired by German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, an early pioneer of the technology that debuted in Germany at the turn of the century.

It’s getting a new home base

The Carson base that’s been home to one of Goodyear’s three U.S. blimps since the 1960s is getting a makeover to accommodate the new ship.

During off hours, a nine-story-tall, blow-up “air dock” hangar will house the blimp inside a polyurethane-polyester shell displaying the company’s logo. Seventy-three miles of polyester will be used to construct the air dock’s shell, which has two layers of synthetic plastic-coated polyester.

During working hours, the ship will be moored to a post in the center of an open field facing the 405 Freeway on Main Street — a familiar site for decades to anyone who passes by the Goodyear air station .